After a wet day with thoroughly uninviting views, we awoke in the little French town of Mandailles to what promised to be better weather. There were pockets of blue in the sky (hurrah!) and while the tops of the higher mountains were still shrouded in cloud it looked like it was only lingering like a … Continue reading Volcano number 12: The last-minute volcano
Failure
Volcano update
Yes, I know, I’ve been a bit quiet on the volcano front. That’s mainly because it’s been, shall we say – slow. Last year’s grand adventure plans were put to the side after I decided it was in my best interests to apply for British citizenship, meaning I technically couldn’t travel – or book travel … Continue reading Volcano update
5 things I learnt in 2017
2017 – one blink and it was gone. Or so it seemed. In reflection, it was a manic year of epic highs (awesome month-long trip home to New Zealand, gaining my British citizenship and starting a new journey of self-discovery through my mind). But it was also a year of epic lows (not one but … Continue reading 5 things I learnt in 2017
Turning disaster and uncertainty into a silver lining
I’ve realised I’m not that great with the unknown. It can be scary not knowing what’s around the corner or on the other side of that bank of cloud when you’re high up on a mountain. When faced with the unknown or uncertainty when we’re out on an adventure, we often instantly jump to the … Continue reading Turning disaster and uncertainty into a silver lining
The pitfalls of preparing for volcano number nine
The bags are packed; map directions sorted. The boyfriend and I are about to set off up to the Scottish border to spend two days walking over the sparse and volcanically formed Cheviot Hills – subsequently bagging volcano number nine in my #40by40 quest. I have to admit, I’m a little excited. All that fresh … Continue reading The pitfalls of preparing for volcano number nine
Is that the impending sense of failure?
It was inevitable but I’ve hit another bump in the road in this #40by40 quest to climb 40 volcanoes by the age of 40, and failing to climb Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Taranaki during my recent trip to New Zealand has really been playing on my mind. In my last blog on extreme planning and … Continue reading Is that the impending sense of failure?
Planning isn’t everything
Yip, I admit it, I’m a control freak. I love planning and I love making to-do lists. And the recent month-long trip to New Zealand was no exception – I had a detailed calendar of our movements, a spreadsheet, and an A4-page to-do list to make sure all logistics and bookings were sorted. It worked … Continue reading Planning isn’t everything
Another epic weather fail
The rain on the tent sounded like an army chucking thousands of buckets of water over it. It had sounded like that all night; a constant drumming as the torrential rain pelted the tree above us, which jettisoned the water directly onto our tent. To say it was wet was an understatement. We’d completed the … Continue reading Another epic weather fail
When the weather scuppers your volcano-climbing plans
“Are there any questions? Does anyone have other plans for tomorrow?” the hut warden Sally asked the motley group of trampers as we huddled in the Mangatepopo hut on the skirts of the Tongariro National Park in the centre of New Zealand’s North Island. Outside the wind was buffeting against the hut’s wooden walls, whipping … Continue reading When the weather scuppers your volcano-climbing plans
Looking back at January and those goals (not resolutions)
Is it just me or do you feel like 2017 is just flying by? January, zoom, it’s been and gone. One 12th of the year already over. And what have I got to show for it? Well the year started off more like a fizzle than a bang, with a massive puce bruise on my … Continue reading Looking back at January and those goals (not resolutions)