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August 2008 Blog |
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10th August 2008 - Equipment We have a new home! We have finally managed to sell our Vango tent which we had bought for our trip - Dave had decided it was just far too large (it had about a 4m footprint) and too heavy to take on our trip (over 4kg). As for me, I was unimpressed with the quality of the zips and didn�t have the confidence that it would last for the journey. So we went back to the drawing board and wrote down a list of what we wanted in our canvas home that we will be living in for the next two years. We finally decided that what were looking for came down to: Dave spent many a night on the internet researching the choices and we also had good advice from Ian, owner of www.roughgear.co.uk and we eventually came back to the Terra Nova Ultra Quazar tent, a tent that we had stumbled upon a few months ago. We have only pitched it in our garden and so are itching to take it out and put it through its paces!
Our new home. I think that one of the things about the organization of this adventure is that we have enjoyed reading other people's blogs and looking at the equipment that people have taken. However, there is so much information out there that Dave has often spent hours surfing the net, wondering about which kit he should buy or which products will last the distance. I think we could quite possibly be turning into equipment spotters! The beginning of August also saw us cycling around the area surrounding
Practising before the photo shoot! So far we have managed to only clock up 40km on the bikes fully loaded but thankfully we have plenty of time to test our gear out and there is much to say about testing kit out before you go - on our first trip out with all the gear, Dave suffered from a broken chain and our front panniers kept slipping off so we have both learnt a valuable lesson of making sure instructions are read and not assumed!
Should we take the trailer or not? For the rest of August, Kelly will be turning 32 (yikes!), hopefully Dave will be able to participate in the Eddystone challenge, a 28 mile kayak race out to sea (but this is obviously dependent on the weather. Where has the summer gone?). We are trying to catch up with friends and family between now and our departure to spend a bit of quality time with them and lastly, we are still trying to work down our month by month lists, counting down to our departure. We will keep you updated! 21st August 2008 (Dave�s turn!) "The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible." Why do people feel the need to always seek new challenges? I believe that if we don't constantly set ourselves new goals and challenges we stagnate and become complacent. I feel that in order to feel alive, I have to pursue my dreams and constantly set out to overcome the challenges that I have set myself. I have reflected a lot over the last couple of months and have done some soul searching and often asked myself what is it that motivates me? Is it financial gain? Is it status? Is it career progression? The more I think about it, the less important these things are to me. I am happiest when I am pushing my body to its limits, the sense of pain and achievement that comes with doing these challenges are what seem to keep me going. The importance of having ones' health and the ability to be able to put mind over matter in order to feel alive. Society sends us all the wrong messages which leaves us confused and sometimes lost without clear goals. There is too much pressure to keep up with "The Jones" and we are measured by our financial status or our titles or how far we have climbed up the corporate ladder. All these things put amazing stress and uncertainty on people. We seem to have lost our values and sense of community and family. The physical challenges I like to set myself help me overcome a lot of the modern day stresses that I seem to get tied up in and help leave me refreshed and invigorated. One of the challenges that I have recently faced was the Eddystone challenge. I had hardly done any training for this event and I wanted to prove to myself that I still had it in my head to overcome physical and mental challenges with very little preparation.
Battling against the tide. The conditions on the day were very unfavourable with rain, strong winds and moderate seas, unfortunately due to these conditions; we were unable to complete the original course out to the Eddystone lighthouse. Instead, the race directors set the alternative, shorter race plan into motion of racing up the Tamar. Even this race course wasn't looking pleasant to kayak in, especially after not being in the double kayak for over six weeks. It was definitely going to test Barbara and I to our limits. We set off with fear and uncertainty! I was physically sick before the start of the event, as I knew that this was going to be a hard eighteen miles. After a few wobbles we soon seemed to find our rhythm and were making good progress out to the turning point passed the We were holding our own with all the gigs. The two leading double kayaks were way ahead. They were in a different league and I later found out that one of them had been a Great Britain Marathon Champion! After the turning point we were heading directly into the wind and the going got really tough, however we both dug deep and managed to stay with the two gigs which were close by. As we started to approach Devil's point the tide was really running, making the conditions even harder. However, we managed to battle through the conditions and completed the course in 3 hours for a total distance of 18 miles. All credit to Barbara for keeping going without a break and always giving me the inspiration to keep me going.
Well, I can now not wait to start pedalling North! I know it is going to be hard to keep Kelly going against the Patagonian winds and hills but I am sure she will be as determined as I am to achieve our dreams! 29th August 2008� exactly 2 months before we fly out!
This is the Picture Perfect photograph from the TES Magazine 29th August edition. |
