TArrryan

I like the anvil block. might have to steal your idea at a later date

dang nabbit almost forgot that rule!!

hmm I have just weighed my bag again and its a little heavier than I first realised, seems I must of made a mistake weighing it, it was 42Lb not 30lb!!! I'm only 18lb from the 60 I was pleasantly surprised although Ill be removing the extra 12 for training at the moment. One little conundrum though, I'm having trouble to decide what to wear when I'm training, I want to do it while wearing the same gear I'll be wearing on the beacons (boots, trousers, shirt etc) but I have mother in the other ear complaining that I should be doing it in shorts and trainers. Any advice is welcome, would a middle ground like a vest and trousers with light walking boots be ok?

Replace 'Oh no' with ohhh yesssss!!!! I know exactly what to expect up there in terms of terrain, I was atop Pen-y-fan the week before last and had a good look at it, looks like my ideal weather as well. If you think I'm taking all this very lightly then believe me when I say I expect hell up there!! It wont be easy or painless. however I prepare for the worst but maintain high spirits its no good trying to do something unhappy and depressed!

Thanks armybloke, I have family near the south downs, I could always stay with them over a weekend and use the opportunity to get a bit of map reading practice done. I won't need to do much on the actual day, I can remember the route across the fans and down the Roman road easily enough (Ill still have a map) but map reading is fast becoming a lost art!!! have a semi-photographic memory with maps I have thought Of a nearby valley with a rough track way running down one side and up the other, I wonder how effective running up and down the valley would be? Might be good on days when I lack time. I have just noticed you are quite literally across the water from me mind if I asked who you served with in the army? Millitary life makes me very curious, almost joined myself but failed on the team work tests!! a shame as I easily passed all other tests, even scored in the top 5% of the country in the BARB test!

I would happily do smiler, unfortunately the new forest is devoid of mountains and work consumes a fair bit of time, however today's venture has proven to me I am fitter than I first thought although I still have a long way to go. Fortunately I have always been very accustomed to mountain climbing and find it very natural. being only in my second year of business I will have more work this winter than last year but I'll still have big gaps, I'll use this time to train like hell!!! I'll be in my element too with the cold and rain too cool me as I get hot very fast. Thanks once again for everyone's advice and support, both you guys/girls wont be forgotten on the hills when the day comes !

Completed a short 2 mile trek from my front door to Lepe beech today, find out how fast I can do it in so I have a way of checking my progress later as I go along. I was very surprised though!! I walked 75% and ran 25% while wearing my 30lb bag and still managed it in 23 minutes, pretty much the speed Ill have to do it on the beacons (minus 30Lbs and the slopes!!) I have a excellent idea now the pace Ill have to achieve to complete it. Its not much but its a start. I did get some funny looks from drivers running down the road in steel toed boots, trousers shirt and big bag!! I've never been a running person and end up out of breath after a hundred meters or so, yet I was doing it today with 30lbs no problem?!? strange how things work out

heh I'm 6'4" and 12 stone, I thought I was pretty light until seeing this!

on the ten tors I use to keep my food in the top pocket above my head, My arms were plenty long enough to reach it, however if two of us do attempt it together then I have thought of a cunning idea. I can keep my food in his rear pocket and his in mine, to get a quick snack it simply involves the one wanting food to drop back slightly and retrieving it. no slowing down and little fuss. I can keep my sleeping bag and survival bag ready packed outside the bag (wrapped in a bin bag to keep it dry until needed) at least then its as simple as pulling it out and getting straight in. I have a habit of considering every possible eventuality and preparing for it accordingly, be prepared and don't rely on luck!! I have thought of a moderately steep hill nearby that I can run down and keep walking up when I don't have time for a full walk during the week. Below is the fan dance in all its glory, Ill try and find a OS elevation map later for better reference, the western marker is the start and the eastern marker is the turnaround point where the 6km drag starts, I'm really not looking forward to that bit

This explains allot if its indeed true!! I'm curious about the idea of getting my boots wet and letting them dry on my feet, the logic is there but does it really work that well? Fortunately the route is well walked by casual day hikers, that's why the SaS moved the Fan dance to Scotland a while back. I'm going to make a laminated A4 card with the route on and carry the map in my bag. I'll be attempting this in anything but the most lethal weather conditions! its not fun if its easy oddly enough I'll be starting at the story arms mountain rescue centre! I don't think I could hope for a better starting position. I'll inform them of the plan beforehand and give them the details of the trek, I might have a comrade in arms for this, but it depends on him keeping up with the training and hardships on the mountain. I agree with the sand now, It might be suitable for training purposes in the forest but on the day I'll carry as much gear as possible, Ill be staying at a camp-site the day before so Ill pack my tent in it too, maybe get one of those little pop up ones, may not be great but it will provide instant shelter in a emergency. thanks once again for the support, If all goes well I'll start training this weekend and I hope to attempt it mid winter I get very hot so the cold will actually be doing me a favor

I don't like the smell of alcohol, makes me wanna cough my guts up. plus someone has to stay sober to take the blackmail photos for later! had a great time taunting a friend about the things he done when he was in a smiler state, I don't think he will ever live down calling me beautiful and another friend pretty! not to mention making a ass of himself

exactly why I don't drink, never will either. at least he provides entertainment for others!!

a bit of garnish and some stuffing and you could feed a family with it.

I don't know what luck is every thing happens for a reason. 60 is monstrous but tats part of the challenge, Among my friends I'm sometimes call the 'camel' or 'pack mule' because of my ability to carry objects and survive with little water. I'm 194cm (6' 4") with a long stride and a ridiculously high metabolic rate. I'm the only person I know of who can wear a shirt in the snow and still be hot!! hmm I like the idea with long flights of steps, Ill give it a thought and thanks for the dietary information. every little helps and you have all been a great help so far. I'm looking forward to running down to the story arms, I wanna see the look on peoples faces as I run down the hill with 60lb on my back!!

Ill pack my bag with all essential items first in pairs and only then bringing up the weight with ballast if needed hmm you sound like you know the area already deer man! good to have first hand knowledge. I want my first attempt to be just that, I don't like having to go back and repeat something. hmm maybe running and walking long distances to improve my heart and lungs and carrying weight to build strength?

although I was going to do it as a personal challenge I am considering doing it for charity too, why waste a opportunity to raise some money to help someone else out I'm thinking of splitting it 50:50 between a charity called dEBra and one other which Ill decide later. I have to start at the story arms rescue centre and climb to Corn Du, Pen-y-fan, Cribyn then about half way to the next peak I drop into a valley (the dreaded 6Km) heading to Torpantau and then repeat. I have done the maths and I have to average at least 1.7m/s to complete it on time, In a ideal world I would like to hit 1.6m/s uphill and 2m/s downhill!!

Thanks for the good advice there mike hill (appropriate name for the topic!), Unfortunately where I am in the new forest I'll lack mountains to climb, I'll try and make up for this by going a good deal further, faster and with a little more weight. I can find steep repetitive slopes nearby but they will be be nothing like the beacons. rest assured Ill be paying a few visits to practice though! I am very used to carrying heavy packs thankfully, In my first day on Dartmoor I covered 30 miles with 50Lbs, it took 13 hours but that's because I wasn't allowed to navigate, the team leader believed he was the better navigator because he was 'older'!! fool!!! He made us cross a boggy valley because he believed going in a straight line was faster than simply following the mountain ridge where it was dry, even, cool and only a little longer although we would of done it faster ah ham back on topic the route is relevantly straightforward, its 12Km up the mountains and down into the adjacent valley where you then turn around and repeat it, the first half is the easy part. To begin with you have a very steep 3Km uphill segment, then its a somewhat peaceful (by comparison) 3km across the peaks to a 6Km downhill point where you then turn around. I hope to move across the 6km rapidly skipping downhill, this will be where I can gain time that I lose over the course. the return 6km will be soul destroying though, the long sloping drag uphill and then the last half will seem easy!! of course I have allot of training to do first, half of all SAS recruits who attempt it drop out at this point, and they are by no means unfit!! I remember using surgical spirits on my feet to harden them, I gave up eventually as it was making little difference, I have the feet of a hobbit and the back of a ogre! ----Edit---- Good idea with the sand in the pockets, beats the hell out of my idea of filling up water bottles. First I have to get a new bag, I don't feel my old one is quite up the the task as it once was. I have had a little think and Ill start with a sensible 20Lb and step up in tens until I reach 70-80Lb at least on the day 60Lb wont seem quite so bad then.

sometime early next year I hope to attempt something called the Fan Dance, this use to be part of the SAS selection process until to many tourists were present on the mountains, of course secrecy was paramount and they moved to a new location in Scotland to test recruits. anyway, the fan Dance is a 24Km march up Pen-y-fan and across several more peaks before descending into the valley only to turn around and repeat the process! there are a few catches though. the march must be completed in under 4 hours!! that's one kilometre every ten minutes in mountainous terrain.... carrying a 60lb Bergan!! the actual weight the recruits carry is lower, but since I don't have a Sa80 rifle to carry with me Ill have to make do with more weight. Has anyone ever attempted such a task or have any advice to give? If you do then please share it would be much appreciated. I am no stranger to long marches though, I am physically fit and completed the 45Mile ten Tors in the past. however this is a much more extreme undertaking considering ill almost have to lightly jog the entire way!!! anyway, Please let me know what you think

My little Transit van has been up to 3100Kg on a few occasions, a little overweight I think drove like a epileptic elephant!!!

am I the only one who has noticed the two finger salute in the bottom left corner??

I know a knacker man who takes care of things for me but only as a last resort (now 6!) other than that I agree with a polite letter. If you took rubbish away then its still legally his until he pays you for removing it... hint hint!!

--true story-- when asked by your mother what you did today never tell her you gave Mary's thatch a good scraping and cut up toms stump! and don't tell her you trimmed the bush of the lady down the road

that's the name I wanted! thanks for the correct spelling. hc1982te, would I be right in thinking you are a blacksmith?

Just as a example of what im using here is a list of some of what i used in the above figure. Snail ajusters (landy brake part) Gubbin pin (spelling?) Big end Big end bolts Chainsaw chain Damper spring/brake caluper spring Crankshaft from dads hedge cutter Bits of landy tappets Some milling offcuts from a friend Hedge cutter blade (not shown) Coach bolt Etc etc Hope that gives an idea of what im after and thanks for your reply

Depends on the type of scrap you have got, if its small pieces of plate metal and nuts/bolts then it would be a bit far. However for items like springs, small mecanical pieces, odd shaped bits of metal then i would be happy to traval to you. I dont suppose a picture would be possible at all?