#whilst traversing tricky terrain

[dollopheadedmerlin]

I am humbly requesting Merlin fics where Merlin is sick/injured/enchanted and Arthur has to help him travel home/to a destination with aid whilst keeping Merlin alive/awake/safe please and thank you

[razieltwelve]

Location (Final Rose x Pokemon)

So where exactly do Lightning and Fang live?

In this AU, the standard pokemon locations (e.g., Sinnoh) exist alongside places from Final Rose (e.g., Oerba).

Lightning and Fang live in the same region as Oerba. The ranch occupies an area adjacent to the great forest of Oerba but on the other side of the towering peaks of the Yun Mountains. To the east of the ranch are the Yun Mountains and the forest. Basically, the further east you go, the more rugged the terrain gets and the thicker the forests gets until you hit the mountains and it becomes extremely cold and rocky.

To the west the forest thins, giving way to rolling plains and meadows with some hills and valleys, but nothing too difficult for someone on foot to traverse. Keep going west and you’ll reach the sea.

The ranch itself sits near a sort of crossroads. There are also tunnels that go under the Yun Mountains via an elaborate cave system. Given the brutal difficulty of scaling the mountains, most people opt for the caves. The roads to the caves pass through the forest and are accessible via a road that is within easy distance of the ranch.

There is also a series of roads that go through the forest that run parallel to the Yun Mountains. There are three main passes through the mountains, and each branches off from one of these roads. If you follow the roads south, you will eventually go past the southern edge of the Yun Mountains into more hospitable terrain. Going north will take you up to a brutally rugged section of coastline that plays home to many pokemon but only the most tough and determined of humans.

The road heading west from near the ranch leads to the coast and passes through several smaller settlements before hitting the port of Bodhum when it reaches the sea. This is where Snow and Serah live. Bodhum itself is not a city, but it is an important town since it is one of the few places ships can shelter along the coast where the weather can get wild and quite dangerous. Heading north of Bodhum via ship can be tricky due to the weather, the currents, and the pokemon. Anyone thinking of doing that is advised to find a ship from Bodhum since the people there are masters of navigating the tricky seas.

Perhaps the most menacing feature of the seas north of Bodhum are the so-called ‘Dragon’s Teeth’. The Yun Mountains don’t stop at the coast. They continue into the sea, and there are huge peaks of jagged rock scattered throughout the coastal waters. Some protrude high enough above the water to be easily seen whilst others lurk just beneath the waves. In any case, the wreckage of countless ships gives homes to many pokemon. It is said that unfortunate sailors are sometimes helped by the mighty dragon types who call the Yun Mountains home although only a fool would tempt fate by going there unprepared.

Vanille’s lab is a short distance from Bodhum, close enough to make a commute incredibly easy but far enough that she can do whatever it is she needs to do without drawing too much attention. Lumina works at hospitals in Bodhum (for people and pokemon), so that’s closeness is important.

Although Lightning and Fang’s ranch is the largest and most famous in their general area, they do not live completely alone out there. There are a dozen or so other families scattered throughout the general area. It’s a bit like homesteaders in the Old West. They’re all friends, and everyone keeps an eye out for everyone else. Pokemon are incredibly important. Although everyone has a vehicle for emergencies, most people will get around by riding pokemon since a pokemon can also protect them from wild pokemon. Driving a vehicle is also something only adults really do. Children, however, can easily be given a trusted pokemon to ride. For example, Averia and Diana would often get around on an Arcanine or a Steelix as kids. 

The Oerba Region is its own independent region (similar in standing to places like Sinnoh or Hoenn). It technically includes many of the other clans (e.g., Paddra is part of the region), but Oerba gives the region in its name since the city of Oerba is the greatest city in the area. Geographically speaking, the region is actually very large, but there are large sections of it that are wild and sparsely populated.

The Oerba Region is considered a difficult region for trainers due to its size, its rugged and wild nature, and the extremely practical focus of its gym leaders, Elite Four, and Champion. Basically, earning eight badges in Oerba isn’t easy, and anyone who does is well respected for achieving that feat. However, these same wilderness areas, which are lovingly preserved, are also home to many mighty pokemon, and trainers from all over the world try their look in the Oerba Region, hoping to find pokemon to add to their teams.

Although Lightning is no longer the World Champion and Fang hasn’t been a gym leader in years, they are both greatly respected. Fang basically trained the current Oerba City Gym Leader and the current Oerba Regional Champion. Vanille is the professor for the region. They thus wield a tremendous amount of ‘soft’ power via their connections. It’s not unusual for them to get visits from various officials about all sorts of matters, even from overseas.

The forest of Oerba is home to many grass, bug, flying, and normal types although you can also find water types, fire types, and even ghost, psychic and poison types if you know where to look. The Yun Mountains are home to ice types, fairy types, rock types, steel types, and dragon types. The caves beneath are home to ground types, steel types, rock types, dragon types, ghost types, and dark types. The plains and meadows closer to the coast are home to many normal, fire, grass, electric, fighting, and flying types whereas the coast is home to many water types and electric types. The ‘Dragon’s Teeth’ are home to water types, dragon types, dark types, electric types, and flying types.

The Oerba Region also has a desert and other biomes (e.g., a swamp), but these are found closer to the other cities (e.g., the Al Bhed Clan’s settlements can be found in the desert), and pokemon of many types can be found there too.

In ages past, the Oerba Region was made up of several smaller regions, but they unified as the Oerba Region in response to exterior threats. Although the Champion of the region has often been from Oerba (and is generally a member of the Yun), this is not always the case, and there have been champions from other cities before (e.g., Paddra).

In terms of international politics, the Oerba Region is generally peaceful unless provoked and is not keen to intervene in the politics of other regions until those politics spill over into their region. They do a lot of trade with other regions and export goods of all kinds, ranging from technology to evolution stones.

[aleksikessen-blog]

When preparing for an overland journey, buying the right vehicle is only half the job done. To survive a great traverse between several countries in Africa, knowing how to drive a × vehicle may be just as important.

I remember buying our ’91 Land Rover Defender (named Maggie) in 009 and spending a good half a day running through a huge checklist with the previous owners. High on my list was practising off-roading, using the differential lock, and low range gears.

At the time, all of this was a blur, and if I am completely honest, I was nervous to ever engage Maggie in locking the differential . When I did my first overland journey from London to South Africa in 010, I learnt how to drive Maggie off road by experimenting. I learnt how to deal with recovery situations the hard way: by making mistakes and learning from them.

But if I could do it all over again, I definitely would have enrolled in a × training course to be sure I had the skills to make it there and back safely.

Why do a × training course?

There are many × skills needed when overlanding a continent like Africa, where road conditions can sometimes get really difficult. Some skills, like recovery, might only be needed a handful of times – or not at all if you’re lucky!

But to be confident in your ability to avoid or recover from difficult situations, with minimal risk of injury or damage to the vehicle, the right level of training is important.

Luckily for us, on our current overland journey from Botswana to Ethiopia, we found a course at the × Training Academy in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. For R1,00 (approx US$81) per person, we participated in a day-long basic to intermediate × training.

Marilu, Brent our instructor and Noel (Maggie in the background)

How to choose a × training course

There are thousands of × training courses to choose from around the world. It’s definitely advisable to find an operator with solid reviews and recommendations. However, finding the best one will depend on what you want to get out of the experience.

For us, the most important aspect we looked for in a training course was whether the instructor could teach us how to use our own vehicle, not just any ×. What we liked about our experience with the × training academy was that our instructor Brent knew and understood Land Rovers, and focused on giving clients practical skills to use in their own vehicles.

What do you learn during × training?

If your training course is like ours, the first few hours will be spent in front of a screen, learning the basics of × operation. Topics included:

The purpose and operation of the differential lock (when to use high and low range gears);

Types of suspension systems and the impact on a vehicle’s ability to clear obstacles;

The importance of traction and momentum in clearing common obstacles and road conditions; and

The basics of a tyre and what the codes written on the tyre actually translate to

After a couple of hours of classroom instruction, we were ready to do something practical and get our hands dirty. And boy, oh boy, did we get dirty!

Getting dirty on our × training day

× Lesson Using a Hi-lift Jack

The first thing we were shown was how to use our Hi-Lift Jack to change a tyre on our Land Rover. Until this moment, our Hi-Lift Jack was little more than decoration on our Land Rover, to improve our rugged image. And we were both too worried that without knowing how to use the Hi-Lift Jack, we might kill ourselves – it’s a dangerous tool and could do you some serious damage if used incorrectly!

After a good dose of WD-0, our Hi-Lift Jack was working like magic and we learnt the proper way to use her to lift our Landy. Here is our summary of practical tips and lessons learnt:

Practise using your Hi-Lift Jack before a real-life recovery situation – again, this is a dangerous tool that can cause injury!

If you don’t know how to use a Hi-Lift Jack, it may be better to use another easy and safe option, such as an Air Jack.

Make sure that the Hi-Lift Jack is well oiled and free from rust – if not, use WD-0 for lubrication.

Insert the Hi-Lift Jack into the jacking points, which should be welded firmly to the vehicle chassis.

When jacking the Hi-Lift up or down, avoid placing your head between the arm and the shaft – if the arm snaps back while jacking, it could cause injury to the head!

Practical × Lesson – The importance of deflating tyres when driving off road

Tyre Compressor

Our first team exercise was lowering Maggie’s tyres by 50% less air.

Why were we asked to this?  Well, we learnt that the less air pressure you have in your tyres, the more the surface of the tyre you have to the ground to grab the rock or dirt that you’re trying to ascend/descend.  It makes a lot of sense when explained that way, we did learn a few lessons because of this;

.1 Ensure that you have a Tyre pressure gauge with you to be able to know what the pressure is of your tyres

. Have a Tyre compressor that allows you to inflate your tyres after you have deflated them for driving off road

. Know what your tyre pressure is for driving tarred roads, ours is . Bar and this will help you quickly reduce/inflate to a pressure suitable for your condition

Practical × Lesson – Understanding how to drive off road in low range Diff locked

We learnt on the day that both the vehicles axles are permanently driven from the vehicles transfer gearbox, which is bolted on to the rear of the main gearbox.

With this system you only have two levers; The normal gear lever which is used for changing gear as you would in any other car and a smaller gear lever that controls the locking differential (see image below).

With the differential locked, the centre differential is locked (not the axle differentials unless you fit this aftermarket).

To understand this in a practical setting we drove a number of difficult loops that allowed us to understand how Maggie  performs when driving in Diff locked low range.

Based on rocky/dirt/muddy ascents/descents I will now always drive Maggie using her in Diff locked low range.  In terms of lessons learnt;

.1 Get to know your vehicle off road and test how your vehicle drives in Diff locked low range.  Climbing a steep rocky hill in our vehicle was easier in 1st gear whilst attempting the same hill in nd gear we ended up stalling.  Our instructor Brent in his Toyota climbed the same hill using nd gear with no issues.

. Walk the route you are about to drive.  This may not always be straight forward to do, but if you are able to, it will give you a mental map of the terrain, where the tricky sections might be and allow you to prepare a chosen path which may not be necessarily easy on a blind first attempt.

. Another important reason for locking the centre diff is hills. If you’re stopped or reversing down a properly steep hill or one with little traction then without the centre diff locked you will find that the front wheels will lock up, and the rears will continue to rotate.  We tried this while trying to ascend a hill, I stalled Maggie and was shown how to safely reverse.  Halfway up the hill, I held Maggie on the footbrake, I then engaged reverse gear and let the clutch and brake out together. Maggie was held stationary by the gears, at which point I then started her engine, in gear, and reversed back down the hill under control, it was scary but a great lesson learned.

Practical × Lesson – Learn how to recover your vehicle from being stuck in the mud

Our final exercise of the day was to drive through a muddy section and see if I could get through without getting stuck..Brent our instructor had a grin on his face as we got stuck good and proper!  Marilu and I were both tired from the day’s training but this exercise was a great lesson to both of us that we had to remain calm and clear with our thoughts if this were to happen while we were out on our overland trip. We learnt a number of lessons during this exercise;

.1 Ensure that there is one designated person who is the lead.  Why?  As there could be many voices in a difficult situation and having someone in control allows for clearer communication during a challenging task.

. Have sufficient tow ropes for different purposes.  We learnt when to use a Kinetic rope or snatch strap rope versus a tow strap.  Using the Kinetic stretching property allows the strap to store kinetic energy which allows for vehicles to be pulled out from muddy bogs.

. As the vehicle to be towed, ensure that your vehicle is engaged in the gear that you need to drive out of the situation to ensure you have some momentum when the recover vehicle begins to move forward.

We managed to get towed successfully and after that we had finished our day’s training.  The day was long and tiring but we both gained an increased confidence in our driving skills off road.  The key thing here is do everything in your own vehicle, as Brent mentioned in the morning, if you don’t have a bond already to your vehicle, you will at the end of the course!

  Noel and Brent attempting the first of many exercises during the day

We thoroughly enjoyed our × training with Brent and learnt a hell of a lot in a small space of time.  My recommendation is that you find a reputable company near to where you are before you start your overlanding adventure, you won’t regret it.

The post × Training Academy in the Eastern Cape appeared first on Maggie in Africa.

[travellerstune]

Grand Traverse of An Teallach

The first glimpses of the An Teallach Ridge from the A832 were quite breathtaking. A mixture of awe, excitement and trepidation.

After a magical couple of days up at Suilven, we headed south down to Dundonnell with a short visit to the lovely Ullapool to stock up on supplies, maps and Ice Creams.

We arrived at the peaceful but beautiful village of Dundonnell late afternoon and checked in at the Sail Mhor Croft Hostel (£17 per night). The hostel was in a beautiful location on the south shores of Little Loch Broom. The rooms were adequate and the facilities were good. However there doesn’t seem to be anywhere to buy supplies nearby, so it’s a good idea to stock up before you arrive.

I spent a couple of hours napping and downloading previous walk photos, whilst Rob got the map out and finalised the route. A quick visit to the Dundonnell Hotel Bar, which was a 5 minute drive away, for supper and refreshments was a good choice. The Bar was welcoming, the food was good and well presented and the beer was fine. Roughly £40 for two eating two courses and a couple of drinks each. We retired soon after ready for a long day of mountaineering ahead.

The first glimpse of what we letting ourselves in for

We awoke early to a fabulous sunny morning and drove to our start point for 7am, which was only a 5 minute drive away. After a long walk in on a good off road track, we reached the point where we needed to turn off the track and head right up the path towards the first summit of Sail Liath. The path isn’t very well trodden, but you can make it out if you look closely. The views of the surrounding mountains are absolutely stunning 

Amazing views of the surrounding landscape

Follow the zig zagging path up the boulder field taking note of the small cairns to follow. On reaching the top, there is a short but easy walk along the path to the Summit.

At this point we took shelter from the wind and had a sandwich.

Lovely place for a Ham & Chorizo sandwich

After a quick bite to eat we got cracking and made it up to the first point of interest, Cadha Goblach, 960m. It was here we met Jez, a bagger of epic proportions. We would meet Jez several times throughout the day as he ran around bagging every peak within a 2 mile radius. A very lovely chap he was.  The size and enormity of the task ahead now comes into focus.

The Walk ahead

A brisk stop to admire the fabulous views was had before heading on to the pinnacles. This is where the scrambling fun comes in. The pinnacles are made of sandstone and are very rough in dry weather, however sandstone tends to be very rounded due to erosion and can be a bit difficult to find good holds.

Rob eyeing up the first Pinnacle

It turned out to be quite exposed in places and a bit tricky in places, but overall the scrambling was really fun. There is a bypass path around the pinnacles for anyone not to keen on the scrambling.

The First Pinnacle

The first pinnacle looked a bit tricky and at one particular point I needed Rob to get the rope out to give me peace of mind. Turned out an easy move, but there was a long drop if I slipped, which made it all the more difficult.

Another Pinnacle

We scrambled over several pinnacles and negotiated some narrow ridges, which I imagine in the wet would be rather treacherous.

Rob crossing a narrow ridge

Rob & Jez scrambling up another pinnacle

Rob negotiating a narrow ridge

After the narrow ridge above, it was a last scramble for the time being up to Lord Berkeley’s seat, which in itself was a fabulous vantage point. However we moved further down to a more precarious ledge for a bite to eat and a marvel at the hundreds of meters of drop into the Loch below.

Rob taking time out on a precarious ledge just down from Lord Berkeley’s seat.

We carried on from here making our way up to the first Munro of the day, Sgurr Fiona at 1060m. There was a decent but easy scramble up to the summit. From this summit we continued to navigate down a steep rocky path down to the bealach and up up to the second Munro of the day, Bidein a Ghlas Thuill at 1062m. The view of the Ridge we had just walked over from this viewpoint is quite breathtaking. It really does look majestic but intimidating at the same time.

Rob marvelling at the nonsense we have just walked over

Standard picture in front of today's conquest

From here we headed east over some good scrambling ground until we reached the fault line where the sandstone changes to Lewisian Gneiss where the terrain turns into a boulder field before reaching the summit of Glas Mheall Liath. We headed South East down a very loose boulder field which was hard going. After about 30 minutes, we reached the last of the boulders and made our way down some more difficult heather covered terrain. We lost our bearing slightly, which meant having to cross a large expanse of uneven ground, until we eventually made our way back to the path.

Follow the cairns to keep on the path. There is some stunning water falls to marvel at on the way back. As we returned to the car, the path seemed to disappear slightly and became difficult to follow. It lead us through a wood, into a field, through a river, through another wood and over a fence before we reached the road. It was then just a short walk back to the car. We headed back to the Hostel and quickly got showered before heading to the pub for a well earned feed and celebratory beverage.