First Aid Kit for Trekking

So I have finished assembling my first aid kit.

In addition t the medications that I listed the other day, I also have:

bandages
gauze
latex gloves
band-aids
blister pads
pressure bandages
a pressure tube for knee or ankle
tweezers
small surgical scissors
needle & suture thread
antiseptic wipes

When I went to the doctor today (£187!!!) to get the prescriptions, he was surprised and pleased with my medications list. Apparently, with an office out at Canary Wharf, he gets people who climb fairly often but they usually just want a scrip for Diamox. He felt that the assembly of this medical kit was a really good idea and that he wished more people would do this. He said that if more people were this well prepared than a lot of misery could be avoided.

So you might think that I'm a bit of a nutter with the planning and preparation BUT this trek will take me far from normal infrastructure and I'd rather have a little bag of self-help with me.

Another thing that I've been careful to do is to retain the packaging for all prescription medications as well as all instructions for them in case there's any problem with customs. I also have a small booklet on emergency first aid.

First Aid Kit

My next task is to make sure that my first aid kit is complete. I'll need an array of plasters and blister things and bandages and gauze and the like of course. Far more interesting though is the recommended list of medications. Don't forget that at altitude water boils at a lower temperature so more bacteria will be in it. Offsetting this slightly is that there are generally less bacteria in colder/harsher climates.

The following is generally from the Lonely Planet Guide to Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya...

antibiotic eyedrops
ibuprofen
azithromycin 500mg. - broad spectrum antibiotic
clotrimazole 1% or miconazole 2% cream - antifungal cream
pseudophedrine - 10 tablets
Benadryl - 10/20 tablets
hydrocortisone cream 1%
loperamide (immodium) - I'll want plenty of this, what with the high altitude flatulence and all
fluconazole - 1 tablet - for yeast infections - almost inevitable given the hygiene facilities
ciproflaxin - 10 tablets  - good for urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, etc.
aspirin - helps with headaches particularly to thin the blood due to high altitude
vicodin - for real. If I'm in acute pain, i don't want to have to wait for rescue before I get pain relief
tinidazole - anti-parasitic for protozoan infections
diamox - helps to prevent altitude sickness

Now I just have to find a doctor to prescribe them for me!

First Corporate Sponsor!

Muchas Gracias to Green Man Gaming - the first official corporate sponsor for this insanity! Green Man Gaming are a digital retailer for PC games. From their website:

"Unlike any other digital retailer, our customers can trade-in their digitally downloaded games for credit in their account and this credit can then be used for new purchases. We have some very clever patent-protected technology that allows only us to do this."

Plus they're a good bunch of folks (but I may be slightly biased) so the next time you're thinking about buying a game, consider giving them a go and save yourself some dosh!

Also, the good people at Green Man have designed a special one-off t-shirt with an amazing logo that I will wear at Base camp. :-)

Join me for a drink?

If anyone feels like buying me a drink and wishing me luck, I'll be at The George from 6pm on August 13th.

Below are some pics in some of my outerwear, as promised.

Obviously the flip-flops will just be for in the teahouse. ;-)

Extreme Tech Update

Just as I finished posting my doorbell rang and the goggles were delivered. Astonishing really as the shipping was free and I just ordered the things yesterday. So I've tried them on and spent a few minutes pretending I'm a fighter pilot. Cats are now in hiding. ;-) And please excuse the pyjamas.

More Extreme Tech

So my insurance is finally stumping up and thus yesterday I went out with my Jessops vouchers to replace my camera. Although they sell the same exact camera that was stolen, I've decided to switch horses, so to speak, and instead got a Fujifilm XP. While it unfortunately only has a digital zoom and all that, it's a hardened camera recommended for extremes and is waterproof to 5m, shockproof, freezeproof to -10C and dustproof. Oh, and it has GPS. I also got a 16GB Extreme SD card to go with it. And I still have most of the vouchers left over to buy a "proper" camera when I get back.

I've also been shopping for a cheap watch with an altimeter. Cheap because, let's face it, costs have been escalating. I waltzed around central London yesterday checking all the shops but the cheapest I found was £175 and they went up drastically from there. No way. So this morning I did what I should have done in the first place and checked online and have now ordered a Casio. It seems to have all of the functions that I'll want but would it really kill them to make a ladies version? This is going to look utterly ridiculous on me. I haven't worn something so horribly ungainly since 1980.

And finally, I have ordered some OTG goggles. OTG means Over The Glasses and these will allow me to protect my eyes from glare, UVA/UVB/UVC, and wind while still wearing my prescription glasses. I'm gonna look a right nutter in them but at least I won't go snowblind.

Going Off-Grid

Solast week I got a discounted solar off-grid backpack from Voltaic and had a great opportunity to test it over the weekend as my BF and I went up to the Peak District for the wedding of a fellow ACCU friend.. This gave me the chance to both have a long walk AND to see what the charger could do.

I confess that at first I was not terribly impressed but I think that this is because I've never used a solar charger before AND because (I confess!) I hadn't read the instructions. OK, ok - mea culpa. Fortunately I did my usual "up with the sparrow's fart" routine and set the pack in the window to charge at dawn and so, a few hours later after an ample English Cooked Breakfast (BTW, props to the staff at The Waltzing Weasel for the hearty meal!) I returned to a fully charged battery pack which swiftly charged my iPhone.

It should be noted that the batter pack was then depleted and needed to be charged again. Therefore I donned my wellies and hit the Sett Valley Trail for a 2 hour walk. This was slightly less successful and i suspect that this was because the early morning sun had clouded over AND the charger was not facing the sunlight at all times.

Lesson Learned: Look, the damned thing works BUT you must keep in mind the following: 1. Direct proper sunlight will give you the best result, and 2. You shouldn't wait until you're down to the last bar of whatever device you wish to charge or you may get caught out. Be sensible - it's not called a trickle charge for nothing so manage your expectations!