Dundonnell Kit Test

Driving north towards Dundonnell in north west Scotland, the little snowflake warning light in the car lit up and we began to realise what we were in for. We were hoping to climb the Fisherfield Six (the remotest of all the Munros) but after the heatwave of the previous weekend, the weather had completely changed.

Scotland has a lot it can throw at you. In addition to the cold, Andy and I have experienced rain, hail, snow and quite a lot of wind in the last 48 hours, prompting him to suggest that this was as much a test of resolve and endurance as it was of the kit.

Freedom

Last night I handed in my security pass and left RBS for the final time. For the first time since I was at university, I’m now unemployed.

The guys from work bought me an awesome Leatherman Blast as my leaving present, then joined me for some drinks in a bar near the office. The Leatherman was one of the last few things left to buy from the kit list - probably the most useful leaving present ever!

Decisions, decisions, decisions

There’s so much to sort out! If I was just going to set off and walk on my own then there’d be no need to plan a schedule in any great detail, but I’m hoping that various friends will be joining me along the way. To make that possible, I need to be able to give at least a rough idea of where I’m going to be on any given day. That sounds simple enough, but it depends on a load of important decisions.

We need kit, lots of kit

I’ve been steadily researching and acquiring more gear over the last few weeks, which has helped build the excitement to the point where I’m struggling to sleep when I lie down at night!

Following on from the tent, I’ve now got a light-weight Grivel Air Tech Evo ice axe, some Grivel Air Tech crampons, a PowerMonkey Explorer solar charger and a super-flexible Primus Omnifuel stove that can burn just about anything. I still have to buy some pans but I’ve got my eye on some lightweight titanium pans from Alpkit (although the Primus Eta pans have come in a close second).