Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more

General => General Chat => Topic started by: Dowser on January 29, 2013

Title: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: Dowser on January 29, 2013

We get to hear plenty on this site about the positives of each others kit but there's a definite case for the old saying "We learn from our mistakes"

It would be good to hear some stories of Adventures gone Wrong.  Whether it's the sole falling off your boot 10 miles into a 30 mile hike or forgetting your fuel for a three day trip.  Would also be good to hear about expensive kit that you saved up your hard earn pennies for only to find that it seriously let you down when most needed.

I have had two such experiences of the above:

First one was when we agreed to Marshal the Iplod a couple of years back.  I was posted to Hares Gap and had big plans for a night of marshalling and then venturing deeper into the hills for a second night as a solo.  We'll, after arriving in the hills at 5pm on the Friday and having to stay awake till 9am the next morning, because half of the iPlod teams got lost, I was completely shattered!!!  The group I was with at Hares Gap all head back down the hill and I decided to stay at the saddle to get a bit of kip before setting off for my mini adventure.  An hour later, with no signs of drifting off to sleep, I just couldn't face another night in the hills and I had to high tail it back down to the path to cadge a lift home.  It was an embarrassing fail as I had told a load of peeps about my big adventure and solo camp that I had been planning for weeks  :-[

Second, was a quick overnighter to Cove Cave.  Chuck and I went up to explore the caves and then settled down for a night by the Hobo Stove for drinks and a bit of chat.  At about Midnight the weather started to turn a bit foul so we decided to hit the hay.  As you all know I'm quite partial to a bit of DPM Camo gear.  So, I dug my sleeping bag out of my ruck, and what I thought was my DPM Bivvy Bag, only to find that it was an old DPM Jacket  >:(  I spent that night sleeping on the side of Cove in nothing but my DPM Goretex Jacket, DPM Goretex Trousers, my feet in a plastic bag and the rain washing over me till dawn  ::)  I woke up the next morning surprisingly dry and warm to a crackin' sunrise and felt very at one with nature.  Who needs a tent or bivvy bag eh  ;)

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Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: RedLeader on January 29, 2013

I've been lucky enough. Worst that comes mind is:

A hike from Meelmore Lodge to Annalong Wood in the really bad snow a few years ago. We couldn't even see the Brandy Pad because the snow was so deep and with the hail driving hard we couldn't even easily get the map out. After a "navigational error" error we ended up dropped into Annalong Valley on the wrong side of the Annalong River and with the water very high we couldn't risk crossing and had to walk the entire length of the valley to cross where the Mourne Wall is and walk all the way back up to the camp spot. It was a seriously hard day but once we were in the forest and got a fire going it was awesome, though we did bail the next day and get a taxi back to Meelmore, we couldn't face the weather again. That said, we were lucky we were camping in the forest, if we'd been on a peak somewhere it would have been uncomfortable, we were totally soaked.

Also, getting stuck on Salt Island when the wind really blew up and we couldn't get the canoe off. It was pretty miserable but luckily after a few hours the wind died and we were able to paddle home, a second night would have been uncomfortable!

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: Oisín on January 29, 2013

Not so much an adventure, but a cycle ride fail for me.

Saved up loads, bought a new bicycle, helmet, lights. Planned to cycle a wee 14 mile return trip on a nice day.

It all started out well, sunny light winds, no traffic. Got to a section where I was crossing a roundabout and all of a sudden I heard this hissing noise, I wondered what on earth is that. Looked behind me and my back tire was completely flat. I hadn't a spare tube or patch so I couldn't fix it. Ended up starting to pour down and all. Had to get picked up and collect the bike. Gutted wouldn't be in it.


I suppose you could count Saturdays "Hen summit attempt" a fail. Horrible weather, high winds and heavy rain. A bivvy on the summit would have made for an uncomfortable night so I diverted to a lowland forest instead.

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: Wolf_Larson on January 29, 2013

Jump the fence at the Gaints Cause Way head round the old path to the last cove before you have to climb to the top of the cliff. There is a small island there with very little grass on it.

I went down for a boys weekend in portrush i desided to go and camp the cove on the saterday and go to the bar sunday (my friends looked at me as if i was a nut case there reply was we are going to the bar for 2 days) So on i went into the bad weather with my backpack tent ETC.....

Got to the cove tryed to set up the tent on ground that was like a meer cats play ground with the wind and rain having a field day, at one stage when setting up my tent it was near in the Alantic ocean. At this stage i new i was out of my leauge and my Bear gryills day was over.

So with my tail between my legs i made my way to the top of the cliffs walked until i got reception, called my three friends that where in a bar in portrush. Told them i would see them in an hour or so, walked into the bar like a drowned rat to be shouted at from the other end of the bar (Bear nappy YOOOOOY!!!!) by my drunk friends...................you can imagine what i got the rest of the boys weekend lol

But i will be back to defeat you Fin McCool !!!!!!!!

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: twentyclicks on January 29, 2013

Good idea for a topic. There's been a few! You can all have a laugh  ;D

1st attempt at the west highland way many years ago. It was the first distance hike my friend and I had done, and we were loaded to the hilt with too much gear. Our packs were about 25kg and we hadn't even walked with a load that heavy before, let alone for a planned 8-days. My neck was killing me, and my shoulders turned into bloody sores from the pressure of the straps. Then after day 4 I had some kind of noro-virus type attack of vomitting, nearly passed out, and became hypothermic. We dragged my sorry ass to the railway at Tyndrum and I can't remember the next 24hrs.

Another time, 2 mates joined me to hike Commedagh and the central ridge of the Mournes all the way to Carricklittle. The weather closed in so we couldn't see a thing. Made the usual rookie mistake of trying too hard to get any visual reference and not trusting the compass. We got, er, waylaid coming off Lamagan. I actually thought we were going down the right towards Silent Valley but we were going down the left! How do you be so stupid?? I bought a new compass after that, but eventually discovered that it was my navigation that needed updating. I now prefer to use that original compass.

Then there was the time in the Spanish Gredos mountains when I tried to do a 3 day linear trek. I had 8kg of camera gear as well as my 15kg pack. Progress was poor and I could barely get dinner into me on the first night. Day 2 I got to what should have been the previous night's camp at lunch time and fell asleep for 1.5hrs. The trails in Spain seem to require Ray Mears type skills to discern as they are lightly travelled, and I became mired in elbow-high brush for the rest of the day. There was a great sunset that night, but I knew I would not have the food or energy to complete the trek. I thought at least I would circle back through the next valley to at least cover new ground. I passed the temptation to drop my bags at the col and climb the 400m to a mighty summit, which was wise: there was some hairy scrambling to get down as it was with all my gear. I had to drop the bags down some 8ft drops and climb after them (rucksack first, camera bag bounce off the rucksack - it is a LowePro, all good). I eventually made it down to a lake for water. Waiting the 20mins for it to purify was torture, and my thermometer read 35degrees in the sun (it was November). I stumbled along a never ending trail, and collapsed in a carpark at 5pm, exclaiming, "soy muerte". I thought it meant 'I am dead', but translates more as 'I am death'. Despite the dramatics, an elderly couple gave me a lift down the road and I picked up something about them travelling to the canyons in Mexico, which sounded interesting. I thought I had hidden my motorbike and other gear behind this big rock, but half a village were foraging in plain sight of it when I returned. Some humour for me at the end of the hardest 3 days of my life.

There's the 1st attempt at the Mourne Way Ultra which just went to hell at mile 32.

And the time in Nepal when 2 of us arranged to climb Island Peak on the way back from Everest Base Camp. I became horribly sick and spent the day in the tent while my partner summited with the sherpas in perfect conditions. I then had 2.5 days to trek out to Lukla barely being able to eat. Top advice: when you enter the Everest National Park, on the form that asks, "how likely do you think that you will suffer an illness on this trek", do not tick 25%  ::)

I think that's enough tales for now: there were some lesser disasters. At any rate I survived, and like to think that I learnt something! Here's to no repeats  ;)

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: Mourneman on January 29, 2013

 :o no extra head torch,enough said  ???

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: Scribble on January 29, 2013

Losing my tarp on the summit of binnian as it blew away ''gutted first time I used it .

Again binnian with my eldest at the time 6years old and he needed the toilet asap.left the wipes at home.won't go into detail but it was a messy one :-[ down his leg etc .moss grass was no use I ended up using my berghaus T-shirt to clean him .had to bin it at car park at scrub down my rucsac

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: Typo-On on January 29, 2013

Dropping out of the TGO challenge after 5 days.

Sleeping on a peat hag 100m from the 'moonscape' that starts the path up doan, my destination that became 'its over here somewhere' about 12am and at about 2am the cloud clearing and just watching the bloody thing just sitting there all smug with itself :)

Trying to heat something up on a Bearnagh summit camp using a coke can stove that worked brilliantly in work but was almost useless up there and watching Whorya and rumblebum eat while I stubbornly tried to get it to work.

Having to come down of a solo commedagh snow/ice camp due to the cold due to not having suitable matting or a way to entertain myself as the wind was to loud to hear my iPod and it was to cold to have my hands out of he bag to read my kindle.

When I was younger I was climbing a side of the cregagh glen and a branch I was holding onto broke sending me tumbling backwards down the slope to land in a heap mildy dazed with a broken nose. My buddy was so 'shocked' he couldn't stop laughing, well that's what he says anyway :P

When I was in the scouts we had an atrocious day in the mournes and as we were staying in the slievenaman school house we had a pot belly stove type thing heating the room. I stupidly put my combats on it to dry and they certainly did! When I took them off it they just literally crumbled before my eyes.

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: Mourneman on January 29, 2013

Quote from: Scribble on January 29, 2013

Losing my tarp on the summit of binnian as it blew away ''gutted first time I used it .

Again binnian with my eldest at the time 6years old and he needed the toilet asap.left the wipes at home.won't go into detail but it was a messy one :-[ down his leg etc .moss grass was no use I ended up using my berghaus T-shirt to clean him .had to bin it at car park at scrub down my rucsac

ah mate near wet myself reading that class one  ;D

Quote from: Typo-On on January 29, 2013

Dropping out of the TGO challenge after 5 days. mate you done better than any of us  :P

Sleeping on a peat hag 100m from the 'moonscape' that starts the path up doan, my destination that became 'its over here somewhere' about 12am and at about 2am the cloud clearing and just watching the bloody thing just sitting there all smug with itself :)

Trying to heat something up on a Bearnagh summit camp using a coke can stove that worked brilliantly in work but was almost useless up there and watching Whorya and rumblebum eat while I stubbornly tried to get it to work.

Having to come down of a solo commedagh snow/ice camp due to the cold due to not having suitable matting or a way to entertain myself as the wind was to loud to hear my iPod and it was to cold to have my hands out of he bag to read my kindle.

When I was younger I was climbing a side of the cregagh glen and a branch I was holding onto broke sending me tumbling backwards down the slope to land in a heap mildy dazed with a broken nose. My buddy was so 'shocked' he couldn't stop laughing, well that's what he says anyway :P

When I was in the scouts we had an atrocious day in the mournes and as we were staying in the slievenaman school house we had a pot belly stove type thing heating the room. I stupidly put my combats on it to dry and they certainly did! When I took them off it they just literally crumbled before my eyes.

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: LandyLiam on January 29, 2013

mine would have to be when i followed the wrong wall down off meelmore and went into the mournes instead of out, then tried to find my way out with map and compass but it turned out that my compass had flipped 180 degrees confusing me even more, fortunatley i had the car satnav with me which steered me home before darkness fell (i had no torch with me!) :)

also when attempting the seven sevens i almost missed slieve bearnagh (hard to explain that one) and gave myself some extra ascent which knackered me, then came off meelbeg at the wrong angle and went left of ben crom instead of right, that's when i knew my game was up and headed home  :(

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: Glenn B on January 30, 2013

Mine was also along the lines of Typo-Ons as it happened in the same place Cregagh Glen (small world Typo-On). This happened way back in the summer of ahem 83. My dad took me and my mate up the glen for a wee adventure with the dog. It was a good dander up from the bottom of the road but it was when we hit the glen we discovered the rope swing of death. We had a few swings and we where experts so it was time for the biggest swing of the day so I backed up the side of the glen as high as I could get and went for it. Nobody told me to keep the rope tight so there I was sailing out into the abyss on a very long slack rope which didn't turn out to good for my back as I slid down the side of the glen leaving big clumps of skin on all the protruding tree roots. That's not the end though got home and mum decided all I needed was a load of gauze pads stuck on my back and I'd be fine. This is where it then takes a turn for the worse. Next day they are all stuck. No no its too sore stop and gran comes in and says I know a way to get them of and its not sore bend over she lied and just whipped them right off the neighbours thought the garden was full Apaches 

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: LennyJ1 on January 30, 2013

Fell 30ft on a climb at fairhead. Two pieces of gear popped out and I hit the deck. Lucky for me there was plenty of leaves around to break my fall.

Whilst coming down off Kilimanjaro on a scree slope about 600m long I took a tumble 50ft from the bottom and tore my jacket and got a couple of scraps.

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: twentyclicks on January 30, 2013

Ouch! Lucky one Lenny.

Quote from: LennyJ1 on January 30, 2013

Fell 30ft on a climb at fairhead. Two pieces of gear popped out and I hit the deck. Lucky for me there was plenty of leaves around to break my fall.

Whilst coming down off Kilimanjaro on a scree slope about 600m long I took a tumble 50ft from the bottom and tore my jacket and got a couple of scraps.

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: LennyJ1 on January 30, 2013

Cheers, the fall of the wall really scared me. I thought I put my gear in wrong but after looking at the gear placements they would be fine if I had of got some gear in where I fell from.

Quote from: twentyclicks on January 30, 2013

Ouch! Lucky one Lenny.

Quote from: LennyJ1 on January 30, 2013

Fell 30ft on a climb at fairhead. Two pieces of gear popped out and I hit the deck. Lucky for me there was plenty of leaves around to break my fall.

Whilst coming down off Kilimanjaro on a scree slope about 600m long I took a tumble 50ft from the bottom and tore my jacket and got a couple of scraps.

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: Dowser on January 30, 2013

I'm loving all these stories!  I didn't have to open my latest Jack Reacher novel at all last night.  These were more than enough to be reading through  :)

I had a good laugh at some of them and just goes to show "The best laid plans of mice and men go awry"

8)

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: whoRya on February 01, 2013

Has there not been a story involving a helicopter yet?

It was my DofE silver expedition and we were doing it with another group to make up the numbers.  Two nights in the Mournes and a bit of walking in between and around.  We all had to confirm our kit lists before we set off.  Tents - check.  Stoves - check.  Sleeping bags - check.  Waterproofs - check.  Food etc.  All sorted and fully prepared our little band of 6 made a start.

A bit of walking with a wee bit of moaning for good measure and a night under canvas, a good start.  The next day was a good bit of the walking and we made good progress ticking off the miles.  Then the rains came down (and the floods went wooo), we naturally donned our rain protection, didn't we?  Well all apart from two of the team who hadn't brought any waterproof trousers.  Despite confirming they had before we set off >:(

Needless to say after some time in the cold wet weather the team members became very cold and shivvery, but of more concern was the fact that they were becoming quite unreasonable and uncooperative.  One guy just wanted to sit down and go nowhere.  He didn't care if that didn't seem sensible, he couldn't see sense.  We decided that we need to take action since the guys looked like they were becoming hypothermic.  Two team members set off to get help with their 20p's for a payphone (no mobile phones back then).  Myself and another team member erected a tent and got the two guys who were affected into dry clothes and sleeping bags and jumped into the tent beside them so we were all cosy.

After a while Mountain Rescue arrived along with the thump thump of the rescue helicopter.  The MR guys took over, packing off the two guys for a ride to hosiptal in the helicopter.  And us?  Well I got to carry an additional rucksack down the mountainside for what seemed like an eternity, then the bumpiest ride I have ever had, in a landrover for the rest of the journey. 

I think the guys were kept in hospital overnight then released.  The rest of us FAILED our expedition.  We never got a chance to do it again.  It was the last thing we had to do for our award and I don't think any of us ever got it completed. >:(

The only consolation is to say that the guys who didin't bring full wet gear were from the other group, not ours. 

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: twentyclicks on February 01, 2013

aww. No helicopter ride, no nurses, no award, and you did everything right. Unlucky  ;D

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: Spud on February 01, 2013

Quote from: whoRya on February 01, 2013

 they were becoming quite unreasonable and uncooperative.  One guy just wanted to sit down and go nowhere.  He didn't care if that didn't seem sensible, he couldn't see sense. 

It was rumblebum wasnt it? come on, you can tell us??  ;D ;D

Title: Re: Adventure Fails - What beat you?
Post by: clairebear on February 01, 2013

Last year got a last minute invite to do the 100km oxfam walk thing, thinking I had it in my legs.  Trained but not overly and underestimated it.  Also didn't properly recee the route as lots was on paths and roads.  ERROR.....just boots...after a comfortable enough 50km we had a nice boat ride accross a lough and I felt good, legs were faring up alright and bar a few blisters it was all looking tickety boo.  60km staring to get achey legs and 65km darkness falling so did my sence of humour.  The other guys were great and I really thought if I got to 80km I wouldn't be finishing it at a pase other than a snail.  I bailed on a lane in the dark, picked up by a nice man in a land rover, I asked him where in the island of Ireland I was, unsure if I was in the south or north.  Turns out I was just outside of newry, I got our back up crew to drop me off at Simon community homeless hostel to get picked up by my other half.  One of the residents thought that I was someone looking to stay the night as I was in 'clip'!! Wrecked, sore legs, feet not in good shape and feeling a little embarrassed as I thought it'd be alright.  After a cup of sweet tea and a chat to a resident he thought I was mental walking that far and why in the name of god did I even try it.  I guess he had a point.

Never again will i underestimate a challenge and check the route!