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Saturday, 16 August 2008 |
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No updates as of yet because we are still waiting for the baby to arrive. Will post as soon as i can :)
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Sunday, 27 July 2008 |
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Not quite walking but there you go. A friend of mine has a large open Canadian Canoe and this week comming we are taking up the Conwy River for a spin.
Pics etc comming soon.
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Wednesday, 09 July 2008 |
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Well as promised i said i would write a short piece on the Satmap
Active 10 GPS as soon as i had used it. I took it up Tryfan with me on
a wet and windy day. The night before i went i plotted a route out on
Memory Map and then simply uploaded the GPX file to the device with no
problems at all.
I purchased the 1:25k Snowdonia National park SD
card when i bought the Satmap £99 which is a bit steep but blame
Ordnance Survey apparently. When i got ready to walk i switched it on
and within 2 to 3 minutes it had locked on to the satellites and it pin
pointed me exactly where i was. Some people seem to have issues with
how long it takes to lock onto a satellite but i think 2 or 3 minutes
is in fact excellent considering what it is doing etc.
I had it
setup to so that whichever direction i was facing the map would
orientate itself as you would with a normal map you can also have it set
to face just North Up this saves battery life. As i walked it tracked
me with no problem for several hours. Even when i put it in my
waterproof gortex pocket it still worked. The mist came in while i was
on the hill and it got down to about 5 or 6 meters visibility it was so
nice to just look at the screen and know exactly where you are in those
sort of conditions.
There are loads of features on this bit of
kit and it has done exactly as i expected. I still take a paper map and
compass with me in case it breaks. Well i said it won't be a
comprehensive review.
I am still using the same 3 AA batteries it came with and its been going for many hours (i did not count).
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 09 July 2008 )
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Sunday, 06 July 2008 |
I nearly fell of a Mountain today, Tryfan in the Ogwen Valley. After
leaving my house a little after 05:00 i parked up in one of the lay-bys
on the A5 close to Lyn Ogwen. A short walk to Milestone Buttress and
followed the steps up.It was very steep and the rocks were wet from the mist
hanging in the air. After about 15 minutes i reached 2 blokes asking me
how far is it from here? I don't know what to say, it's not far as the
crow fly and obviously i am not a crow but its fucking steep and rocky
and only about 1.5km maybe. An awkward silence and i was off again head
down sweating loads. The mist closes in to the point where i can only
see 3 or 4 meters in front of me. So this is not good. I stay where i
am because one slip here and your fucked its just down and rocky. After
about 5 minutes the wind picks up and pushes the mist through i can now
see where i am going and i am glad i did stay put because from the
summit it is quite a way down.
On the way back i decide to take a shortcut down what looks like a bit
of a scramble. Big mistake and the 1st of 2 i would make that day. It
turns out to be a steep Gully that can only be climbed using hand holds
and rope. I slip on my arse about 5 or 6 meters down and a noise comes
out of my throat that can only be recreated with real fear. I stop take
a swig of water and curse myself for being such a tit. I eventually
make it to the path i was aiming for and rest before i push on down the
Mountain.
The 2nd mistake i make that day. I get to my van and decide to take a
short drive to my favourite part of Snowdonia and take a walk up Moel
Siabod. I walk about 2 or 3 miles to the base of the Mountain and then
i hear thunder in the not to distant. Shit! Its an easy decision i make
hay and start walking fast back to the Van. It starts to rain so i stop to
pull out my Gortex but no! like the twat i am today i have left it in
the Van. So i run back. Arrive back at the car park sweating and soaked
wet through.
A couple of lessons learnt and home for a few beers.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 09 July 2008 )
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