November 2007 TTN 01

Welcome to the first Ten Tors news of the 2008 season, these updates will appear shortly after each hike and will be written by a different adult each time.

Sunday’s weather made for a great day we had sun all day and the perfect temperature to walk in.  The Mendips was really busy with what looked like several other Ten Tors groups training and loads of mountain bikers. There were a few muddy puddles about but not enough to splash your mates with.

Navigation
There were six 35 mile teams walking the route (3 in each direction) and it was about 16km (10miles) long. A few teams had problems navigating and got a bit misplaced, there were various reasons for this:

>>  Ensure you mark the map correctly and double check, if you get this wrong it may take you ages to realise you’ve gone the wrong way.
>> Get your timings right, if you estimate it will take you 40 minutes to get to your next checkpoint and you’re not there after an hour it might be worth checking you haven’t taken a wrong turn!
>> Tick off the features along the way, if there’s a building or turning along your route keep an eye out for it. That way you can check you’re on the right track.
>> Don’t trust the adult you’re walking with, they will normally let you go wrong (it’s the best way to learn!).

Overall we were impressed with the navigation skills the teams already had and the way you all recovered when you did go wrong. It’s a good start, just remember to learn from your mistakes.

Kit
Some of you turned up with kit missing or kit that didn’t quite hit the mark, you may want to think about the following:

>> 1 pint of water isn’t enough; a lot of you ran out of water during the hike. You need to carry at least 1 litre (2 pints), preferably 2 litres.
>> Approach shoes or trainers are not boots, these are okay for the day hikes but you will need proper boots for the weekend hikes. A Christmas present maybe?

The first hike was a great success for the 35s, all the teams completed the route in good time and you all had loads of enthusiasm.

Unfortunately the same can’t be said for some of our longer distance walkers who failed to complete the route and seemed to spend a long time at Black Rock trying very hard to do nothing. What a way to start! Let it be noted though, the other 45 mile team did great and finished the route.

We hope to see you all at the next hike on the 2nd December, if you’re lucky you might get a bit of rain!

Cheers, Bryan

Lost Property
One person’s change of clothes (in Tesco bag), consisting of:

>> Jeans & belt
>> House keys!
>> Joe Brown long sleeved top
>> Canvas shoes