Me and K went camping in North Wales last week for some adventure with friends. On the way up we called in to an outdoor shop to pick up some supplies.
The weather had changed from what we expected and a different set of shoes was necessary for K.
Another guy was in there with his daughter, discussing what kit she’d need to go up
Snowdon that afternoon. She was wearing a hoody and leggings with some trainers.
The shop assistant explained that the weather was worsening throughout the day and it wouldn’t be a good idea to go up Snowdon; he then suggested some other options.
But they were going back to London on Friday and he had told people they were going up Snowdon. They’d be fine.
This went on for at least 5 minutes, with
the shop keeper becoming more frustrated. He explained what 50mph winds would be like for a 30kg girl with minimal outdoor kit and zero mountain experience of the Dad.
It was okay, they were going to use the tourist route.
By the time we left, he was starting to listen. Hopefully, they took the experts advice and they did an appropriate activity that kept them both safe.
I’ve been on mountains in extreme
conditions and they are certainly not nice places to be. As an experienced mountain person, there was no way that I would have taken K up there. Especially for a first go, I want her to have a love of the outdoors, no PTSD flashbacks of being battered by the wind and rain and being freezing cold.
We were due to do a little walk up to some of the waterfalls on Snowdon on Thursday, we changed that to Friday because the weather forecast to change.
We want for a walk and K had a little swim in the river next to the tent between downpours.
On Friday, we got to swim in the waterfalls and enjoy a nice sunny walk on the way. She loved it and has kept her joy for the outdoors.
Listening to the advice of an expert can enhance the experience you were going to have. In the same way fitness and nutrition plans are easier to follow when the person who wrote them
takes YOU in to consideration when writing them.
As we hit back to school week, even us home ed people, are getting back to our routines, it’s a good time to reset our focus and goals.
I like to go back to basics with nutrition and training, focussing on getting the big things consistently in place after the summer chaos.
I’ll cover exactly what over the next couple of weeks.
Darren
“expert and beginner dependent on the subject” Checkley