Welcome To My Yard: Close up with Narayan

We recently received an update from the guys at Welcome To My Yard, an enterprise dedicated to supporting, educating and training Nepali young people. One story really popped out from December last year. WTMY were recently sponsored by Sherpa Adventure Gear and Protrek to get seven of the WTMY young people entered into the first ever Nepal Climbing Carnival. One of the Narayan came fourth in the whole competition, despite having only climbed twice before! Suman for the Social Work team had a catch up with Narayan about his experience...

How did Narayan feel about climbing?

Before climbing he thought that he could not do anything in his life. He was nervous and has always had low self- esteem but during the climbing he had felt a sense of inner power and confidence. Now he thinks that nothing is impossible in this world if we work hard. He feels he has the courage to do good things in his life and has shown this to himself. He wants to start a new life as soon as possible leaving the life of Pashupatinath behind. He wanted to win the competition but could not this time, but he has not lost his hope. He believes that he will win next time.

How would he like to proceed with his climbing in the future?

He has to work hard in order to feed his family so he has not has much chance to think about it, but he would get the opportunity of climbing training then he will surely join it and will do his best.

What does Narayan do in Pashupati?

 He searches for wood or gold in the Bagmati River and sometimes he helps in the crematory building fires in order to feed himself as well as his family. He lives nearby with his wife and his daughter.

What are Narayan's aspirations for the future?

He thinks that always working in Pashupatinath is not good for him and his family. So he wants to open small retail shop or momo shop as soon as possible. He is positive that he will be success in his plan. He is positive towards his future.

What is life in your view?

Life is for once so we have to do good things. Finally he wants to say that WTMY is doing good work for children and young people and he hopes that WTMY will carry on these activities on a regular basis.

Three Peaks Challenge Completed!

A massive shout out goes to Chris White and pals you completed the Three Peaks Challenge last month! They completed it in a total of 23 hours and 48 minutes and managed to raise over £1,700 for Leukemia Research and Prostate Cancer charities, phenomenal effort guys! We got through a letter  explaining their exploits in a bit more detail, have a read!

We had all been out and bought new waterproofs, fleeces hats and gloves for what turned out to be one of the hottest weeks of the year! Our first mountain was to be Ben Nevis in Scotland where we had 5 hours to get to the summit and back down, however we were slightly disheartened when we read in the visitors centre that a fit walker normally does this in between 7-8 hours.

9 of us (3 Girls and 6 lads) started walking at 17.00 hours on Saturday in a tropical 25 degrees which is great at zapping all your energy, but what made this climb even stranger was hitting the snow towards the top wearing shorts, t-shirt and sunglasses! 

With a bit of a step on we managed to be back at the minibus by 22.30 which was great, but 30 mins behind where we needed to be and we still had 2 more mountains to climb. Before we started we thought we would be able to make a bit of time up on the drive between the climbs but then we found out our minibus was limited to 62 mph!!

We arrived at Scafell Pike in the Lake District at 04.30 after managing to get about 1.5-2 hours’ sleep in the bus. About half way up we had our first casualty as one of the lads popped his knee out, fortunately he was ok to sort it out and head back down. The rest of us pushed on to get to the summit by 06.30 and we back at the bus by 08.30 still running 30 mins behind, at this point we really did think we might not be able to make the 24 hours mark. This was when we lost our second member of the team as another of the lads pulled out through injury.            

After a further 5 hour bus ride and an hour or so sleep we were approaching our final mountain Snowdon in wales. We had made up about 15 mins on the journey but it meant we only had 3 hours 45mins to get to the summit and back. The Snowdon visitors centre advised this should take 5-6 hours and as Snowdon is higher and longer in distance in than the Scafell Pike route (which had taken us 4 hours) we knew we were really going to have to give it all to make!

We dumped everything out of our bags we could to try and lighten the load and the second the bus pulled into the car park we were off! Being another hot day it was very busy, especially at the summit and mountain rescue was out in force, luckily we did not need them. We arrived at the top at 15.23 and after 30 seconds at the top to take a couple of pics it was a run down with a sprint finish with three of us arriving at 16.48, 2 more at 17.01 and the final 2 at 17.30 just 30 mins over the 24 hours.

This really was a tough challenge and all involved gave 100% but we were defiantly spurred on by how generous everyone has been with sponsorship, and how hopefully the money raised can improved someone else’s life when there are going through the toughest challenge of their lives.   

Thanks again for all you help I have been blown away by how generous everyone has been! 

Marathon Training Secrets

You may remember at the beginning of last month our write up of the GoMakeItHappen charity event held at the Harpenden Halls. The night itself was all about kick starting the charity creating a platform to progress from. Now we've danced into the new year, we're now brainstorming other ideas to keep the charities momentum going.

One idea that caught all of our attention was to give the Great North Run a go this September. Out of the group that organised the charity event, none of us have ever run more than 5km at a time, so not only would it be for a great cause, it'd be a heck of a challenge as well! Realistically if we were to go ahead with it, training would need to start asap, especially when you think about all those extra Christmas pounds we'd need to work off! We'd have to get our names in the ballot fairly sharpish too.

With that in mind, we thought we'd need all the help we could get! So courtesy of Octobers issue of Outdoors Fitness Magazine, here's some marathon tips from Olympic Silver medalist Steve Cram!


Variety - "The big mistake people make is always to run at the same pace. Elite athletes inject real variety into their training. Mix long runs with slow recovery sessions, and put in quicker runs, interval sessions and hill work to develop overall fitness."

Cross-Training - "I've got war wounds from my years as a runner, so I use my mountain bike to avoid niggles that might turn into injuries. It doesn't stress my body but still provides me with a good cardio workout."

Nutrition - "People get too wound up about nutrition. Simply think of it like putting petrol into a car. You wouldn't put the wrong fuel in, nor go for a drive with the tank empty, so why do that when you want your body to perform?"

Planning - "In a good marathon, your first half should be very comfortable and your second half allow you to pick up the pace. Elite runners aim for negative splits, where you get faster during the race. A lot of people don't understand why they crashed in the second half of a marathon. They almost always went off too fast and didn't save enough for the second half."

Run Everywhere - "I travel a lot, and always pack running shoes, it's a great way to see a city. Running is a great stress reliever and even 20 minutes keeps that consistency in my training. It makes a massive difference for me."

Lap of Honour 2013

We've got another fantastic cause to give a bit of backing to! On Friday the 29th March 2013 Ian Innes will be walking 300 miles with a 50lb rucksack on his back, in 10 days.

Named 'The Lap Of Honour' the walk is taking place in aid of Help For Heroes, a charity which provides practical help and support to service men and women who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty. So it really is a great event to get behind!

You can donate HERE on the Lap Of Honour page and you can also check out the specific route in Scotland Ian will be taking.

To help him on his way we've donated a Berghaus RG1 Light waterproof jacket and some North Face Meridian Convertible Trousers.

En Route To Stansfield's Somliland

Here's another fantastic cause the lend your support to. At the beginning of 2012, accomplished explorers Christopher Stansfield and Kris McBride will embark on an epic journey across the Northern African desert from Port Sudan, next to the Red Sea, down to Djibouti and on into Somaliland (an unrecognised self declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia).


The whole trek is to highlight the health of the people of Somaliland, which is amongst the worst in Africa. Their trek will actually end at Edna Adna's Maternity Hospital, an organisation their also trying to raise awareness for. Edna Adna was the first qualified Somali midwife and went on to be the World Health Organisation's regional nursing advisor. She eventually upped sticks and sold everything she had to build her very own Maternity Hospital in Somaliland itself, which has proven to be a valuable institution for women in the surrounding area.


As well as providing valuable health care to women in Somaliland the Edna Adna Maternity Hospital also tries to provide help and guidance to address the problem of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and all the complications it can cause. The money donated from Christopher and Kris's trek will help provide new equipment and training for Somalian women to become midwives and nurses. Obviously the money raised will also contribute to keeping the Maternity Hospital running on a day to day basis, providing locals with valuable healthcare.

It's an absolutely fantastic cause and any money donated can make a difference. If you'd like to donate, you can go to the Edna Adna Maternity Hospital website. We've donated some Platypus Hydration Reservoir's, first aid kit, Head Torches and some washing products ourselves, so hopefully that will see them through!

You can also check out everything to do with Christopher and Kris's trek on their website, including a blog once they get underway and all the additional information you'll need about the charity!

http://www.wix.com/cawstanfield/somaliland#!

Climbing Kilimanjaro: Part 1

Earlier this year we donated some gear to Elizabeth Gourd for her Kilimanjaro Climb in aid of Childreach International. We're delighted to report that after much hard work and perseverance she summited the Tanzanian Mountain in July just gone! It really is a fantastic cause too, Childreach International works with local communities in the developing world to help improve children's access to healthcare, education, child rights and protection. So far they've worked with over 70,000 children in over 7 countries and are still striving to promote positive change through local communites.

(Elizabeth ready and raring to go!)

Elizabeth also took some absolutely stunning photographs and kept a diary throughout her ascent, giving some fantastic insights into what it takes to conquer the mountain.


Here's Part One of her Kilimanjaro Diary:

DAY 1: 10:00 a.m. Machame Gate: upon arrival we are required to log our names and full details before we can begin climbing the Machame Route. It is the most scenic route up Kilimanjaro, we are told, but also the steepest and most difficult. Our guide calls it the “Whiskey route” – as opposed to the “Coca Cola route”, he explains – and I presume this means it is also the most dangerous. There are lots of serious warnings at the gate regarding general health and fitness ability; if ever a mountain needed a disclaimer, this would be it. Everyone begins walking too quickly at first, but we soon adjust as a group and steady ourselves to a better pace. The porters are incredible: they leap and bound ahead of us all, carrying tables and chairs and food supplies, not to mention our rucksacks. We spend 7 hours trekking through mud and rain and rainforest until we reach our camp at Machame Hut. Thankfully, there is to be no more cloud cover above the rainforest line.

DAY 2: The second day begins with the promise that it will be shorter – if steeper – than Day One. Gradually ascending the Machame Ridge line, we find ourselves in a very different terrain; above the rainforest is all heath and moorlands, which exposes a dramatic view of the wider landscape. Behind us, an incredible cover of dense rainforest stretches out and already it looks as though we’ve been climbing for days. Ahead, we catch our first glimpse of the icy summit as it emerges hazy and inaccessible in the distance. By the time we reach Shira camp in the early afternoon, several members of the group began to experience the first onset of altitude sickness: symptoms include headaches, dizziness and nausea. I feel somewhat ill myself from loss of appetite but resolve to sleep it off.

DAY 3: Everyone feeling rough, we start the day in grim anticipation that it could be make or break for many people in the group. One of the group leaders had suffered terrible altitude sickness in his first attempt to climb Kilimanjaro a year previous, so we all look to him for signs of worsening illness. After a gradual and painstaking 4 hour ascent through the stark alpine desert, we reach Lava Tower at 4,500m for acclimatisation purposes, and then descend a further 4 hours to Baranco Camp. Several more people are now feeling the effects of altitude sickness and group morale is quite depressed. However, from here we can see the snows of Kilimanjaro towering dominant above the campsite. For me (at least) this sudden, dramatic proximity is encouraging – not much further now!

- Stay tuned tomorrow for Part Two of the Kilimanjaro Diary and some more mind bendingly beautiful photos!

Kayak the Danube!

The guys at Kayak The Danube have now started their epic journey along the river, starting off from Ulm, Germany and will eventually arrive at the Black Sea. Unfortunately John had to pull out at the last minute due to injury, but a new team has now been assembled and seeing as it was his original idea, there's no way the guys will let him down! Here's the first taster of the start of their adventure...


"So Me and Nick are finally on the mighty Danube and have experienced our first 7 days of paddling the Queen of the European Rivers. We have experienced some of the huge contrast it has to offer, and plenty of its surprises!

The Jeffcock brothers, John and Rob were absolute heroes driving us and the gear to the source all the way from Sheffield. John regrettably had to pull out of the expedition at the last minute, but as it was his original idea, and a main organiser, he will be here in spirit all the way to the Black sea.

We had a two day stop over in Freiberg with the brothers for some heavy R&R yet managed to eat our body weight in Schnitzel and Bratwurst.

Before arriving at Donaueshington, the source of the Danube, we were apprehensive about the current water level and as it turns out, rightly so! Regardless the kayak was unloaded and we said our goodbyes then turned to face the river which will be our home for the next few months.

It quickly become evident that the stretch of river we unloaded at was high due to a weir downstream, but once crossed the mighty river was no less then a stream at this point! Undeterred the first 3 days involved walking sections over the shallow river bed. Fortunately our Arrowcraft Kayak was able to navigate the shallow water, even when it was only 1m wide! Thankfully Streamlyte donated us carbon fibre blades, so even after days of this tough river, they remain pristine.

The landscape more then made up for the lack of river, as we progressed through meadows, mountains and epic gorges.

7 days later we are in Regensburg, and from here it seems comical that the river started so small. 3 nights of heavy rain and an extra 200km downstream have allowed the Danube to flex its muscles...and we are grateful!

From our fourth day we were able to tackle the growing rapids without getting out the Arrowcraft each time.

Day 5 brought the large hydro dams, which helped to remove this and steadied the flow to around 3mph along most stretches. Day 6 we encountered our first big boats, some 100m long, as they make slow progress down channels from Amsterdam. Today is our first rest day, where we are fueling up and relaxing our aching shoulders.

We expect to make the Austrian boarder in the next few days, but if we know the Danube, we can expect plenty of surprises along the way! We will keep you posted on how it goes!"

We'll be back with more news next time we hear from them!

Ride2Rescue Hit Mainland Europe!

The guys from Ride2Rescue are now fully on their way and they've hit mainland Europe! We'll be bringing you updates every week or so of their progress, following them all the way over to Melbourne.

They've got a Facebook page up and running too, with some pretty cool pictures of their journey thus far! There's some great action shots, including some of the gear we've donated to them and some awesome shots of the beautiful Brussels.


Wishing them a safe passage through the rest of Mainland Europe!

A helping hand

A few more causes that are definitely worth checking out.

First of all have a look at Sighthound Welfare Trust. Their a smallish organisation that do a large amount of work. In their own words their aim is to "assist the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of abused, neglected and stray sighthounds." Because of the size of the organisation, they rely greatly on the generosity of supporters to donate money, time and skills in a variety of ways. So obviously we were happy to help out!

Sighthound Welfare Trust will be holding an auction from 28th May to June 2011. We're offering £50 to one of the lucky auction winners, so make sure you get involved and cross those fingers!


Another fantastic idea, which is helping many in Worcestershire and it's surrounding areas is ABTBRU Search & Rescue. Their an all terrain search and rescue bike response team, who endevour to provide on the spot emergency treatment for those in need. They try to treat and stabilize patients until the emergency services can be reached.

Obviously this kind of support costs money, so donations for bike equipment and life saving equipment are always needed. The more that's donated, the more help they can give and the more they can branch out to help others in need. So far we've donated a Black Diamond ATC Belay Device and five lots of Lyon Slings.

Kayak the Danube!

Following on from the guys at Ride2Rescue, here's another fantastic cause that's well worth giving a shout out!

Chris Braine and John Jeffcock are setting up for an epic journey where they Kayak The Danube. They are setting off from Ulm, Germany in June which will see them Kayaking through 10 countries all the way through to the Black Sea. And it's all to raise money for the Sheffield Children's Hospital who provide valuable specialist health care for children and young people. You can support Chris and John and donate here.

Their both keen rowers for the University of Sheffield, so that should stand them in good stead!

To help them on their way we've also donated some gear, including; Lifesystems Waterproof First Aid Kit, Ortlieb Drybag, Haglofs Watatait Mobile Pouch and a Haglofs Watatait Camera Pouch!

Good luck guys and have a fantastic (if a little bit exhausting) time!

Ride2Rescue On Their Way

You may remember last month we gave a shout out to the guys at Ride2Rescue who are setting off on an epic 26,000km cycle from London to Melbourne to raise awareness of child trafficking all over the world.

The guys came into Outdoorkit HQ yesterday to pick up there stuff and ready themselves for the task ahead. Their taking all manner of things on the road with them; Vango Sigma 300's, Snugpak sleeping bags, trek towel's and plenty more!

They're also all part of the North London Lions British Aussie Rules Football Club, so we're pretty sure they'll be able to handle anything that comes their way!

They're starting their voyage on Saturday, everyone here at Outdoorkit wishes them the best of luck and a safe journey!

(The guys at Ride2Rescue with John, our Business Development Manager in the middle)

A Worthy Cause

Another good cause to shout about! Beth Disomma and her sister are planning to climb Kilimanjaro in aid of Cancer Research UK.

Their both off to Tanzania in October and hope to climb the mountain in a 7 day trek. They lost their Grandmother to Cancer in 2009 so it couldn't be more of an apt cause. I'm fairly sure everyone out there has been affected by the disease in some way or another, whether it be directly or indirectly, so we thought it was only right to lend a helping hand.

To help them on their way we've donated some Lifesystems Chlorine Tablets, Brasher Walker 3 socks and a Platypus Hoser 2 each.

They should stand them in good stead!

A big shout out goes to the guys at Ride2Rescue. The organisation has been set up to expose and highlight the reality of child trafficking across the world. Their preparing to cycle 25.000Km across Europe to raise awareness for the cause, which is some feat!

Their going to need plenty of support to help them over the finish line, please donate here, it's a very worthy cause!

Plus we've donated a few bits and bobs to help them push for the finish line. They've got some AA Maglite torches, a Gelert Ascent III Cookset, Vango Half Moon Pillows and a couple of Vango Compact Gas Stoves.

My Daddy is a Soldier Completed!

Fantastic to hear that Madison and the girl's completed their "My Daddy is A Soldier" Snowdon Trek on Saturday. A massive well done to the girl's and everyone else involved behind the scenes, their well on course to raise £5,000 for Help For Heroes and £1,000 for HomeFront Forces.
We hope the Vango Sleeping Bags we donated gave them a bit of warmth and comfort along the way too!

If you want to follow their adventures, take a look at their Blog!

The Best Thing From Charity Walk

Now here's a good cause if ever there was one, check out http://bestthingfrom.com/podcast/charity-walk/.

On the 17th of April Kev, Steve and 'The Hardware Monkey' from the Best Thing From podcast are planning a walk from Peterborough Uni to Oakham, which comes out at around 26miles. It's all in aid of 5 year old Milly who needs life saving treatment in America after being diagnosed with a brain tumour on her optic nerve.

You can still register for the walk itself, or if your unable to make it you can still donate, every penny counts.

We've donated a pair of Berghaus Men's Explorer Light Boot's for the walk, so that should stand them in good stead.

I'd also thoroughly recommend listening to the guys Podcast and keep up to date with their weekly escapades! Good stuff!