Night hike preparation

Published by David Carrington on November 16, 2007 under Misc

It’s about zero degrees outside, perfect to go on a night hike for 10 miles around Cookham with a load of Scouts I’d say! Here’s how I’m packed:

All my walking gear spread out in a mess over my bed

Bag main compartment:

  • Waterproofs
  • Headlamp
  • Food
  • Spare map

Front compartment:

  • First aid kit
  • Camera
  • GPS (for plotting route on the computer later)
  • Spare batteries
  • Wallet
  • Keys
  • Space blanket

Fleece pockets:

  • Woolly hat
  • Gloves
  • Compass
  • Folded up map, printed from an OS map

In the rear of the bag is a big pocket for my water bladder, 2 litres so that I’ve got plenty spare. I just need to charge my phone now and that’s me pretty much ready.

Night hike practice run

Published by David Carrington on October 18, 2007 under Misc

On Tuesday night I was glancing at an OS map of Maidenhead to check out a route that the 19th Maidenhead Scouts would be navigating. 4km long, with about 14 stops, and 1.5 hours to do it – it was focusing heavily on precise navigation rather than walking speed. Just to “be prepared”, I loaded up the route into both GPS devices I own.

Up comes Wednesday evening. Parking a short distance from the start point, 14 of us gathered at the start point and began the crucial first step in our two groups: making sure everyone knows where they are on the map. MP3 players removed and torches switched on, we head off on our journey into the night.

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