Pathfinder Weekend
Our largest camp for sometime… 15 Scouts headed up to Lees Wood for a walking weekend. When I arrived, the site was already buzzing with Scouts from all over the District pitching tents on the difficult soil of Lees Wood, but all in very good spirits. Shortly the tents were up and the Scouts were being scouts. Hot dogs were cooked and with hot chocolate the evening passed quickly (for the leaders, the 17th Harrow had cooked a really nice stew!)
It was a slightly cold night, but Saturday morning came quick enough and the Scouts cooked their breakfasts. Each camp patrol had decided their own menus for the weekend and had gone shopping for it, making this quite interesting to watch as they endeavoured to cook for themselves, with the leaders just offering guidance rather than taking over.
After breakfast – and washing up – the Scouts made their lunches and prepared to leave. Ash’s group of older Scouts were walking from the campsite to Chalfont & Latimer, Ivor’s group were walking from Heronsgate to Lees Wood and David’s group were walking the reverse of Ash’s route – Chalfont & Latimer to Lees Wood. Alan (the driver for the day) walked with David until we met up with Ash then walked back to the bus.
The walk was quite pleasant and interesting. In David’s group, James “Dragons breath” Zoel manage to trip over his shoelaces (twice!) quite early on in the walk; this gave him quite a sore, grazed knee to deal with. As David’s group was walking along the Chess Valley Walk they heard a loud splashing sound – a small herd of longhorn cows were running alongside them along the River! David and Ash’s group met up and decided it was a suitable occasion for lunch. After lunch, we carried on with a short pause at Sarratt for a Coke and a comfort break.
Ivor’s group took a little longer to return to site – their navigation had led them to walk a large circle early on rather than following the route!
Once all were back on site, the evening meal was cooked. Later James “Dragon Breath” Zoel demonstrated his ability to keep a fire going; Oskar entertained us with imitations of many of Doctor Who’s cyber enemies; and Jamie demonstrated what happens if you put too much pine leaves on an open fire (slow burn, then whoomf!)
Sunday morning was at a much slower pace. The Scouts cooked their breakfasts, washed up and the leaders took the vehicles up to Phasels Wood. Today we would walk as a single group with 3 map readers to confirm directions, turns etc. Unfortunately the previous day’s efforts had depleted any energy and map reading skills – and as Leaders we found ourselves walking quite slowly (average speed of 2km/h!) and waiting near footpath junctions as the Scouts wandered off in the wrong direction. Luckily the weather was really nice for the time of year, so it wasn’t too bad. At Phasels we got in the bus and car and headed back.
On return to Lees Wood we found that Bruce had already dropped the Scouts tents for them, so there wasn’t much else to do (the other Troops had also long gone, so it was just the leaders tents to sort out. We loaded the Scout trailer (I loaded my bicycle trailer!) and we all headed for home.
It had been a weekend of two long, challenging hikes but the scouts had completed it. It had been a walk with a purpose – all those attended had planned the menu and the walks; they had then successfully shopped and cooked and completed the routes without any major hitches. It was an achievement that they should be proud of.
Summer Camp 2009 – Come To Tolmers 2009
As with last year, I have created a single blog post for the camp diary. Each day was written by a nominated Scout (except Friday and Saturday, written by Ivor and myself). Pictures of the camp are on www.magpieschest.co.uk. Where possible, I have corrected spelling and grammar (although some typos may have slipped through)
Quick update: Pictures of the camp can be found at: http://www.magpieschest.co.uk/scoutfolder/summercamp09.html
25 July 2009
We left Wealstone at 10:00 and arrived at 11:00. We emptied the trailer and set up the District White, when we finished we had lunch. When we finished our lunch we set up my tent. When we finished Ivor took us around the place and he bought us an ice cream. When we finished the tour we came back to the tents and cooked our dinner. After we finished we went to flagbreak at which they told us about the place. After flagbreak we went to the people who worked there and they showed us where all the activities were. It was good.
(Vishan)
Ed Note: (challenging, as I wasn’t there Saturday!) Come To Tolmers is an activity camp ran by Tolmers. This year it was attended by 800 young people and approximately 200 adults. With the exception of Saturday and Wednesday activities are run each day around the site. With so many people on site, Tolmers also operated a simple, but effective security system. Everyone had to wear a coloured scarf – one colour for the young people, another colour for adults/leaders and a third colour for staff/crew. If someone wasn’t wearing a scarf (or a visible visitors pass) they could be challenged.
From the 8th/12th Ivor, Ash, Vishan, Oskar, Jamie and Mason headed out on the Saturday.
26th July
At first we waited for at least an hour queueing up and Jamie got angry at bowling this afternoon. Mason and Vishan were on the climbing wall while Jamie was talking with his friend. Mason, Vishan and Jamie signed up for the inflatable assault course, the vertical walls and the bowling. Luke just came at 8 o’clock and Luke and Oskar [signed up for] Mountain of Air, the Slippery slope and now we’re eating dinner.
Until tomorrow, goodbye.
(Mason)
Ed Note: Luke and I both headed out on Sunday. The camp started every morning with a flagbreak and after this, the queueing Scouts had an opportunity to sign up for up to four activities – two in the morning and two in the afternoon. However, some activities, such as Bowling, Sailing, swimming were “double session” activities as they were off site. Ivor and Ash signed up to be coach marshalls for the Bowling, so they went bowling that afternoon, whilst I walked round the site getting a few pictures.
27th July
First we had breakfast – fried egg, sausage and mushrooms. Then we went to flagbreak, after we went to pick the activities; me and Oskar did the inflatable assault course, Mountain of Air, Gladiators and Human Table Football. Vishan and Mason went to Laser tag, Mountain of Air, Big Slide and Coconut climb.
At tea we had Broccoli & Stilton soup (Mason got sick), Mash potatoes and Steaks. David bought us some pegs to write messages & peg other people. At night we had hot chocolate, then we went to sleep.
(Luke)
Ed Note: Jack joined us today and was able to get onto a number of activities (you couldn’t sign up for “your friend”). The pegs were a brilliant fun game. You wrote a message on a wooden clothes peg (such as “you’ve been pegged by Frog” – or in some cases, phone numbers!!) and tried to peg someone’s scarf without them noticing. In some cases though it was a case of straight swaps, or just handing one over. On my scarf I now have a collection of 8 pegs!
A camp newspaper was produced everyday; a fun item that was read avidly. I particularly liked the jokes – my favourite for the day “What’s Yellow and Smells of Bananas?” “Monkey sick!!”
28th July
First we had breakfast and cereal. Then we went to flagbreak. After that, we signed up for activities. Me and Oskar did Quad biking, inflatable assault course, Human Table Football and Bungee Run. After that we had flagbreak. Vishan really wanted his girlfriend’s group (Gummi Bears) to get through but they didn’t. After that we played football and threw water balloons. Then we went to bed.
(Jack)
Ed note: Favourite joke for today: “What goes Ho-Ho-Ho-Plop-Plop-Plop?” “Santa Claus on the toilet!”
Anyway, as part of the evening’s flag down activities was “Tolmer’s Got Talent”. Very well hosted by Mr.C., each evening showcased the top three acts from that day’s talent show. Each act was reviewed by three Tolmers Crew – although I suspect Mrs Wembley was more fierce than she let on! – and then the fourth umpire – the audience – would cheer for their favourite, the winner going through to the final on Friday.
AND – how could I forget – Ivor, Dan (from the 27th Harrow) and I had a lovely cream tea in the Leaders area; we were joined by the Lady Mayors from Hatfield, Welwyn Hatfield and Roxbourne! Their company was very enjoyable and it all felt very down to earth!
29th July 2009
Firstly we had breakfast, after Ivor woke up – we had to hurry our breakfast so we could get to the coach.
On the way to London we saw a chromed Audi. After we passed a posh hotel we saw even better cars, but we weren’t allowed to go to them.
The walk was long. Soon we came to the Thames. Luckily it was low so we could go down the steps to the sand. Soon we met street performers and a huge flagpole made from one tree?
Soon Ivor was getting annoyed with the Scouts because no-one (repeat, no-one) was paying attention to where we were going. Later we visited the portrait gallery and saw some amazing paintings. Soon Mason said “I need a drink!” Ivor replied “Same”. We we got to the shop I kept shouting “Doughnut!”
Then we hurried off to the coach and went back to the campsite.
(Oskar)
Ed Note: I love the way Ivor seems to be the sleepy head here! Actually, Ivor had to wake both Vishan and Mason twice. I also feel the need to publish this quote, relayed to me from last night: “I thought that something had pooed in my tent last night; but it was part of my sleeping mat”. Apparently, this phantom animal had also managed to wake the leaders up from the next pitch!
Today there were no onsite activities. Options were to be part of an organised incident hike, go to Thorpe Park, head into London – or do your own thing. We decided to head into London and follow part of the Jubilee Walkway, which went past many of London’s landmarks. Dropped by Wellington Arch, No.1 London, we walked to Buckingham Palace, through St James’ park to Parliament Square; along the Thames to Lambeth Bridge where we crossed; walked East along the Thames past Lambeth Palace, The London Eye and County Hall, Festival Pier to Gabriel’s Wharf where we had lunch(and the boys went onto the sand). After lunch we went passed the Oxo building to the Tate Modern, across the Millenium bridge to St. Pauls, along Fleet Street, passed the Royal Courts of Justice and around to Covent Garden. We then dashed through to the Portrait Gallery (more in a mo), then passed TrafalgarSquare up to Piccadilly Circus then along Picadilly and back to Hyde Park where we got the bus back from near the Dorchester. A fair trip!
We made a special effort to get to the Portrait Gallery as one of Harrow & Wealdstone’s Scout Leaders was successful in getting his portait of Harry Patch ( a WWI veteran) displayed there.
Thursday 30th
First we got up at 7:30 and went to the bathroom and then we had breakfast. Then we washed up. After that we went to flagbreak at 08:30. at 09:00 we went to sign up for activities. After the activities we had dinner I can’t remember what. After dinner we washed up and at 7:30 till 8:00 is flagdown then there is an evening activity till 10:00pm and then lights out 11:00pm
(Jamie)
Ed note: Although this seems quite “nothingy” this is the format for each day! The boys signed up for the following:
Jamie: Rock (indoor climbing wall), crazy golf, Jump mats, Laser clay
Vishan, Luke & Mason: Bowling, Rope-a-phobia, coconut climb
Oskar & Jack: laser tag, laser clay, Gladiators, Bungee trampoline
Luke and Jack also went home today.
Just in case you felt that the leaders hadn’t been doing anything – Thursday evening was Quiz night in the Leaders area!
Friday 31st
AM. Only four Scouts but Malcolm (leader) now here do 4 leaders. Wasn’t easy to get up by 7:30am as Ivor found boys had not set their alarm clocks!! Mason still fussy about eating his breakfast – scrambled egg on toast – but ate half when told he would not eat until the evening meal. Everyone happy that the weather report looks good until Saturday afternoon. Boys have selected the days bases with Oskar & Jamie choosing swimming PM, which Ivor & David are coach marshalls.
Lunchtime was upset by Vishan and Mason turning up late but they made up for their error by being helpful to the leaders. In fact this camp Vishan has been very good. The afternoon activities entailed David and Ivor being coach marshalls for the swimming and were joined by Oskar, Jamie and 41 other young campers (mostly girls). Evening meal’s stew was well received but Mason was up to his usual trick and surprisingly Oskar took ages. Scouts were allowed free time at 6:40pm when jobs were completed and they had showers in preparation for the camp disco that night. Mason entertained us by walking in his underpants through the field from the shower to his tent.
(Ivor)
Ed note: The camp disco was for the young people only – all leaders were excluded. To make up for that there was a live band in the leaders area. Mason’s decision not to change in the shower area is made even more brave when you realise that to walk from the showers to our pitch you have to walk past two Guide camps and three mixed Scout Group sites!
1st August
Last morning. After breakfast of bacon sandwiches (chosen to minimise the numbers of plates used – and still we didn’t succeed) we went up to the flagbreak for one last time. We had to be off site by midday so that the next round of campers could come on site (CTT is a two-week event at Tolmers).
The weather managed to hold off, so we were able to drop, dry and pack all the hike tents and the District White. Malcolm took some of the unused tentage in his car; the minibus was loaded up once more as was the trailer. By 11:30 we were fully packed and ready to leave – just as it started to rain.
We had a very pleasant lunch by the flagpole – Ash had brought a selection of salads to enjoy. He had also brought some pasties – but had unfortunately misread the packet of “3 Cheese and Onion pasties” (it was a pasty made from three different cheeses); fortunately only three people wanted them!
On leaving the site, we made good time getting home and unpacked. Mason’s dad was very helpful in getting the kit and equipment away and we finished over half an hour before our earliest estimates.
It had been a fun camp. There had been less Scout activities than in previous years (and we didn’t find out until later in the week that some of the activities would go towards badges – so we couldn’t encourage the Scouts) but it had been a very successful camp in that all campers, both leaders and boys, had made new friends or strengthened friendships that were already there. From our perspective, we have a new location option for our cycle trips – but we also spent quite a while getting to know the leaders from the Roxeth groups and 27th Harrow groups that were also on site.
Next year is planned to be kandersteg, but 2011….?
(David)
Evening Review – Checking Equipment
What a great evening! We had 18 of the Scouts down and after playing a game of four corner football, we set to and working in very small groups all focused on single tasks, rather than having bases that the Scouts would move between!
We had a number of bases, checking different bits of kit and equipment (the new tents for those going to summer camp), gas cookers, gas bottles, straightening metal pegs and checking wooden pegs. I had originally thought it would not be as much fun – but my group (chekcing the cookers) meant that we were able to deal with how to set the cookers up – and make sure that they worked (so we got to use matches!)
For the last night of the term, it was a really good one.
The Cycle weekend – As you Like It!!
We all met at the 8th/12th church and loaded the 8 Scout bicycles into the trailer and put two Leader’s bikes onto the roof (the third bike was already in Bruce’s car). Kit was loaded in, mobile phones handed over and we all set off.
This had been a challenge for Alan to organise; he’d had to move the date of the weekend, then find a new suitable cycling location and then a new Youth Hostel – but he’d managed it and we were heading to Alveston, just outside Stratford-upon-Avon.
We were given three dorm rooms – the boys were given 2B and not 2B (if you pardon the pun as it was actually 2A). The centre also had a large school party from Scotland staying overnight. We all settled down reasonably quickly, ready for the next morning.
Saturday’s breakfast was supplied by the Hostel, so once dispatched we could make our lunches and head off. We had hoped to cycle through a park, but the route was blocked by a very complex footpath gate, with quite high walls to stop the deer from jumping over – too high to lift the bicycles over. However, we could see the deer in the distance. The route itself was very picturesque as we cycled through very sleepy hamlets… Larkrise to Candleford could be easily filmed in these locations.
We had lunch by a village hall – all very peaceful. We had made good time in the morning, but we knew that some of the hills had posed a challenge for the younger scouts so we set off ready for the afternoon’s cycle. In the afternoon, we found a bridleway that was very muddy… nobody got away without getting mud on them, or their bikes.
We finished the cycle about 4pm – and surprisingly no punctures or bicycle repair problems! This gave the Scouts a couple of hours free before we started on making dinner. After dinner, the boys plotted the Sunday route and we asked them for ideas for the next term’s programme. We then let them make their own use for the evening… although the lack of sleep Friday night and a long day’s cycle had clearly worn most of them out.
Sunday was a shorter cycle. Before we could pack the minibus properly, we found that Anand’s bike had suffered a puncture. Because he had smaller wheels we didn’t have any spare inner tubes, so we had to hurriedly effect a repair (luckily it lasted the day) Soon we were ready to leave, and drove to the start of the cycle route – an old railway line that had been converted to a cycle route. This was a pleasant start to the day. We cycled past more open areas, and up and down one or two hills. We stopped to allow the scouts to catch up… Devash unfortunately forgot to break until it was too late and fell off – luckily, a big patch of nettles cushioned his landing! His arm (being bare) was thoroughly covered in nettle rash and it took several dock leaves to settle the itching!
The rest of the route was similar to Saturday – a few hills, but with some lovely views and past very sleepy hamlets. We finally got back to the bus and drove home. It had been a good weekend, and the boys had cycled well – with 27 miles on the Saturday and about 14 on the Sunday they’d certainly explored some of Stratford!
My thanks to Anand, Calum, Devash, Jamie, Matthew, Oskar, Rory and Sam for joining Alan, Bruce and myself on the cycle weekend.
Pictures will be found on www.magpieshchest.co.uk when I upload them (need to review them first) – including a small movie review of the cycle!
February Camp – or “I’m a Scout at Winter Camp, Get me Out of Here”
Whilst I consider myself a seasoned camper, this was another one of those excellent moments when you find yourself learning all over again. With the heavy snows the week before, I was wondering what sort of weekend we were going to have – if at all. However, the decision was made to go ahead.
Friday night we drove to Phasels – and the first order of the day (being a winter camp) was to get the fire going. This would have been fine, if it wasn’t for the foot deep snow that covered everything! Luckily, after shifting a few pallets we found (relatively) dry wood and we could get the fire going. Also, the snow made everything much more light (even at 9pm) so putting the tents up was fairly easy!
I say easy – we started with 8 Scouts, but before the first tent was pitched two decided that winter conditions weren’t for them, so they went home (good job we were close to home!)
Saturday morning and I woke up – a little cold – but to a beautiful sight –
The Scouts had already got up and had got the main fire going – which was good news (less good was that it had taken them 2 matchboxes, half a box of firelighters and half a bag of dry kindling to do so!). Still we got an altar fire going and eventually got breakfast cooked (we also found that the temperatures had played havoc with the camping gaz, so the cookers were almost useless!). Lunch was then next, so the potatoes were wrapped in foil and deposited in the ashes. Unfortunately one of the Scouts had smuggled his mobile phone onto camp and we found that this had enabled another to phone home and make arrangements to leave Saturday afternoon. In resolving this, our fourth less-than-happy camper also decided that he wanted to go home.
We had only brought enough food for breakfast and lunch – so we took a hike to the local supermarket to buy the evening meal and Sunday’s breakfast. Surprisingly for the time of day the supermarket was heaving with people catching up on lost shopping! Still we got away with what we wanted and returned to site.
Before we started the evening meal, the Scouts had a go on the Rolling Wall – an indoor revolving climbing wall which will challenge even the most adventurous Scout – and being only a few feet from the ground at any time means that you won’t need certification to let Scouts have a go (Phasels have put this into a room that they are also building a traversing wall, providing activities that campers can enjoy even into the evening). On the wall we invested Luke and Alastair – another “unusual investiture” under our belts.
The evening meal was Cowboy Stew – a foil packet containing veg, meat, and stock and cooked in the embers – followed by Bananas and Chocolate. Still a little peckish, Ivor and David then had apples, brown sugar and currants whilst the Scouts toasted marshmallows and bread.
Given the lack of sleep last night, the Scouts were quick to retire Saturday evening; by 10:30 nothing could be heard across the camp.
On Sunday morning the altar fire was quickly started and breakfast dispatched. Being a short camp, we then struck camp (although the cold had slowed up the Scouts… well, that’s my reasoning) and soon after lunch we went home.
It was a camp like no other – we couldn’t have planned for it; and for those that lasted all the way to the end of the camp I don’t think that they will ever forget it either!
The other thing I tried over the camp was the use of the micro-blogging website twitter – www.twitter.com – posting regular updates on how the camp was progressing. This enabled parents to follow the camp as we got on. To see the blogs, go to www.twitter.com/frog_scout – but note that these are in newest post first, so you will need to scroll through to read them in the “right” order.
The “Buff” Scarf
(image from amazon.com – the colours of Buff!)
Regular readers will know how relatively few times I will specifically identify a make and model of outdoor equipment, preferring to allow the reader to find something that is workable and within their price range.
However, today I will break that by discussing an item of kit that I believe should be in everyone’s rucksack for outdoor adventure – the Buff Scarf.
These cost about £15 for a “normal” one, more for the “winter” one (about £22); my advice would be to not buy the winter one, but perhaps two normal ones.
So what do you get for your money? Simply – a tube of stretchy nylon material – however, its usefulness is incredible. Want a scarf? Pull it round your neck. Want a hat? Two twists midway and there you go? Want something a little lighter – sort of “doo-raggy”? Hands through into the material and pull! Also – too hot? A couple of twists and you have a wristband!
There are a number of makes out there (Oxford make one that is sold through motorcycle outlets) but to be honest I haven’t seen much of a price difference – and Buffs are sold in a massive variety of colours (including black) that being stuck with an option isn’t a problem.
I did mention the winter model – this is like a buff, but has a polar fleece extension to it. Whilst this is good if you need the warmth, if you get too hot you are still stuck with it – layering being a key (hence the suggestion for two normal ones so you can use them all year round).
I’ve now got a small collection of these scarves – and with one being over 10 years old I can be pleased to report how effective they have been in use.
They are available in outdoors shops (Blacks, Millets), online (amazon, the buffshop) and in certain other stores too (such as motorcycle clothing shops – and the Ace Cafe!!)
(How to wear a Buff! Image from Flickr.com)
Purchasing Equipment – Waterproofs
If you do any camping in the UK at some point you will need to have a waterproof jacket. Actually, if you spend any time at all in the UK you’ll need a waterproof jacket – but camping is more important as typically it’s harder to dry off – and on a cold, windy day in autumn this can ruin an otherwise fun weekend.
So – what to buy? Well here’s the first tip – DON’T BUY A SKI JACKET. The clue as to what its purpose should be is in the name… the “ski” bit. This will stop powder snow from getting in, and can be brushed off. Rain will tend to seep into the material – and whilst the padding will keep you warm (again, jacket designed for minus temperatures, not above zero) it will take forever to dry out if properly wet.
You need to consider that you may have to wear your waterproofs all day long.
FUN EXPERIMENT NO. 1
Put your waterproofs on. Stand under the shower for about 10 minutes (with the hood up and the jacket zipped). Make sure that you get water all over, front and back. How well did they last? That’s about how well they would over a couple of hours outdoors.
So what to buy? Well, I would suggest that the most important thing would be the jacket – waterproof trousers are also quite useful, but if you get a long enough coat only the bottom part of the trousers will get wet. However, the construction of the jacket and the trousers are broadly similar, so I can discuss as a single entity.
So, generally for waterproof jackets the material is either non-breathable or breathable. Non-breathable coats are becoming more rare these days and if you can avoid them, do so. The non-breathable material is a solid rubber or nylon that will let nothing in – however it also lets nothing out either, so you will sweat inside it and after some time it will be as wet inside as out – and it won’t matter if it didn’t rain either.
Breathable materials allow the body to breath – that is, the warm air / sweat out – but prevent the colder wet (the rain!) in. Breathable materials are now becoming more common place now, so it typically will come down to style as to what jacket to buy (more later). If you have the money, the best material to buy within a waterproof jacket is “Gore-Tex”. This is a breathable material in its own right, typically sandwiched between nylon layers to protect it. Because this is a material, rather than a proofing, it won’t rub off or deteriorate so it will last a long time. But typically the jacket will be at least 1/3 more expensive than other jackets.
When buying a jacket, you need to check the seams. The more stitching the more holes – and the greater risk of leakage. Check on the inside how the two materials have been stitched together, have they been rolled and stitched flat or like a shirt? Have they got tape over the stitching (this is good as it is increasing the prevention of water getting in)? You need to make sure that the stitching isn’t poor – if it comes apart when you’re standing in a downpour then you won’t be a happy camper! If the jacket has outside pockets, don’t forget to check the stitching there too!
So what shape of jacket to buy?
I’d suggest that the starter should be that you can get a thick jumper underneath – you could end up wearing these for a winter camp. It will also give you some growing room and room to move.
Some jackets are called “technical” jackets – they are typically cut in a way that will allow the wearer to do stuff (say climb, cycle… you know, Scout activities!) but reducing the amount of riding up that the jacket could do.
Shorter length jackets will allow greater flexibility, but will also create the greater need for waterproof trousers. Longer jackets will reduce the need for waterproof trousers, but will limit your flexibility for some activities.
FUN EXPERIMENT NO.2 (REQUIRES SOME CONFIDENCE)
Put your jumper on, then put on the waterproof jacket. Do up the jacket so you’re properly zipped in. Then do Jumping Jacks. Really fling the arms about (make sure you’re not going to knock over mum’s best nicknacks!) Whilst this is an extreme test it’ll give you an idea of how limiting your waterproof jacket is… and how much noise it’ll make when you wear it!
The reason for the need for confidence? Ideally, this should be done when trying on the jacket…!
Buying kit and equipment – Hike boots
This has been (and should remain) the staple item in every Scouts camp kit bag! Over the years, technology has moved on to make boots more specialised and so buying these more challenging (and in some cases more expensive, that’s true) – but this guide should enable you to identify what is useful and perhaps what you won’t need.
So let’s get an idea of what we need the “camp shoe” to do:
- Stop water from getting feet wet – first thing in the morning (even in summer), UK grass is wet and will soak trainers quickly
- Be comfortable – these shoes will typically be worn all day
- Be adaptable – they will be worn summer, winter, spring and autumn
- Be supportive – they need to be worn when on hikes over rough terrain
- Be protective – especially if using axes, saws and knives
- Be grippy – especially on obstacle courses and on hilly hikes
- Be tough – these will need to last the whole week!
Linked from www.abc-of-hiking.com
Whilst the image is of quite a technical boot, it does details what a typical hike will look like, and some of the reasons for the extra twiddly bits.
The most important items in the hike boot are:
- A sewn-in tongue. This gives the boot more waterproof-icity (you will need to maintain the waterproof nature – more on that later)
- A knobbly base. This gives the grip to the boot. Vibram is a good name to look for in terms of boot soles. Years ago, when I was a Scout I was told “DMs are good for kicking people, but rubbish for hill walking”. Having now seen someone not be able to scramble up a slope because they were wearing DM boots I understand this)
- A good leather upper. Apologies to anyone who is vegetarian but (as yet) I’ve not seen any reasonable Scout-proof hike boots that don’t have a decent leather upper.
The boot should come above the ankle as this will reinforce the support to the ankle. There is a whole discussion on how much a boot should twist as you turn it between your hands – but as a simple rule it should be reasonably stiff – too loose and it won’t support anything.
When you are trying on hike boots, you need to go prepared – more so than buying normal shoes. This is because you should always wear two pairs of socks inside your boots (the jury is still discussing whether it should be two the same thickness or one thick, one thin). The reason for this is due to the length of time that you may have these on your feet, especially hiking. The outer sock will move with the boot, the inner with the foot – and you won’t get blisters.
Once you’ve bought your boots, you should walk around the house with them on for a weekend. As a note to anyone with light carpets in their house – ONLY wear them in the house when breaking them in! This will start to get the foot bed to mould to your feet and to get the leather to warm to the shape of your foot.
Additionally, you can also rub in NIKWAX or DUBBIN. This is also the stuff that will make the leather more waterproof. This is really gunky stuff to work with and you need to make sure that it’s rubbed well into all the seams. If you’ve been wearing the boots, or have made them warm then the stuff will soak in much better – it is effectively an oil. You won’t need to use leather polish (and to be honest, for these boots its not as much fun either!)
So okay, that’s a quick run through the boots. Some other questions that you may have:
How high should the boots go?
In this case, you don’t need calf high boots (such as the classic DM or the Rock Boot). They do offer good protection, but after a point they are just keeping your ankles warm. Also, just because the leather goes further up your leg won’t mean you can stand in deeper puddles – you need to check where the tongue stops getting sewn to the boot.
But what about Wellies?
Ah yes, wellies. The most waterproof boot going. These are reasonable for sploshing through puddles on a Sunday morning when walking the dog, but because they 100% waterproof and are not breathable, aren’t laced to your foot / ankle and typically are one piece with a thin sole they will make your feet sweat, will not support your feet and early morning will be cold and will not keep your feet warm.
My dad’s got cross country trainers – could I use similar?
Early on in this post, I noted that technology has advanced. There are now some quite decent cross-country trainers on the market – but at £50 for a cheap-ish pair you won’t save much – if anything. Additionally you need to remember that these trainers are designed that they will shed any water getting in – that means holes – which means they’re not going to be waterproof. Also the trainer is designed for someone who will be moving their ankle a lot – so won’t offer the same protection.
IMPORTANT NOTE: cross country trainers do have something that normal trainers don’t have – a decent grippy, knobbly sole rather than a road-based shoe.
I’ve heard of things called “Monkey boots” – any good?
Monkey Boots seem to sit to one side of fashion in regard to footwear. They do have a reasonable grip on them and would tick most of the boxes. However at the time of writing these are difficult to find on the high street, so it’s unlikely that Millets or Blacks will be stocking them any time soon.
What about steel toe caps?
Aha – the solution if you’re using axes and saws. These are quite useful, especially for this purpose, but you shouldn’t go out of your way to buy boots with these (and typically you won’t get proper hike boots with these anyway)
The Weekend Hiking towards the Expedition Challenge Award.
(article by Ivor)
We got away fairly much on time – well ten minutes later than scheduled. The first objective was to get to Lees Wood camp site where Ash would leave his car and then everybody would go in the minibus from there to the start point for the younger team. This was just before Latimer Village. Ash was to shadow this team while Ivor was to shadow the older team starting from Heronsgate. The weather forecast was excellent for hiking and actually behaved itself. So Ash and the 5 boys were left at their start point and Ivor took the other 4 to the footpath at Heronsgate. This happened to be in the narrow section of road approaching Heronsgate from the M25 roundabout at junction 17, which made things very awkward. Ivor then proceeded to the car park next to the church at Chorleywood Common and waited for the 4 scouts to appear. What was estimated as three quarters of an hour turned into twice that time but the boys arrived at the bus at 13.00 and had their lunch.
The rest of the walk was fairly uneventful and the team arrived at Lees Wood at 5pm to discover that the younger boys had been there over an hour. The younger team had also erected their tent and cooked their meal on the new Coleman lightweight cookers. The older team proceeded to do this and most of their work was out of the way by 7pm. On site were the Harrow Radio Society who had set up their sets for the Jamboree on Air and who were making contact with scouts all over the world.
Next day the boys were up bright and early and at 7.30am were heard playing in the woods! If only they had put their effort into getting breakfast and packing away, we might have departed by 10am and not 11am. The Sunday hike was to be a straight forward walk through Whippendale Woods in a circular manner, going down to the Canal. It was changed to a direct route and as a result the walk finished by 1.30pm. The minibus had earlier been taken to the end point next to Croxley Green underground station and everybody climbed aboard exhausted ready for the journey back to camp, for Ash’s car, and then back to St Peters.
