Microadventure Number One.  17th January

Keep it easy, keep it close, try and keep it dry.

The last one was never going to happen was it?  The weather was heavy with rain, the ground was saturated with the previous days thawed snow and the clouds looked like they were threatening more bad stuff.  But microadventurers are a hardy breed and hey it is only weather eh?  Besides I had my son along, and I couldn't wimp out then could I?

The chosen site was in the woods above Shipham Hill, and with an an extra added fence to provide somewhere to get the basha up against, it really was looking that bad.

The microadventure kit list for this one was probably more than normal, but it was bloody cold, and I had a new sleeping bag to try out.  The Czech army are obviously warm blooded and have a lot of carrying capacity!  Nice style though.

Soon enough we were basha'd up and ready to go.

Snuggled and ready to go

This would also be the first chance to go head to head with the Alpkit Hunka and the British Army surplus bivvi bag, the size difference is quite something, but I guess Alpkit don't allow for belt-kit, webbing, a rifle, boots etc etc

Just in case there is confusion, the Army one is on the right

 The size difference is quite a thing though.

As it was the January microadventure, it felt fitting to mark it with a seasonally appropriate foodstuff.  And as we all know early January is the time for.......Easter eggs!

January creme eggs, hard boiled by the morning!

The evening bought a downpour of biblical proportions, but luckily it was only rain, the snow had already come and gone earlier in the day.  Nothing stops me sleeping though, except if my ears are cold, but the Buff sorted that.  So it was off to sleep for both of us.

The morning bought a hard frost, a frozen basha and two frozen bivvi bags.  But not two frozen microadventurers, the many layers, double sleeping bags and bivvi bags had done their job.  Not exactly warm as toast, but certainly as warm as a reasonably recently toasted crumpet.  What would be as warm as toast though would be the toast in the breakfast that was beckoning at the Lillypool Cafe just down the hill. Never has a hot chocolate been so eagerly consumed as by the boy that morning, the double whammy of a warming brew and a finger defroster worked wonders and he was back smiling within a few minutes.

January done then, 1 down 11 to go.  Hopefully each one will bring new experiences and new (hopefully warmer) nights under the stars.

Let's see eh?

#microadventure

The idea of the microadventure is being promoted by Alistair Humphreys, he has even written a book called Microadventure, strangely.

He then threw down a gauntlet to the world of doing 12 microadventures in 12 months in 2015.  Not one to ignore a thrown gauntlet I decided to pick it up and am wondering where it will take me.  So has begun my year of microadventures.  The way others have also decided to go with the concept is inspiring, and the ideas I already have will soon have the 12 months planned.

As the year begins then, I have decided to keep this blog and be keep a record of the adventures, micro or otherwise, that 2015 brings.................