TGO Challenge 2017: Day 3

Day 3: Sunday, May 14
Planned: Kinbreack to Laddie wood
Actual: as planned (except for the cow-induced detour)

Distance: 32 km
Ascent: 590 m

The day did not start well. I found a chunk of my tooth amidst my morning granola! Fortunately it did not hurt. What also didn't hurt, although it was extremely strenuous, was wading through that green and brown boggy hell in the picture above that was River Kingie and its surroundings. Having reached a slightly drier patch on the slopes of Doire nan Cluainean, Greg and I watched Rebecca of the Manchester gang sink very deep into the arms of Mother Nature, not succumbing beneath the surface but not remaining very dry either. We started to understand that Scotland was not a very dry place.

Glen Kingie in all its morning glory

But it is very, very beautiful in deed.

And wet. Very wet, as we already established. Just a reminder.

Most of the day's walk was quite uneventful in terms of weather (mostly sunny) or walking ground (it was either wet paths or hard tracks underfoot). But then, in the late afternoon, when getting near our planned overnight halt in Laddie Wood, there was a distraction. The cutest little fluffy calves on the road! And the huge, humongous mothers of those cute little calves. Greg, my friend, ex-Marine and not a skinny little guy, suggested we take a detour as to not disturb the calves - or their mothers. 

We did. In this picture you can see the easy part of the detour, because I couldn't take pictures in the difficult section (the thickest jungle of spruce I've ever been to in my middle-aged life, and I live in Western Finland!).

After the "let's not disturb the calves = let's run for our lives before those hairy monsters kill us" detour of about an hour and three extra kilometres, we finally walked to Laddie Wood to camp. The Manchester gang in its entirety was already there (and all the nice spots for pitching taken already as well, of course). When asked if they saw the cows they said that yes they did, and they just walked right past them. Well then. Brave Brits.

The worst pitch ever

TGO Challenge 2017 in pictures

My sucksack and other kit issues

No. it's not a typo. My rucksack sucks. Well, that was maybe a bit harsh, since she has been the most wonderful rucksack for several (almost 8) years. Her name is Aura and she is an Osprey by name. We've seen a lot together, me and her.

Stone-stepping across a stream in the Paistunturi wilderness
area, Finland. June 2012.

But now, despite my desperate attempts in patching her up with Tear-Aid for the Challenge, it seems she just can't hold herself together anymore.

It's not like I feel a lot better at the moment, to be honest, since I'm suffering from a very tiresome flu and super achy knees, but I expect to get better before May. My Aura probably gets worse. Maybe it's just time to let her stay at home and swap her for a younger model.

I have tentatively looked at the new Aura AG 50 (sturdier, but heavier, but also comes with adjustable torso length and a zippered lower compartment) and Sirrus 50 (also heavier, but not as much as the Aura AG, also not as sturdy, but with both the aforementioned features that my current Aura lacks). I would love to have the Exos 48, speficially in blue and white to celebrate the 100th year of independent Finland, but even the smallest torso length is too tall for me. Bummer. Also, it might not be a good idea to get an ultralight pack since apparently I manage to trash a heavier one in less than eight years.

Since my hiking trousers (Fjällräven Keb Gaiter) surprised me and came out of the closet the other day well-fitting, as opposed to being too tight like they were two months back, I don't have to buy a new pair and thus could spend the extra money (What extra money? There is no extra money! Best regards, your bank account) on a new pack.

However, I'm already on the verge of a small panic regarding a lot of my current gear. Should I go for  lighter boots (although the last time I tried lighter boots I got really sore feet and a blister the size of Canada)? Should I get a new sleeping mattress (because my trusty old NeoAir is not that trusty anymore, it has the tiniest leak that usually never bothers me, but what if it starts bothering me on 2-week trek)? Do I need a new stove? Will my down jacket be a bit too much? Or a bit too wet if it rains all the time? Should I bring my Merrell barefoot sneakers for wading and camp (although it would mean that they get wet and I'd probably need to buy a pair of Sealskinz socks to go with them) or my Crocs Offroads (although they look hideous and wearing them in public is a fashion crime)? Getting a new rucksack was the ONE thing I thought I don't need to worry about.

Well, at least my back-and-forth with the tent has come to a conclusion. I am getting the Hilleberg Enan (2016 model with the slightly heavier but a lot stronger Kerlon 1000 outer material). In green, obviously. Sleeping in a red tent is a bit too Christmasy.

Now I only need to solve the twenty something issues with my other things and I'm good to go! 50 days left. Better start thinking about food next.