Mountain kit

Although I've done a few mountain treks in the last few years, it soon became obvious that a lot of my tried and tested kit is not quite up to scratch for the severe cold I'll be experiencing on the last couple of days on Kili, or just because some of muy kit is old and knackered. So I've been forced to upgrade a lot of it - an expensive business, but worth it as the last thing you want is to fail due to kit. I've also been desperately reading up on what the most suitable things are. I'm hopeless at making decisions at the best of times, especially shopping decisions, so this has proved a mammoth task for me, and I've been trying to get lots of advice about what to take.

Here are the major items I'll be taking.

4 season sleeping bag - planning to get an Alpkit Pipedream 800, but they're currently out of stock and don't know when in the new year they'll have some in, so this is causing me endless dilemma. My second choice (more expensive, but just as good) is a Rab Ascent 900. Update: I bit the bullet this week and bought the Rab Ascent 900.

I have a brilliant silk liner which I always use inside a sleeping bag - both for extra warmth and so my main sleeping bag doesn't get dirty.

My amazing Ajungilak air pillow Squishes down to nothing when deflated and it's by far the most comfortable travel pillow I've tried. I've never found stuffing clothes in a bag in any way makes a comfortable pillow. It's got a fleece outer, so it's nice and warm, and not slimy like most inflatable pillows. And as the review says, "unlike other travel pillows, it won't fart in the middle of the night".

Womens ProLite Regular 3 self-inflating mat. Finally replaced my old one I'd had for more than 10 years, as it was starting to leak a little.  And the pink one is obviously way better.

Rab Womens Vidda waterproof jacket Brand new, finally replacing my very old but much loved Craghoppers waterproof. Should be able to withstand pretty much anything the heavens will throw at me. Tested it out in the Peaks a few times, and so far so good.

Womens Rab Neutrino Endurance down jacket. First time I'll have tried this out, but it seems very warm!

My trusty Decathlon winter trousers (they're actually ski trousers, but I wear them for all winter walking and outdoor activities. Warm, flexible, snowproof and bombproof. Something like these.

My old Decathlon thermal leggings.Cheap and cheerful, but they're warm.

 UnderArmour Womens ColdGear fitted crew thermal top. Bought these for softball, but I wear them all winter for walking. Super warm and they wick sweat really well. Really important when you're walking in the cold, otherwise you freeze as soon as you stop.I'd wear an Icebreaker thermal top, but I'm allergic to wool.

An amazing BlackYak thermal zip top I bought in a market in a market in South Korea 6 years ago. Never seen these anywhere else. By far the warmest and best thermal top I own, wearable either as a base layer or on top of an existing one. I wish I could find more of these.

Old trusty Mountain Equipment fleece jacket, something like this Qupik one.

Smartwool trekking socks - I've recently become a convert to these. I can't wear merino on my body, but it seems OK on my feet and hands. (unlike normal wool). These are wonderful - warm in winter but cool when it gets hot. In winter I wear Bridgedale liner socks underneath for extra warmth.

My old trusty convertible walking trousers, bought in Germany years ago. Lightweight, quick drying, lots of pockets, and they zip off into shorts. Brilliant. And unlike most of the ones you get in this country, they're not ridiculously tight around the thighs. Why this is only the case for convertible trousers, but not for normal walking trousers or shorts, I have no idea. But it is fact.

Old trusty  Decathlon 32 litre rucsack. Similar to this one. A little heavy, but the back system is brilliant, comfortable and not too sweaty. It has lots of pockets, an integral rain cover, well padded hip belt and shoulder straps, walking pole storage, and very useful pockets on the hip belt.The water bottle holders aren't great, but I tend to use a hydration system anyway, so no problem.

Brand new Gordini ski mittens. Bright pink so I don't lose them. With these Smartwool liner gloves  underneath.

Fleece balaclava, bought in the US. Tried it out on a ridiculously windy ascent of Mam Tor last week, and it did the job. The wind was strong enough to blow me over, but my face stayed warm. I'll supplement this with a couple of multi-purpose buffs.

Barts woolly hat.

A couple of sleeveless technical tops for the warm days. I especially like my UnderArmour HeatGear ones.

And finally, some new Scarpa Mistral walking boots which I have yet to break in....(not the smartest idea to get them this late, but that's another story).

A month to go!

I just realised that in exactly a month, I shall be taking the plane to Tanzania and the start of the trip of my life. Time to start fine-tuning and double-checking my kit, and to try to get in some more hill walking, not made easier by the horrendous rain we've been having over Christmas and the huge work deadline I have on 15th January, which has been consuming literally all my time over the Christmas "holiday". Despite my best intentions, I had a whole week with no exercise apart from the odd 30 minute walk with my mum and her dog (on the flat) over Christmas, and after my first circuits class back after just a week off, my quads and hamstrings are screaming at me today. Hmm, clearly not as fit as I thought then. I'm also starting to worry about kit - the sleeping bag I was hoping to get from Alpkit is still out of stock and not going to be ready in time, so I think I'm going to have to spend an extra £50 and get a Rab one (which is also about 500g heavier). I just can't quite make the decision.

And I'm still umming and ahhing about walking boots. My lighter ones I bought for summer didn't stand up well to the snow in the Peak District the other day (my feet felt very cold) and having tried again my old Meindls (heavier, toasty warm, but sometimes give me blisters and also have no grip left)  I decided they really don't cut the mustard. So I bought a pair of Scarpas (having seen them in Blacks for £120, then found them in TK Maxx for £70) and am now wondering how they'll fare, as I don't have much time to test them and break them in. I'm wearing them round the house and trying to decide whether to keep them (and test them properly outside). There are probably half a dozen minor things I still need, like figuring out a way of using my hydration system so it doesn't freeze in sub zero temps (because if I use an insulated bottle instead, I know I'll never get it out of the bag and actually drink from it). And debating whether my rucksack is going to be adequate (it's 30 litres, so a little on the small side, and although comfortable and with loads of useful features, is actually quite heavy). I also need to get a prescription for Diamox from my GP, and see if I can get him to prescribe me the TruOne meter/strips combo thing as a backup for my blood glucose meter. I've also been experimenting with a different meter after my trusty Ascensia Breeze 2 broke (they don't make them any more), and am weighing up the pros and cons of a meter with integral strips but which is heavier and bulkier, with one that isn't integral and involves faffing with a pot of strips). So far I think the ease of testing outweighs the bulkiness issue.

I also need to step up the fundraising drive, something I hate doing, but very few people have actually sponsored me so far. The university staff newsletter were very keen to do a story on my trip, so I'm hoping if that goes ahead I might get a few more sponsors.

So a busy time ahead. I've been compiling a post about all the various pieces of kit I'm taking, but still have to finish that one....should be coming soon.

How will I know when I'm fit enough?

So the fitness training continues, and I'm getting quite nervous now I've realised that in precisely 8 weeks' time, I shall (with any luck) be standing on top of Africa. Training has been severely hampered by the fact that I've spent most of the last 6 weeks travelling for work (ever tried getting fit while on a 10 hour flight?) and while I've been away my days have been jampacked with work and the necessary socialising that accompanies it. No point travelling all the way to the USA if you then don't have time to chat with the people you've come to see, because you're too busy getting fit. In Boston, I did manage to go running most days first thing in the morning, which was beautiful along the river, and more importantly, flat. Which did wonders for my confidence. And in San Francisco, I spent an afternoon cycling around the (very hilly) city and across the Golden Gate Bridge.

I also managed to break my finger playing korfball last month. It was a pretty bad break and for a while the doctors debated whether an operation was needed to pin it back together, but luckily it started healing straight and I avoided that. For the first couple of weeks, even running hurt (yes really!) due to the jarring motion. And I certainly couldn't lift weights. A month on, and it's better, but I still can't use it and have to avoid bumping it or putting any weight on it, which means no korfball and limited activities in circuits classes.

While I was in Boston, a friend came running with me, and she asked how I would know when I was fit enough. My answer was that I have absolutely no idea. Which got me thinking about the nature of my training, and I started asking various people for advice. Of course, the more people you ask, the more different answers you get, but most people seemed to think I was doing the right thing by mixing up different kinds of fitness. And most people seem to think I'm fit enough already, but I know I'll never be fit enough....that's what comes of being a perfectionist. I'll feel happier when I've got a few more proper hillwalks under my belt. Sadly I'm so busy with work at weekends it's hard to find the time, and my usual walking companions also haven't been available. But we have been out in the Peaks about once a month at least. Here's me practising my rock climbing on Kinder....and the view from near Alport Castles.


But we're hoping to get in a trip up Snowdon in early January, which will also be a test of wintry conditions. This is when I wish I had a 9-5 job where I didn't have the constant pressure of having to work weekends and evenings, and could dedicate these to fitness and get out in the hills more. But such is life. It's a tricky balance between work, sleep and fitness right now, not to mention trying to have a social life. But I'll know when I get really nervous about Kili, as I'll start waking up at 4am worrying about that instead of work.....