Today’s thoughts… 10 Feb 2024

Today’s thoughts can be summed up in two words: Extremely Wet! I needed to do some extra steps this weekend to make it to my 70,000 and planned for a long walk, but hadn’t realised quite how much rain there would be. When I reached this ginormous puddle I did wonder what the heck I was doing out on such a day, but it was getting dark and there was no option but to wade through the ankle-deep water – hoping I didn’t have a Dawn French moment halfway through 🤣

For those of you thinking that I am somewhat mad… there is a method to my madness! I’m training for my first trip this year, which is to Jordan at the beginning of March. I’ll be away for a week in total, doing a 5-day and 5-night trek, wild camping under the stars in Wadi Rum, starting at the Seven Pillars of Wisdom and finishing in Petra.

This trip is with Exodus, and one of the reasons I chose this company is because they partner with a Jordanian company who employ local Bedouin families to be our guides and teach us about their culture. One of the nights will be spent at a Bedouin camp, owned by a cooperative of 200 families who will directly benefit from our stay.

I’m starting to think about the kit I will need and thought you might be interested in what I take out when I go for a walk. I try to always carry a rucksack so that my body is used to it and take these items as a minimum, whether it’s summer or winter:

• Rucksack, with air cooled back system, plus rain cover (mine comes with the rucksack)
• Umbrella, waterproof (and windproof) raincoat and trousers – the trousers especially helpful in summer when trying to walk through thigh-high stinging nettles!
• Gloves, hat, scarf and buff – the scarf good for summer or winter and the buff can keep your ears warm or hair out of your eyes when it’s windy but not cold enough for a hat.
• Water bottle, snacks and a seat mat.
• First Aid kit, pen knife, whistle, poo bags, wipes, hand gel, head torch.

I’ll have a few more items in my day sack when trekking, such as a compass, power pack, spare change of clothes, camera, sunscreen, sunglasses, sunhat but not too much else. So what do you think, too much or did I miss anything?