Cliff Jumping

sian    General Outdoor, Planning    

Need a little adrenaline in your life? May I suggest you search out your nearest tall rock (one with water below it, please) and hurl yourself off it.

As someone who gets jittery on the tops of tallish buildings I’m not the first person you’d think of when imagining a cliffjumping enthusiast, but an enthusiast I most definitely am. A few years ago I was surfing in Pembrokeshire near the Blue Lagoon (which has a pretty self explanatory name) and couldn’t resist jumping from the smallest of several cliffs. It was only about seven feet high, but I found the rush of cold blue water rushing up to meet me totally addictive.

Since then I’ve cliffjumped in a few places when I’ve been surfing – by far the best was the beach by Tintagel, in Cornwall. The water is a deep turquoise green and the cove is towered over by the remains of a castle that supposedly was the birthplace of King Arthur. There’s even a waterfall when the tide is right. Here too there are various smaller rocks and larger cliffs to jump off, making it safe for beginners as well as those who are a little braver.

You can, of course, get taught to cliff jump – go coasteering and you’ll be provided with a wetsuit, attractive helmet and guide, which I’d recommend if you’re nervous. But as long as you’re careful, cliff jumping is fine done freestyle.

Take basic precautions – don’t go alone, wear a wetsuit as deep water is cold (even in summer months), never jump from a height you’re unhappy with, make sure the water below you is free from rocks and obstructions, and jump straight and tall, with your legs together and your arms by your sides. It’s perfect for getting rid of the winter blues, I promise.

The Girl Outdoors

How to survive a bear attack

sian    General Outdoor, Planning     bear, bear attacks, girl outdoors, grizzly bear

This is essential knowledge for the outdoorsy type as you never know when you could come across a Grizzly up a mountain. Unfortunately, opinions seem to vary on what to do when there’s a big bear snarling in front of you, quite possibly because some do not live explain their failed methods to pacify their fuzzy attacker. At least after our handy guide you’ll have lots of options to consider.

1. Watch the Backpacker Magazine’s guide to Black Bears and Grizzlies video guide. The best bit is when they tell you not to run away. Yeah right.

2. Adventurer Steve Young is about to embark on a walk to the North Pole, and recommends that you “take a big gun” to shoot polar bears, as their paws are about five times as big as your hands and you probably can’t run away very fast on ice.

3. Bill Bryson says that “All the books tell you that if the grizzly (bear) comes for you, on no account should you run. This is the sort of advice you get from someone who is sitting at a keyboard when he gives it. Take it from me, if you are in an open space with no weapons and a grizzly comes for you, run. You may as well. If nothing else, it will give you something to do with the last seven seconds of your life”. As for the difference between Grizzlies and Black Bears, Bryson reckons that “A grizzly may chew on a limp form for a minute or two but generally will lose interest and shuffle off. With black bears, however, playing dead is futile, since they will continue chewing on you until you are considerably past caring. It is also foolish to climb a tree because black bears are adroit climbers and…you will simply end up fighting the bear in a tree,”

4. The Art of Manliness website differentiates between species.
Grizzly Attack: Carry bear pepper spray. Don’t run. When you run, the bear thinks you’re prey and will continue chasing you, so stand your ground. And don’t think you can out run a bear. Bears are fast. They can reach speeds of 30 mph. Unless you’re an Olympic sprinter, don’t bother running. Drop to the ground in the fetal position and cover the back of your neck with your hands. If you don’t have pepper spray or the bear continues to charge even after the spray, this is your next best defense. Hit the ground immediately and curl into the fetal position. Play dead. Grizzlies will stop attacking when they feel there’s no longer a threat. If they think you’re dead, they won’t think you’re threatening. Once the bear is done tossing you around and leaves, continue to play dead. Grizzlies are known for waiting around to see if their victim will get back up.

Black Bear Attack: Carry bear pepper spray. As with the grizzly bear, bear pepper spray should be your first line of defense in a bear attack. Stand your ground and make lots of noise. Black bears often bluff when attacking. If you show them you mean business, they may just lose interest. Don’t climb a tree. Black bears are excellent climbers. Climbing up a tree won’t help you out here. Fight back. If the black bear actually attacks, fight back. Use anything and everything as a weapon- rocks, sticks, fists, and your teeth. Aim your blows on the bears face- particularly the eyes and snout. When a black bear sees that their victim is willing to fight to the death, they’ll usually just give up.

The Art of Manliness has a handy disclaimer at the end saying that the website “does not encourage people to go out and find a bear to practice these skills with. Practising on your significant other will not do either,”

The Girl Outdoors

Four years is too long a time to not share a path with the ones you love.

Gareth    Planning     Derwent Edge, Hiking, Peak District, peaks, Walking

I’ve done something I haven’t done for several years this week. I walked in the hills with my wife. Doesn’t sound like much does it, but when you factor in that our eldest is now 3, thats nearly 4 years since we have been for a decent walk together, and by that I mean something over 2 miles without blackmailing / cajoling / carrying a tiny guy along as well. It’s been such a long time, it felt a little strange to start off with, but the silence soon lost it’s edge and became the comfortable companionship I had missed. I’m not sure what it is, but hill walking and car journeys always seem to be the easiest places to talk to people. The quality of conversation that you get on the path or the front seat of a long trip, seem to be head and shoulders above the conversations we normally try and fit in to our busy lives. Not having anywhere to go except the journey, the lack of internet, demands of work and everyday life result in communication that is to be cherished.

The plan wasn’t always for a wander, we woke up at Cath’s folks house and decided when looking at the heavy hoar frost that it would be a stunning day for a wander. Persuading Grandma and Grandpa was done first thing, and the boys didn’t even turn round as we bolted out the door. We needed a gentle, swift wander as we didn’t want to leave the boys all day, so we headed on over to Cutthroat bridge, just up from Ladybower reservoir to park up. We were heading off to a bit of the Peaks I had not been too before, up to Strines reservoir, before heading across to an old favourite, blackhole moor and down to Derwent edge.

It’s been a while since I have been in the hills with Cath, so Monday was a bit of a dreamy day, my memories now I am back at the PC is of the chuckle of many grouse, trying to break through ice sheets whilst giggling, the silent movement of mist and cloud across the heather, and the beauty & majesty of Peak district gritstone. We’ve just been looking at some of the photos we have taken, and it’s lovely to share a smile and memories we have had together again of the hills. Time to plan some more dates, it’s been too long.

Glorious mud

sian    General Outdoor, Planning     brit mil fit mud run, british military fitness, mud, mud run, obstacle run, sian

We webtoggers don’t really feel like we’ve had enough wet, cold and uncomfortable outdoor experiences this winter, so we are seriously considering signing up to do this:

It may look like a bunch of slightly crazed people running around in a muddy field but it’s actually a hardcore British Military Fitness run. In which you, erm, well you run round a muddy field. There are obstacles too. The website promises that “All of our courses are wet, muddy and challenging. Along the way you’ll find ditches, water, mud, trees and plenty of hills! You will get dirty, and your trainers will never look the same again!”

Sounds like a challenge.

The March runs are happening in unconfirmed locations in the north of England (5th March) and London (26th March) and cost £20.

You can find out more on their website.

There’s a video too, if you don’t believe us about the mud.

The Girl Outdoors

Dog Gets Divine Message

Keith    Planning    

Washing down products

Gareth    Planning    

One of the questions I often get asked here at Webtogs is how do you wash down products like jackets, sleeping bags, vests etc. With all down products they are a little tricky to wash, but it is still possible.

The only thing we would recommend is Nikwax’s down wash. Ordinary detergent will clump your down together and will result in a product that just won’t insulate you any more, so it is critical you use the proper stuff. To the same end you need to ensure that all of the normal detergent is gone from your washing machine. To do this, clean the detergent draw and put the washing machine on empty on a hot wash (90 degrees if possible) to dissolve all of the detergent from around the drum.

Follow the instructions on the down wash for the quantities and put the bag on a delicate wash. Once the wash has finished I like to put it on the same wash again without any detergent which just ensures all of the cleaning agents have been thoroughly rinsed out.

Once the wash has finished the best way of drying it is in a laundrettes tumble drier on the coolest setting possible. I always check to see if there are any sharp bits in the drum first as well, particularly with high end bags that have a thin face fabric. It also helps to put a couple of tennis balls in there with whatever you are drying to help break up any clumps of down. Down always takes a long time to dry and if the down is still clumping within the baffles it is still wet. Once it is completely dry you will be able to break up any clumps by shaking and manipulating the bag.

If you don’t have access to a tumble drier, then you will need to hang it in an airing cupboard or somewhere warm for about a week, making sure you break up any clumps that form to ensure the down dries thoroughly. My top tip for sleeping bags is to always use a bag liner which helps to keep the bag clean. You can wash the liner a lot easier than the bag itself, and it will extended the periods between it needing a wash.

All of this may seem a bit of a long winded process, but you down product will end up in great nick with the down performing as it should!