Ok folks for all those bloggers out there that can make it, and all those blog groupies (I can hope), the first ever UK Outdoors Blogger Con will be meeting at The Outdoors Show (a show with in a show, and we don't have to pay for the floor space, we just take as we are hard) will be at the 'Cumberland Arms' Jennings pub inside the show at around 11:45 on Friday 16th March 2007 (that was the arrangement wasn't it John?)

How we are going to identify ourselves I don't know. I know Stef, and there are pictures of Stef on his blog, or here. So we could use Stef as the meeting point. So if you see Stef with people milling around him that will most likely be the rest of us too scared to identify ourselves to each other.

There I was thinking the hardest decision I'd have to make preparing for the TGO Challenge was which plastic bag to use on the trip. But no I wasn't prepared for the decision to make over what to wear on my feet for river crossings.

If I had the cash to spare I'd buy one each of the options and be out playing in the local stream at Fleet Pond and making a comparision and posting the results.

But I jump ahead of myself. Lets list the options to start with.

Option 1: Crocs

Option 2: Dry Walkers (not sure if the link works at mo, it used to)

Option 3: Canoe Shoes

Option 4: Pair of Sealskinz

Option 5: Hardcore lightweight way, just get wet feet and shoes then walk with damp feet.

Option 1: Crocs were recommended to me by Martin Banfield who got his for £18 in Canada. He is using the beach version, which he describes as "Obviously they don't keep your feet dry, but they are so, so light and will be good for the evenings." Even Martins route accessor for the Challenge had used them last year and told Martin they were "a good investment both from weight aspect and river crossing". So strong praise indeed.

The question I have here are why not the hydro version, which is described as "crocs’s water shoe is buoyant and can even function like a flipper"? Martin also said he would of gone for one of the other versions if the shops had stocked it but I can't remember which and that email is sitting at work T_T

Option 2: Dry walkers seem to have built up a good rep within the TGO Challenge community with past Challengers. And I believe are in the price range of £18 (please correct me if I am wrong here). The fact that they are mentioned in the newsletter sent out speaks volumes as to how highly they are reguarded. The benefit of this option it is the only one that will most likely keep my feet dry while crossing.

Option 3: I believe that in last years crossing Podcast Bob used a pair of these which he picked up for under a tenner. Bob described them as quick drying, and light.

Option 4: The Sealskinz are waterproof socks, and I'm sure I've read in one or two online crossing diaries, or even on the TGO Challenge Forums that one or two people have suggested this or used them for this purpose. Now I do have a pair of these so I can give them a try. I'm going to need Kate to come with me to take a picture or two at the weekend of this I think.

Option 5: Is self explanitory I think.

So I think that sums up the options, now I have to work out which ones I can test. So basically I can do Option 4, won't bother with Option 5 (well I might), so then it is down to which of the others to try, but it can only be one. Decisions folks, decisions. I know, if people can leave comments or email me at whitespider1066@hotmail.co.uk you can vote for Option1, 2 or 3, and the one with the most votes is the one I will get. And the closing date will be this time next week.

When I first heard of the TGO Challenge, I knew one day that I would have to do it. It was one of my walking ambitions. A dream that I thought would never happen. And yet here I am preparing to live that dream.

So when I decided to pay a rare visit to the UK Climbing site I came across an article on their front page that was about one of my other walking dreams/ambitions. Here is that article UKC Article on Tower Ridge.

Ever since I came across Tower Ridge I knew one day I would do it. I look at pictures of Tower Ridge the same way Wayne did the dream guitar in Waynes World. Just thinking about it gives me goose pimpels.  

What makes Tower Ridge the ultimate challenge for me is the exposure at Tower Gap, as I have a bit of a problem with heights. But I have not let it get in my way in the past, and it certainly wouldn't (I hope) when I finally achieve this dream.

The ideal way of living this dream is to have the skills to be able to do this by myself (and slowly I have been working on them).

If I had only one route I could do before I died, this would be it. I wouldn't even have to think about it. And then I would die a happy man.

Tower Ridge ladies and gentlemen - my dream...

if you can't be bothered to whore yourself around like me, or you just can't be bothered to beg, steal or blackmail to get them. Then while you are waiting for the Outdoors Station competition you could try entering the OM Free Ticket Compo to try and get a pair of free tickets to the Outdoors Show. And looking at the OM compo page there is no closing date as far as I can see!

As of 6th April 2007 Skiddaw House re-opens as a bunkhouse.

The shock announcement was made this evening, literally minutes ago, on the OM forums. Read The Announcement On OM.

This is good news, people have been asking what was happening with this old YHA building ever since it closed. IIRC the last report on an OM thread about it was that they had noticed work was being done on it. And now what they have been upto.

Further details and booking info can be found at www.skiddawhouse.co.uk

Well I said that I was buying in my beef stew and so I ordered two portions of the Beef and red wine stew from Kalin today. I'll be picking them up on Friday to dry over the weekend.

Kalin is also going to be providing me with a kilo of beef sliced up ready to marinate and then to be turned into a delicious beef jerky snack to have on the hills of Scotland. This saves me the hassle of freezing the meat and trying to slice  it thinly.

It really is nice being able to go into a shop and talk with them to get exactly what you want, with out having to pay over the odds or argue. I think I remember what it is called... oh yes customer service. And kalin is really good at that.

So a busy weekend with the dehydrator ^_^

Over on John Hee's blog I've been pipped to a couple of scoops !

I know you are all shocked at that news. But hey it happens to the best of us sometimes. And I'm watching you John ;)

Anyway here are the two stories for you if you don't want to wander over to John's place which I can understand (only joking John ;) ).

The Outdoors Station - Competition To Win Free Outdoors Show Tickets

Well that's the noises I'm hearing (apart from the banging and swearing from behind the curtains while Podcast Bob beavers away).

As soon as the show is available I'll announce it on here (hopefully before John does).

At the moment you can pick up the Outdoors Station Podcasts via itunes or from their temporary home at Backpackinglight.co.uk under podcasts.

"UK Outdoors Blogger Con 07" is ago 

So the UK Outdoor Blogger Convention 2007 ® is now set-up for Friday 16th March at the NEC.

You would not believe how I've had to whore myself around to get a free ticket to the show (wish I'd waited for that competition). But a big thank you to the kind person that took pity on this wreck of a man that he found, and gave me a ticket.

If you are a blogger or reader and want to attend give John or myself a shout and we'll send you the secret location (here's a clue, they may serve drink at the place) of the main event of the show.

What can I say about this afternoon? It has been fantastic.

The afternoon started off meeting Alan Sloman and having lunch with him, his wife Lynnie, his official LEJOG trainer Phil and his wife Tini. And the lunch was fantastic, although I had to miss the pudding T_T. I was really made to feel welcome,  did I say I had great food?, and the conversation was brilliant as well. And the fact that I was the only one who hadn't done the Challenge was impressive.

Then to hear that Arsenal (oh how I hate that team) lost to Chelsea in the Carling Cup final in Cardiff. This was really turning out to be one great afternoon.

And to top it all off I came away from my nans with a biscuit tin full of choccy cakes ^__^ 

Now that is what I call a good afternoon.

Just when I thought MSR couldn't actually get any worse on their pricing of this new stove over on the OM MSR Reactor Thread some-one who saw it at a trade show last year reports that the RRP is actually £120.

So I have to make a correction, MSR haven't shot their own foot off, they have hacked off their leg to get rid of that foot.

This just seems commercial madness to me.

At the end of the day this is a gas stove FFS, gas stoves go in the £10-£40 range, with exceptional ones able to justify maybe an extra tenner on top of that, like the Jetboil.

I just don't see who they are aiming this at, it certainly at that price is not going to take on the Jetboil. I really am gobsmacked, lost for words now.

If anyone from MSR would like to comment please contact me at whitespider1066@hotmail.co.uk

For the TGO Challenge.

Some how he has more hair in this picture than I remember as well ;)