Backpacking in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Photo Essay

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Mar 17, 2009 at 3:14 pm #1234884

Addie Bedford
BPL Member

@addiebedford
Locale: Montana

Companion forum thread to:

Backpacking in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Photo Essay

Mar 18, 2009 at 1:34 am #1486605

Peter Atkinson
BPL Member

@peterbob
Locale: Yorkshire, England

Fantastic – I love the contrasts of the moorland bleakness to the rich green forests… of the blue skies to the grey… all typical Scotland!

Mar 18, 2009 at 5:40 am #1486631

Michael Landman
Member

@malndman
Locale: Central NC, USA

Can something be done to fix this article's formatting when viewed in Firefox (ver 3.0.7)? It is just a series of thumbnails on the right side of the browser within a narrow column of text. It is no better in IE 6 sp3.

Thanks

Mar 18, 2009 at 5:50 am #1486634

Chris Townsend
BPL Member

@christownsend
Locale: Cairngorms National Park

Michael, click on the first thumbnail and you can then view the images in succession in a larger size with the captions.

Mar 18, 2009 at 5:57 am #1486636

Mark McLauchlin
BPL Member

@markmclauchlin
Locale: Western Australia

Tried on 2 PC, with three monitors and there is definately a formatting issue.

Mar 18, 2009 at 6:48 am #1486645

Steven Evans
BPL Member

@steve_evans
Locale: Canada

Chris, great photos. I love reading these "trip reports". It's neat to see all the different landscapes out there. One question, what's with all the water (3 'platipi' by your tent)? Were there no reliable sources?

Mar 18, 2009 at 7:00 am #1486647

Chris Townsend
BPL Member

@christownsend
Locale: Cairngorms National Park

Steven, glad you liked the report. Thanks. There were two reasons for all the water. Firstly although there is more than enough water in the valley and on the flanks of the mountain there isn't much high up so if I'd camped near the summit as planned I'd have needed to carry water up there. However in the Highlands I usually carry enough water containers for an overnight camp so that if the weather is wet, which it often is, I don't have to leave the tent to get more water.

Mar 18, 2009 at 9:21 am #1486684

Robert Kuhnert
Member

@bkuhnert1

Terrific photos Chris, I could feel and smell the earthyness in the photo of the forest floor.
Thanks, Bob

Mar 18, 2009 at 9:23 am #1486686

Michael Landman
Member

@malndman
Locale: Central NC, USA

I love the piece BTW, exclusive of the formatting.

Take a look at your code. You have a table (<div>) with a style of 150 pixels, formatted to the right. Just put it in paragraph format (

) instead.

</div>

Mar 18, 2009 at 9:35 am #1486690

Chris Townsend
BPL Member

@christownsend
Locale: Cairngorms National Park

Michael, glad you like it anyway! The formatting isn't my field, I just provided the photos and words. I don't know who did the design and layout.

Mar 18, 2009 at 9:53 am #1486695

Steven Evans
BPL Member

@steve_evans
Locale: Canada

Ahh, I figured such. But if it is that wet, couldn't you just hold your cup out the door of your tent… :)

Mar 18, 2009 at 9:59 am #1486698

Kathy A Handyside
BPL Member

@earlymusicus
Locale: Southeastern Michigan

Thanks, Chris, for a beautiful photo essay! As my family heritage is Scottish, I especially loved seeing some of my ancestral homeland.

By the way, do you or anyone here at B.P.L. know of a book that gives information on backpacking in other countries? Information about any requirements of registering your backpacking equipment with Customs beforehand, regs about what you can and can't take, that sort of thing?

Kathy Handyside

Mar 18, 2009 at 10:16 am #1486705

Chris Townsend
BPL Member

@christownsend
Locale: Cairngorms National Park

Kathy, I don't know of a book like that but there's no problem taking backpacking equipment into other countries other than possible hassles with flying with some types of stove. I've never heard of anyone having to register any backpacking equipment.

Mar 18, 2009 at 11:08 am #1486719

Diplomatic Mike
Member

@mikefaedundee
Locale: Under a bush in Scotland

As always, nice photos Chris. I can't believe you picked the only 2 wet days in Scotland that year for your trip though! ;)

Mar 18, 2009 at 12:40 pm #1486753

Addie Bedford
BPL Member

@addiebedford
Locale: Montana

We commonly post photo essays in gallery (not inline with the text) mode to better display the photography. Simply click on the first photo to bring up the gallery, which you can then click through, one by one.

If anyone has further trouble or questions, don't hesitate to submit a support issue and I can better answer questions in that medium!
Thanks,
Addie

Mar 18, 2009 at 6:22 pm #1486923

George Matthews
BPL Member

@gmatthews

Fantastic photo essay! Thanks for your continuing efforts.

Your past articles were an inspiration for me to start spending time out in the cold and wet this winter. Have really enjoyed it.

Mar 19, 2009 at 6:02 am #1487050

Michael Landman
Member

@malndman
Locale: Central NC, USA

Great place, beautiful lakes and setting. The Inn looked like a really nice place to start a hike from.

All in all, just stunning. Thanks for the report.

Mar 19, 2009 at 7:54 am #1487067

Brad Groves
BPL Member

@4quietwoods
Locale: Michigan

Chris, thanks! What I really enjoy about the photo essays you've done is that we get to enjoy your photography and experiences… along with invoking memories of similar trips. I think it's human nature to search for common links. Reading and viewing this essay made me remember a thunderstorm in the Boundary Waters many years ago. Huge banks of black clouds were boiling across the lake toward us, spewing huge lightning bolts in all directions. I lay sprawled out on a boulder with my tripod legs all askew, shielding the camera somewhat with my torso from the rain between flashes, and a silnylon stuff sack with a hole cut out of the bottom (for the lens) flapping away. It was magnificent, but I hadn't thought about it for a long time. Thanks!
Brad

Mar 19, 2009 at 8:29 am #1487081

Dwight Mauk
BPL Member

@melnik

Hi Chris, great photos.

Is that a Warmlite tent? How did it do? How did you like it? I'm really curious about condensation in these tents, as I'm thinking of buying one, but I don't suppose 60-mph winds are a fair environment to test condensation.

Mar 19, 2009 at 10:49 am #1487129

Steven Nelson
BPL Member

@slnsf
Locale: Northern California

Absolutely beautiful photos, Chris. Makes me want to visit there, and rivals my home base of the Adirondacks for fall beauty.

Also would love to see a report on the Stephenson – is one in the works?

– Steve

Mar 20, 2009 at 8:36 pm #1487596

David Erikson
Spectator

@deriksoncox-net

Absolutely beautiful photos. Regarding Stephenson tents: I've used them since the early 70's. Condensation will almost always be present after a few hours in the tent. You can minimize it with the double wall option, needed mostly for the main area between the two hoops. A handiwipe takes care of it pretty easily in a few moments in the morning. Main problem is getting condensate on your sleeping bag which I handle with a lightweight bivy sac, used to sleep out when weather is clear. The condensation is a nuisance only as far as I'm concerned; the tent (if seams properly sealed) is bomb-proof otherwise. I've never seen anyone refute their claims of how well it holds up in adverse weather including Alaska and the Himalayas. I challenge anyone to put up any other tent makers tent or tarp up as fast as a Stephenson can be put up – a real plus for that rare occasion of rapidly deteriorating weather.
I don't work for Stephenson.
David Erikson

Mar 21, 2009 at 10:37 am #1487679

Chris Townsend
BPL Member

@christownsend
Locale: Cairngorms National Park

Thanks for all the comments.

The tent is a Warmlite 2X. Being single skin there can be a fair amount of condensation. The ventilation is pretty good though. It's meant to be a two-person tent but I think with two you'd have problems avoiding damp walls. For one it's okay. It doesn't have a vestibule and I really missed this. In Scotland's wet and windy weather I regularly cook in the vestibule and store wet gear in it. The tent is very long an Stephenson's call the area under the door a vestibule but it's really just an extension of the tent. Stephenson's assume users will cook inside in stormy weather. I did this but it requires care and I'm not really happy using a stove on the groundsheet, especially with the tent door shut, which is essential in rain as it overhangs the groundsheet.

Even so, this is one of the best single skin tents I've used for Scottish conditions. It is stable in high winds, fast to pitch and of course very light. There's no review scheduled for BPL. A review has appeared in the April issue of TGO magazine here in the UK.
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