Newsham Moor bivvy ride

"But what if a fox eats your face?"

Our friend Ann didn't understand why I was going to sleep in a bag in a field on my own. I don't think Sarah did either, but she's used to me doing odd things by now.

So, sit at home and watch Graham Norton on TV, or go for a ride, kip somewhere and ride back again? I loaded up my bike.



I've plans for the summer, so this was a chance to test out my new Alpkit Hunka bivvy bag. I say new, but like most bivvy bags it's sat accusingly in the wardrobe not being used for a year or so. It was also a chance for me to see just how terrifying it was to go to sleep along in a field.

It turns out, it's not scary at all, though it is light until very, very late so I alternated between reading a book inside the bag when it rained and watching the clouds blow overhead and the lights coming on in the valley below when it didn't rain.



I slept on and off through the night. A £7 sleeping bag from Tesco is cheap and light, but not particularly warm, even when wearing a warm jacket and a merino base layer. Not cold enough to make me think about taking a heavier bag next time though.

As well as being light until very late, the sun makes a very early appearance, with the sky starting to get light at about 3:30. I probably only slept for two or three hours altogether.



So, at just after 4am, I packed up and headed home.



Home by six for a couple of hours of coffee and internet before anyone else was up; not a bad way to spend a half a day.

I knew I'd either love or hate bivvying. I think I'm hooked...

Distance: 60km (30km there and 30km back)
Surface: Road
Time: 3:40 riding time, but out of the house for 11 hours
Weather: Warm, windy, a few showers
Bike: Inbred SS (with 2.4″ rear tyre on 32:17)

Kit/setup
Alpkit Hunka bivvy bag, with Tesco sleeping bags inside, in a 13l Alpkit Airlock Xtra dry bag and bungied to the bars. Bivvy bag was ace and sleeping bag adequate. Need to get better straps for next time as the bungy only just fit.
Alpkit Wee Airic camping mat carried in a 20l Alpkit Gourdon rucsac, along with warm/spare clothes, water, book, torch and some spare food. This was too heavy; need to look into a frame bag and/or seatpost pack.

simplicity

Try to live simply. A simple lifestyle freely chosen is a source of strength. Do not be persuaded into buying what you do not need or cannot afford. Do you keep yourself informed about the effects your style of living is having on the global economy and environment?

- Quaker Faith and Practice, Advices and Queries 1.02.41 (scroll down)

We've got a copy of the Quaker Faith and Practices book at home. It's great to dip into.

I read Thoreau's Walden a couple of months ago, after seeing it mentioned so much in a lot of the blogs I read. A lot of what he wrote on simplicity really chimed with me, and I keep being reminded of things he wrote when doing something completely unrelated.

White Death, by Clive Cussler

White Death, by Clive Cussler.

Because a bit of trash is good sometimes.

Getting Things Done, by David Allen

Getting Things Done, by David Allen.

(More on GTD, later.)

Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami

Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami

Status Anxiety, by Alain de Botton

Status Anxiety, by Alain de Botton

Be My Enemy, by Chritopher Brookmyre

Be My Enemy, by Chritopher Brookmyre is everything you'd expect from the master of comedy action. Includes canibalism, the best use of entrails and comic beheadings. What more could you want?

Mountains of the Mind, by Robert Macfarlane

Mountains of the Mind, by Robert Macfarlane attempts to answer the question "why do we climb mountains?" by looking at the history of mountaineering, from initial fear to today. A fantastic read, which touches on history, literature, philosophy, geology and psychology.

Abhorsen by Garth Nix

I finished reading Abhoron, by Garth Nix, a week or so ago, but haven't got around to writing it up until now.

This is the third part of a trilogy, along with Sabriel and Lirael, set in a land where necromancers can bring the dead to life, and only the Abhoron can return them. This trilogy is up there with Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials".

Between A Rock and A Hard Place by Aron Ralston

Tales of survival don't come much better documented than Between A Rock and A Hard Place by Aron Ralston; after all, how many people remember to photograph their hand and wrist trapped between a rock and a canyon wall after they've cut it off using a pocket knife?

In "Between A Rock and A Hard Place", Aron Ralston writes candidly about the week he spent with his arm trapped by a boulder, with only minimal equipment. Initially dismissing the idea of cutting off his own arm, he finally has to as the only way to survive. The story is interwoven with memoirs of his previous adventures. Like all good adventure/survival tales, Aron also drinks his own urine.

A must for any outdoor fans, or anyone who enjoyed reading Joe Simpson's "Touching the Void". Not for the squeamish (Sarah won't let me show her the photographs).

For more about Aron, visit the book's official site, Aron Ralston: Between A Rock And A Hard Place, or his Geocities page, Aron's Optimal Experiences On-Line, which predates the canyoning incident.