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As always, the last section of the narrative is reserved for reflection. What could be improved or done differently, what gear worked and what didn’t that sort of thing.
First on that list is that I need to reevaluate the photographic equipment I take on trips like this. I tend to think of it in three tiers. The good kit, my DSLR and it’s interchangeable lenses. Top quality but heavy, bulky and the most challenging to use in this environment. The compact camera. Smaller, lighter and reasonable quality but limited in comparison to the DSLR and for the first time on this trip a so called smart phone with a camera built in. This last option is the most present and accessible of course but falls far below the quality offered by the others.
The pictures in this report are a mixture of all and at the resolution seen here the quality issues might not seem apparent but I have tried to use each option according to their own strengths.
What is clear is that 15kg of equipment is just too much for me these days. I need to reduce it down and the place that needs to start is in the lenses I pack for the DSLR. They were not all needed on this trip and some could be replaced by a general purpose zoom , saving a lot of fuss and weight.
With the addition of a faster wide angle lens for auroral shots two lenses should cover 80% of my needs with the Compact camera and the iPhone filling the other requirements. A tripod is still essential in my opinion.
The selfie stick that I bought for the phone was more useful than I expected it to be not just for selfies but also a higher viewpoint at times.
Another thing to consider for the next trip is taking the drone with me. A couple of crew members took them along and used them with success. Warming the batteries before take off seems to be the key but given the challenges of moving in that landscape they offer options that a difficult to ignore.
I packed far too much spare clothing so that could be reduced but a simple blanket would be a useful addition particularly when sitting around the camp fire. The German folding mat was useful for sitting on and next to the bed a night and packing a second one might be worth it.
The ventile sleeping bag cover absorbed a lot of moisture between the sleeping bag and the outer GoreTex bivi bag which led to it becoming stiff and frozen. A softer more absorbent layer might be worth considering. Food for thought there
The Snowshoes are something that definitely requires thought. Two strap failures now, not good. Repair or replace, that is the question.
The radios had very limited range. Part of that may have been due to the terrain but probably a larger factor may also have been the amount of snow loaded on the tree branches. They proved useful over short distances but the mobile phones were much more useful further afield.
The Wayland Snow Shed performed exactly as I expected it to, the only issue being the collection of snow on the flat surfaces which needed regular management. This was predicted and unproblematic.
It gave me a good working layout, half sheltered, half open, which I like.
On the days where we had snow and a bit of wind, it was clear to see that more wind could require the front flap to be dropped down for shelter but that was not needed on this trip.
Would I use it again? Possibly. No reason why not.
However. I spent a bit of time contemplating the laavu / kata / tipi design tents that others were using and the one that Dave and Julie pitched had a side that could be opened up and used as an awning.
That might fulfil the same requirements as the Snow Shed but in a format that offered greater resilience in more extreme conditions. I have to admit, I am interested by that.
I would probably make a few modifications of my own of course, very little of my equipment escapes that process and I doubt if I would bother with the stove although I don’t rule it out entirely.
They used a cotton canvas version but there is a lighter nylon version available. I’m not sure which way I would go on that decision. Heart or Head I guess.
I kept a comprehensive list of the equipment I took with me and I will be going through that with a fine toothed comb to see what could be dropped from future trips but one of the key takeaways from this trip is to manage our ambitions better.
I’m nowhere near as fit as I once was and other party members struggled with the similar issues. Everything is a greater effort in the snow and distances that seem reasonable from a comfy armchair turn out to be far more challenging on the ground.
Within a few hundred yards Pete and I actually completed the first leg of our journey according to the plan but it nearly exhausted us. Had we not then modified the planned camp site location it is likely that the main party would have struggled to reach us at all. Using the local taxi services allowed us to move about much more freely and I feel no shame in saying that they saved our trip really. Using such services again in the future is something that we will bake into the planning. It actually opens up wider possibilities which is a bonus.
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