Theres no such thing as bad publicity?

Today was the day for my first official photos for the trek, i have included an unofficial one below

Lets hope the real ones come out better!!!

The photographer thought it would be a could idea to sit like a gnome on the front of my fire engine.
well I'm not so sure, all I'm missing is a fishing pole

the idea was to show the kit i will be trekking in including the Shetland wool jumpers and scarfs, you may just be able to make it out.

As for the head gear, no its not a newly designed Everest winter snow hat or health and safety gone mad because i was 3ft of the ground,its my fire helmet apparently it looks good according to the photographer

see if you can spot the difference

 well as they Say there is no such thing as bad publicity, so lets see what the final magazine article looks like next month, and hope it still raises awareness of Help for Heroes here in Shetland

Cheers big ears ( YES HE WAS A GNOME TOO)

Another week over and another week closer

On the training front, things still going to plan WEEK SIX TOTAL 37 MILES COMPLETED IN 10HRS 25MINS.

On the fund raising side, have another venue confirmed the Cunnisburgh Hall for Sunday teas on the 26th of June

the hall takes 20% of everything we make to cover costs, so get your aprons on if your a budding Nigella Lawson or Jamie Oliver and make us some cakes!

   

Also photos being taken at the fire station on Tuesday, for the article in march addition of ii Shetland.

Online donations have slowed up hope the increased publicity over the coming months will kick start them again.

More events in the pipeline, some joint events with a local charity Mind Your Head ( they raise awareness of depression and other mental health issues)

still looking for a venue for A final dinner and dance in October, just before i set off, i will keep you updated when it is sorted.

well that's it for this week

oh forgot to say the training has another advantage, i have lost 1 stone 2lbs in six weeks, which is great in one respect but on the other hand, if i keep losing weight at that rate i will be eight stone by November!
 However this will save me money on airfare to Nepal , as one of the other trekkers can take me on board as hand luggage

Shetland wool put to the test

Anderson & Company, The Shetland Warehouse Est. 1872

I will be completing the Trek wearing as much authentic Shetland clothing as possible, rather than modern day synthetics, as I trek higher the early morning  temperature will begin to drop and on reaching my goal at base camp the temperature will have dropped to  minus 11 degrees c with the added wind chill any where between -14 to -30 degrees
I am getting my clothing from Anderson and co in Shetland who use locals to hand knit garments from the authentic Everest wool, they are Also supplying  gifts for the Sherpas and porters who will accompany our group on the trek

A brief history of Shetland wools connection with Everest is included below

In 1952, a Shetland Knitwear firm, T.M. Adie and Sons of Voe , was commissioned by the London outfitters of Captain Hunt's British Everest Expedition to develop a garment for their expedition team.

The clothing had been carefully planned and a lightweight garment with high heat retaining qualities was required. A plain knitted, lightweight jumper in Shetland wool was wanted, to serve as a layer, over two vests and under a woollen shirt and two jackets.

To conform to the strict specification, Adie's developed a 2ply Shetland yarn, finer than lace knitting yarn. It was specially spun in a Scottish mill, using the highest grade of Shetland fleece, plucked from the neck area of sheep. The samples were loosely machine knitted, finished by hand then over-washed, to give a very light fabric.

Adie's design, close fitted, in natural fawn was successful, and the largest size weighed only 184 grams. They were asked to supply 24 knitted jumpers, two for each member of the team.
in 1953, Sir Edmond Hiliary And Tenzing part of Captain Hunts team were the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The Shetland Garments they wore consisted of jumpers and socks and scarfs

Anderson & Company Everest sweaters are made to similar specification to the real Shetland sweaters supplied to the first successful Everest expedition in 1953.

These sweaters had to be as light weight as possible and made only from the top grade of real Shetland wool. The reason for this insistence on real Shetland wool is that wool grown in the Shetland Islands, (from purebred Shetland sheep), has inherent heat retaining properties besides being very soft and comfortable to wear.

This natural characteristic of wool is at its highest level when knitted fairly loosely with an easy body shape. At the same time a sweater has to be strong enough to withstand hard wear. This is best achieved by knitting the garment without seams on a hand frame.

This is a very special sweater. There is a limited supply of the particular quality of wool from which it is knitted, and there are only a few knitters in the Shetland Islands with the skill to knit to the high standard required.

...........................................................................................................................
And earlier expedition in 1924 also used Shetland wool garments during their attempt, wearing again,Shetland wool jumpers, socks and long johns.

 Mallory and his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine, disappeared near the summit of the world's highest mountain in 1924, and it remains a mystery whether they successfully reached the peak.
Mallory's frozen body was discovered only in 1999, 620 meters (2,030 feet) below the summit, by a team led by American climber Conrad Anker. Irvine's body has never been found.

Romping up Rompa

Lovely still night to night, stars were out when i started but had clouded over by the time i finished,

some interesting close calls with traffic tonight, amazing how a high vis and reflecting jacket plus a torch seems just to attract cars like moths to a night light!

completed the 11km in 1hr 43mins, that's seems to be my standard time at the moment.

On the fundraising front

 have got another venue booked for June and also some other people at work have had a few ideas, security staff are going to do several cake bakes up until November, one of the air traffic controllers is going to get sponsorship to shave his beard and head, and some of the PTI,s have agree to do a gym challenge. more details to follow

CHEERS FOR NOW

A Hare rasing experience on ronas hill

Went to the top of shetland this morning, i was not alone!

Mountain or 'Blue' Hares were introduced into Shetland by Mr. Anderton from Perthshire  who introduced two pairs to Vaila (an island off the west Mainland) in about 1900. In addition, Dr. Munro brought individuals from Scotland to the Kergord estate in about 1907. The species is now widespread throughout Mainland and is apparently still surviving on Vaila.

 I Saw two hares still in their winter coats, first time i have seen them in Shetland, they were about 10 m from me, standing up on their hind legs,
when they saw me, they ran down the hill at lightning pace, rather more agile than me i am afraid.
still did it in good time though approx 10 km up and down hills reached summit at 450m 1475ft and then returned same route in 2hrs 40 Min's including time to take in the views at the top.

Beautiful still morning not a breath of wind even at the top

On top of the hill, there is a Neolithic chambered cairn  unusual for its position on top of a hill. Most surviving Neolithic British cairns are sited in prominent places, but not generally on the top of taller hills. According to local farmers, until the construction of Sullom Voe Terminal in the mid-1970s, the cairn contained a variety of "sacrifice" items, such as coins (some "very old") and other items.. Prior to that time, Ronas Hill would have been far off the beaten track.

Ronas Hill cairn shows evidence of substantial rebuilding of its upper structure, as evidenced by the lack of lichen on stones above the entry passage and main cyst. The current peak of pink granite stones is clearly visible from the valley below and may have been raised in height to serve as a "mede " or fishing mark in past centuries. The cairn was certainly altered by soldiers during a military exercise in the 1960s, when a wall was built around its entrance to turn it into a foxhole.

A chambered cairn is a burial monument, usually constructed during the Neolithic,

 Spent the weekend in the gym at work, as i was on shift both days,using the power jog hill programs, did another 20km in preparation for Ronas,

No real problems, but definitely will need walking poles to make the descents easier in Nepal, as on some of the days we climb up and down about 1000m for six to seven hours, and my knees are already sore.

well that's it for today

Cheers Dave



should have listened to the forecast

Well got what i deserved, a cold! went out for my walk on Thursday and straight into the gale, had only made it about a quarter of the way round before it hit.

One plus point though it really tested my windproof outer layer, my hat was absolutely great, it may make me look like a world war 2 Russian tank commander but its definitely worth it.

working this weekend so will have to use the treadmill instead

Local Magazine has agree to do a feature in march addition, which should raise the profile of the trek here in Shetland.

well early shift tomorrow so I'm off

ANOTHER DAY CLOSER

Did my extended sandwick circuit today, wind was beginning to pick up
the forecast for the next few days is poor, so will probably switch to the gym, i know i should toughen up but as 90mph winds are forecast i wont be too harsh on myself,

THURSDAY 3rd: Blustery showers becoming lighter and less frequent through the day, though F6 to gale F8 SW’ly winds continuing. A wet and windy night to follow, with heavy rain and gale to severe gale-force S to SW’ly winds.

going to do the Ronas hill walk on Monday morning ,so i hope the winds dropped by then, as i don't fancy being at 1400ft in that strength of wind,

Fundraising has slowed down a bit but, i am hopeful the collection days at the supermarkets  in April and may will bring in reasonable returns, but having said that if you are reading this and have not yet donated, please feel free to help me on my way

kind regards

Dave H