Hills,Thrills and Silver Foxes

This was to be the second training walk with the full complement of team members and it was high time we tackled some hills, being that there are going to be one or two on the day! For our ups and downs we disembarked the Oxford Tube at the oft forgotten Lewknor Turn to do a bit of map reading and celeb spotting, oh, and wander Ridgeway.

The big plan was to walk sections of the both the Ridgeway and Chiltern Way to make a nice circular route taking in some glorious rolling countryside. Rich had ‘volunteered’ himself as chief navigator by on the day by being the one who brought a map. After a very quick check of said map after we’d all assembled, we headed due “that way” towards the Ridgeway.

The pace was steady and the scenery was a welcome change from the ‘water on the left, water on the right, oh look, Didcot’ that we’d enjoyed on our last training walk. We didn’t see many in the way of other walkers, but they always seemed to appear just in time. The first instance of passerby rescue, came soon after we’d wondered off the edge of our map, albeit intentionally. (Rich’s belief being that the two paths must meet "just up there"). Our new found guide initially filled us with confidence proclaiming he’d lived in the area for over thirty years, he then blew that away when he confessed to having never heard of the Chiltern Way! Nevertheless his information was good, we found the path we were looking for, and on our guide’s recommendation stopped at the top of a Lodge Hill for some great lunchtime views.

We headed off after lunch and quickly met and tackled, (what for us at least) was quite a meaty hill. Keeping the good pace we had established from the start we soon found ourselves heading back toward the Ridgeway and being entertained by a number of red kites.

A result of us stepping off the route for our lunch atop a hill had quite the effect on our route, as after checking the map, we realised we didn’t quite know where we were; Cue emergency guide number two! Soon after Rich had unfurled the map on the ground, and got an ‘ish’ of where we were, a couple of walkers and their dog came to our aid. It turns out we’d taken a right when most definitely should have taken a left. This was easy enough to remedy, however it did mean tackling that ‘meaty hill’ once more!

After numerous fields (and a number of doublings back!) our route brought us into Stokenchurch, and right next to a Ghurkha Pub. We all agreed that this would be a perfectly apt place to stop and ale ourselves, sadly though we’d arrived outside of opening hours. So moving on, but with taste for refreshment, we picked up the Chiltern Way once more and Rich spotted a pub on the map that was only a mere stones throw off the route. As we headed along the roadside to the Fox Country Pub, we caught a glimpse of some similar 'wildlife' The Silver Fox himself– Mr PhillipSchofield!

After a very leisurely pint (served by quite possibly the grumpiest barman in the world) we got back to the task of finishing our loop to Lewknor. We went up through Barnfield Hanging Wood, which contained the thigh burner of the day, a long hill that just went on, and on and on. Once we'd topped out that beast, our thoughts turned to food for the Trailwaker day itself, with the most enthusiasm being mustered for the chilled champagne to be served to us on completion.

We soon arrived back at Lewknor turn, Haley caught her bus back to London, whilst the rest of the group headed back to Oxford in time for Chloë to pack and catch her flight to Liberia.

So, What did we learn this time?

1. Local knowledge can be better than any OS map.
2. Rolling up your trousers may cool you down on a hot day, but you will look a bit silly and the stinging nettles will take full advantage of exposed ankles.
3. The new Magnum Infinity ice creams are AMAZING.
   1. If you eat a Manum Infinity, six Oreo cookies and drink a litre of orange juice; you'll have a taste in your mouth reminiscent of a night drinking tequila.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/180084731 (our slight deviation and correction being clearly visible)

The Awesome Foursome

Four months on from the fateful high fives at the Christmas party; and would you believe it, all four members of Team Tarahumara are in the same country and going for a walk!

 

We set off from along the Thames Path from Reading station just after 9am,  our eyes fixed on Oxford. It was a  classically British Easter Bank Holiday Monday - it was raining, and according to some internet measuring, this would be a 38 mile outing in the rain.

We clocked up miles quickly, pretty happy that we all fell into a similar pace, and stopped for a spot of lunch at around mile 15. With hoods still clinging to our heads we set off again, still hopping to catch a glimpse of a water vole which was frustratingly elusive during our last walk. While we didn't spot much in the way of wildlife (they knew better than to spend their Bank Holiday out in the rain) we did stumble across many the WWII pill box along our walk, all still keeping a watchful eye on the Thames.

The rain was unrelenting, never particularly hard, but ever present. Fortunately this didn't dampen (apologies) our spirits and we managed to keep a good steady pace all day. It wasn’t until about mile 24 that Haley gently asked if anyone else was feeling any aches or pains, the consensus being that we were each feeling it in our feet a bit. Haley was buoyed by this, being her first walk with the rest of the team, she was concerned that she was the only one feeling it. However, when we parked our bums for a quick snack shortly after, our Antipodean took off her shoe to reveal a chalk white foot, wrinkled from being wet from mile one; and what was either a blister or a new big toe. Fortunately calls from her father all the way back in Oz filled her with enough anti colonial gusto to bravely soldier on without complaint for the next 9 miles.

We suspect the extra miles might have caused the mirage like phenomenon of Didcot. From around mile 20 until the last 3 we just couldn’t seem to shake the specter of the two grey cooling towers puffing away. When we first noticed them they were a good deal behind us, but then by some strange twist in the universe (or possibly the river) they disappeared and reappeared some distance ahead of us! Next they were to our left and then to our right. For the next 10 miles they would sneak up at us from all angles. It was hilarious at first, but they slowly chipped away at souls as the miles ticked on and Didcot continued to mock us. Chloe took the direct approach at dealing with the problem - shouting expletives at the inanimate towers - and although it may not have shooed them away, it certainly appeared to lift her and the groups spirits.

It turns out that Reading to Oxford along the Thames path is a good deal further than Reading to Oxford just along the Thames. Coming up off the river to walk through pretty little places such as Goring and Streately adds, at best guess, another ten miles on. As we arrived at Abingdon, and with darkness having fallen, the team took the decision that it was time to call it a day. The thought that we have to do this distance twice over on the day is a little daunting, but as Chloe and Rich dashed along Abingdon High Street to catch the bus we could see that even when you’re dog tired; there’s still some reserves hidden away somewhere, which gives us comfort.

Sooo, What did we learn from our first walk together as a full team?

You take fewer photos in the rain, you NEED either waterproof boots/shoes or socks - otherwise your feet turn to mush, The words to the rap from 'Oh What a Night' (Thanks Chloe), and if you're feet are aching from walking, surprisingly, a little jog can offer sweet relief.

All in all we managed 33 miles in 11 hours 22 minutes including breaks, if it floats your boat, you can check our route here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/167212348

What's Amharic for "It's too early?"

Guest post from Tarahumara Haley.

I was unexpectedly called away to Ethiopia and Kenya for work these last few weeks. Not the worst state of affairs, granted (a chance to work in the birthplace of coffee for a self-confessed coffee addict? Yes please!)... though it did mean that I missed out on my team's first official training walk. Also, due to various restrictions on movement, oh, and the at times intense heat, it did make me wonder how I might keep up at least a modicum of Trailwalker-inspired fitness whilst away.

Enter Aberra, a colleague of mine over in Dire Dawa (a town in the Somali region of Ethiopia). An enthusiastic runner, Aberra extended the invite for me to join him and a couple of colleagues on their daily run. "Great," I said. "What time?" "Six o-clock."

My heart sank a little once I realised Aberra meant six in the morning, rather than the evening - my brain, let along my legs, refuses to engage without at least a couple of cups of buna (Amharic for coffee) in the morning, and certainly not that early, in any case; however, since the town's street lighting left a little to be desired, and was certainly not sufficient to light one's way on an evening run, my options were reasonably limited. "O-kaaay... though  be warned," I told Aberra, I'm not the greatest of morning people, so I will be slow (not to mention grumpy)."

In the end I was glad that I dragged myself out of bed on those early mornings. The air was much cooler, the streets much quieter... and when we reached (after a walk-run combination on my behalf - hey, it was early!) the top of the hills behind the town, the views were pretty spectacular. Oh, and on one of the days, we were treated to the sight of a troupe of baboons - not something I normally see treading the streets of Bermondsey. Cars, yes; dogs, sometimes... but baboons? Never. Thanks, Aberra!

Some photos that attempt to capture the moment are below.

The hills behind Dire Dawa, at about 6:30am.

Obviously, you've never really been somewhere until you've
captured the moment in a self-snapped portrait of dubious quality...

More of the view from the top of the hills in Dire Dawa.

Baboons: an unexpected accompaniment to my morning training sessions.
(Note: In the interest of transparency, and lest I mislead you, dear reader,
these particular baboons are ones that I photographed on the road to Djibouti -
the ones I saw on the hills behind Dire Dawa were much more camera shy...)

Omissions/Admissions.

I think the only crucial omissions from Dan's excellently told tale are- the disappointing lack of trainee watervole in armbands sightings, and the thoroughly deliberated choice of fancy dress for the big day itself.  Our inspiration was the Tiara -humorous -ness of our team name, naturally leading to Richard donning a Tiara, Chloe dressing as a chick pea (with beak, obviously)...  Dan will of course be completely covered in hummus.  Yes, I think that was all... (it may have been quite late on in the day by then, when delirium ensued).  It seemed unfair to decide on Haley's costume in her absence, I'm sure she'll be relieved to discover.

First Official Training Session in the Bag!

This was to be the first official Team Tarahumara training session. With Haley called away to Ethiopia on short notice; the remaining troop of three set off this Saturday on a route through picturesque Oxfordshire countryside, with fingers crossed that they'd at least make it as far as the pub before their legs gave in!

We could not have hoped for a better start to the day in terms of the weather for our first team training walk, it was an absolutely glorious winters morning as the three of us (Dan, Richard and Chloe) arrived at Hythe Bridge St to kick off our first official training session.

We had given a few routes around the Shire consideration over the week, eventually deciding that one along the canal would be the smartest plan; there were a few drop out points along the way if it all got too much, and we shouldn't be able to go too wrong navigation wise as long as we had canal to one side or another.

Setting off at just after nine with the sun on our backs we soon fell into a nice steady pace, and before we knew it we'd reached the edge of Kidlington, and were being stared down by multicoloured lion and a rather sinister scarecrow.

As we pressed on along the towpath we found ourselves considering narrow boat living, the most important detail of course being the naming of our boats.

Dan was straight in there with 'Righteous Indignation' which unsurprisingly raised eyebrows at first, but when he revealed it to be the ship in Bucky O'Hare all was forgiven, and the scouring of memories for the theme tune began.

As you might expect this was quite a busy day on the canal, and not just with narrow boats, the sun had tempted everyone out to play.

At around 1 the grumbling stomachs were starting to drown out the sound of passing canal boats, so we decided to settle down for a bit of lunch. We stopped off at Dashwoods Lock under the watchful eye of the local residents.

Dan was outnumbered 2-1 (as you would be in a group of three) vegans to carnivores. Fueled by vegan friendly Nakd bars and flapjack from the good people at Blackfriars the 'two' were actually dining better than the meat eater! We'd all definitely recommend the flapjack (vegan or not), loads of good slow release energy in there to help keep you ploughing through the miles!

About an hour after lunch, we felt the need for a nice refreshing pint, before we had found a pub though, we stumbled across Kizzies at Lower Heyford. After overcoming the initial stumbling block of how to actually gain entry to the place (seriously, who makes windows that look like doors?), we were greeted by a man proclaiming to be the cake therapist. Dubious of this strangers qualifications, Dan tucked in to a healthy wedge of ‘vegan proof' coffee cake purely for the good of the team.

At around 4pm we passed a bit of a landmark, mile 20! Being the grown ups we are, we of course made sure to catch this achievement on camera -  then played around on the remains of a wind felled tree by way of celebration.

 

We continued to clock up the miles, and as our shadows grew longer we decided to make one last stop at Aynho for a refuel before ploughing on to Kings Sutton and the train home.

As Kings Sutton grew closer with each step, the idea of pressing on the extra few miles to Banbury was floated. With two “don’t minds’ and one ‘for the glory!’ the turn off for Kings Sutton came and went, and the race against the sun to Banbury began.


As the light began to fade, and the sugar levels started to drop, madness began to take a hold.

The sun soon beat us (not long after we caught the image above) and we were officially ‘night training’.

Surprisingly our pace didn’t seem to drop off much once the light had gone and we finally creaked proudly into Banbury a little under ten hours after we had set off from Oxford.

The route and pace for the day was all logged on a Garmin and is available for all to see here http://connect.garmin.com/activity/152573858 Although essentially a wiggly line following the canal from Oxford to Banbury, it does give some sense of scale.

Tarahumara Rich, Dan and Chloe with their 'victory' drinks at the Grand Union in Banbury, 27.73 miles start to finish.


So what did we learn that we can take to Trailwalker?

Well, Chloe has learnt that that the right clothes make a difference and although jeans, a Wonderbra and a bag you had when you were at primary school may get you through the day, they are far from ideal; Rich now knows that hurdling objects in the dark won't necessarily end in tears, but you can loose the remainder of your water; and Dan can confirm that a half dozen pints are not the best preparation for a day of walking.

This is not the Peak you were looking for.

Although not official Trailwalker training, Team Tarahumara Dan, Support Crew Chris and 'House mate Mike' headed North this weekend. Here's what happened.


The plan was so simple, Friday: Dan, Chris and 'House mate Mike' would head up to Fort William, spend the night at a bunk house. Saturday: they'd conquer Ben Nevis. Turns out Ben had a different ideas...

The bunk house had been booked, additional drivers put on insurance policies; ice axes and crampons purchased.

With bags packed full of thermals and socks a plenty Dan waited at the train station still daydreaming of crisp snow under foot and clear blue skies a top of a Ben

Nevis summit. Then the call came through:

Support Crew Chris "Have you checked the weather?"
Team Tarahumara Dan "No, not that recently, clear blue skies by any chance?"

Chris then went on to read from the MWIS weather report. Things along the lines of 50-60 mile an hour winds, with 75-85 mile an hour gusts. Temperatures of -8 feeling around -15 with wind chill. Rain, sleet, snow, visability zero.

It seemed Ben was not in the best of moods.

Begrudgingly, we decided that perhaps this was not the weekend to be taking on the highest summit in the UK. A plan B was needed.

Looking at the weather reports for the other ranges in the UK, nowhere looked that hospitable, Snowdonia looked happiest, we decided in the end, in keeping with Ascent of big stuff theme, that Scafell Pike in the Lake District on Saturday would be the next best shout.

We set off from Warwick early doors on Saturday and once on the M6 found ourselves short of at least two more wiper speeds, the weather it seemed, was still not playing ball.

After we had stopped for fuel and food, we left the motorway, and thankfully, the monsoon behind us.
 
We arrived and parked up just South of Wasdale Head around 12 and once out of the car quickly decided that it was definitely hat weather. We kitted up and began our ascent.


After the restart we made steady progress up until we met the dreaded never ending steps of doom, they for those who have not experienced them are some serious thigh burners.

When we met the fork in the road we opted for the route through Mickledore, although the guide book said it would be tougher, it definitely looked like more fun. Other walkers were few and far between on the day, we met a couple who proclaimed that "this isn't what we signed up for" at the frozen stream, and promptly turned back.

Once we had made it up to the ridge line (after a few tactical U-turns) we set our eyes on the cairns, and headed for the summit.

As we progressed, the more barren and empty the scenes became. Although the pure white of the snow was beautiful, the sight of the survival shelter through wind whipped snow clouds was a tad unsettling.


We finally topped the summit around three hours after setting off, we were promised a 70% chance of clear views from the summit, sadly though the 30% won through. It was crazy windy on top, we rushed the formal touching of the trig point, hurriedly took a couple of snaps then took refuge behind the biggest 'structure' we could find.

Dan cracked open the Jaffa Cakes with Chris and 'Mike opting for the classic Kendall Mint Cake.

The decent was sketchy in places although we had opted to take the 'easier' route down past Hollow Stones, the ice made it pretty treacherous under foot. We donned the crampons to make things a little positive under foot. However not long after we applied the grippy footwear, Mike discovered first hand that is possible to have too much of a good thing, getting both crampons wedged he elegantly pirouetted and flipped 'arse of tit'.

Ego and shoulder both bruised, Mike was fit to continue down, and that we did.

The decent seemed to go on forever, jelly legs all round weren't helping either.


After meeting back with, and crossing, the stream down to the lake, we took a break to admire the view -  Scafell made up for the foggy summit with a fantastic sunset across Wast Water.

We completed the round trip in around six hours in all, which considering the weather, and the zig-zagging around the really nasty stuff we were all pretty chuffed with.

Thank you for a great day out Scafell, Ben - We'll see you soon.

 Support Crew Chris, House Mate Mike and Team Tarahumara Dan.




Although this was nothing like what we'll (hopefully) experience the weekend of Trailwalker, there are definitely some points to take away:


1. Liner socks under thick socks are magic, blisters, what blisters?

2. Camel Packs / Platypus systems are the way forward,. Anything that will make hydrating easier and more natural, and not require a stop to get to a drink, will make keeping hydrated all that much easier. Definitely a worthwhile investment for the big weekend.

3. If you're going to insist on Tweeting in sub zero temperatures, then maybe a touch screen phone isn't the way to go (right Dan?).

Let the training (hopefully sans blisters) commence...

"Blisters love damp conditions. Keep your feet dry - experiment with talcum powder during training..."

So, the Trailwalker training pack has arrived at Tarahumara HQ - reminding us that, oh yeah, we've got 100km to walk in a few months... and so soon we are going to have to ratchet up the preparations.

Flicking through the guide, one word sticks out quite frequently - blisters. In fact, many a Trailwalker veteran has warned of these. They can be crippling. Apparently good boots (most definitely broken in before the big day) and socks (dry, frequently changed en route) are vital.

Do any of you have blister tips (or horror stories) to share? All welcome as our training gathers pace...