Bivvy a Month 2024

[Lazarus]

No last day of the month for me these days so done with plenty of time to spare ( pics and update later as got to commute to work now

Probably tonight I update but a short local one and an actual bivvy bag was used ( but only got pics of my view as it was windy when I got up so was not hanging about

[JudithG]

Hi all, new to the forum, had fun on the WRT last year. Late entry for the January bivvy:

Bed for the night

Jan Bivvy.jpg (36.48 KiB) Viewed 705 times

My first solo bivvy

Present me did not want to do this right now, but future me needs the experience for July's Pan Celtic Race 2024 (and beyond!).

Did I overthink everything to do with this? Yes.
Did I change my mind about where to go than five times? Yes.
Did I delay because I was too scared to commit? Yes.

Did I get eaten by wild animals? No.
Did I get attacked by an axe murderer? No.
Did I get found and asked to move on? No.

Having obviously survived the night, it was quite nice in the end! I got three hours of sleep, did a few hours of stargazing and contemplating the universe, and was reassured by the skills and kit I had built up over the years. Stayed very local for this first one.

Thanks for sharing your trips, great to see what everyone is up to and hear the learning that takes place!

[fatbikephil]

Right then, I have the following starters:
Riderdown
RIP
Muddypete
Pickers
Mrs Polisherman
JohnAllan
Blackhound
Raggedstone
Frog
Gecko76
Verena
NeilA
Thenorthwind
Sean_iow
Javatime
jimmy G
Samwise
FBPhil
Doresetshirelad
Boab
vegancheese
BridlewayBimbler
Lazarus
JudithG
Bearlegged
Redefined_Cycles
summittoppler
Leerowe76
Stinginglip
MM-On_Point
Benconnolli


A few new people as well as the regulars, so welcome all.
Some good antics already, and I see the bivvy bag only brigade are out in force again this year. Looks like a case of dodge the storm folks, for next month at least.

[Bearlegged]

[Bearlegged]

Good points:
• A beautifully clear night, with stars and a gorgeous sunrise
• Nice beer*
• The bakery on the way home

Less good points:
• Forgetting my cheese
• Sleeping mat has a slow puncture
• It being frickin' freezing
• Rime blowing off the tarp and onto me, my kit, my hot chocolate…

Pics:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C2wwekxNJb6/
https://www.instagram.com/p/C2wxBjXtFbm/

2024 BAM 1/12
2024 total bivvies 1
Current streak (months) 62

*"Death by CCC" Imperial tropical stout, Siren Brewery

[fatbikephil]

Wondered where you'd got to BL!

[Lazarus]

Shaf was out as well last night but must not be home yet to report. Not quite a Johnallan but a fair distance done.

[redefined_cycles]

Sorry Phil. Too late on the report, but yes... bagged it. Thanks Jon.

[fatbikephil]

List updated, no real time limit on trip reports (JoseMcTavish puts them all in the following January ) but I need them so I can issue awards!

[redefined_cycles]

JAN BAM https://strava.app.link/vba9aqdkOGb
66.9 road miles
6799 ft
7.03 hr riding time 2H sleeping
8210 calories used.



So I'd planned on a double metric century to Bowland. Last I was there was my first ever attempt at loaded biking. With my Condor and 35L Deuter packs over the wheels. How the heck did we uaed to live.

I'd decided to call it Isha (night prayer) til Fajar (morn prayer) ride. As I tried to dodge needing to do my compulsory prayers out there in the cold
In reality though I missed out by about 15 mins and they'd have become expired, so I made ablution in a car park just 3 miles away from home. That pic taken just 15 mins before that, SubhanAllah (Allah is Pure/Perfect).

The bivy spot I chose for myself was after about 20 miles. Took some consideration of a bvy near the water at the bottom, but decided on this huge tussocky hill.

Walked n walked thinking I'd reach the plateu at the top but gave in. Decided to just bivy there on the slope but had to think how I'd stop from sliding. Next pic is with flash on, so makes it appear deceptively lit up. It wasn't!!


I'd say the slope was adjacent to lots of 7% hill. But, during the moments of thinking through how I'd keep my boots dry/positioned, I had a genius idea. Why not use them as wedges on the side of the bivy. To stop me from sliiping down to the road at the bottom - 200m of tussocks away. It worked well.

Now, I'd brought my deep winter gloves (by the people who's name we do not speak); a Criterion down jacket as backup; some bamboo longjohns packed away and my Tundra -5 bag. I put the mat inside the bivy sack (excellent, thanks Colin) and set the Flextail to do itsinflate thing. Then I rolled the Tundra inside and carefully laid a rock at my headside to position my helmet/headtorch.

Didn't wanna use the Criterion or Longjohns as that'd mean I was in 'proper cold'. But, it was! 2330 the time and I just needed to get a few hours kip. The mat being in the bivy bag though, meant it wouldn't properly loft. I'd also placed my 2L water bottle at the foot end to try and keep/make it warm. In case of ablution needs in the morning.


Though the 2 Shimano boots worked well as structural support (knew they were good for something), the sleeping bag obviously had some serious cold spots due to (un)loft. So the mat was removed and put under me. WTH, now I became an ice-rink, so had to just counter balance my body to stop from slipping. In actual fact I probably needed a structural engineer.

Got 2 hours of solid kip and then I was up and away. Forget 130 miles -which was one of my yearly targets of a 200km each month - so I shortened it to 63 miles (my other ambition of making every ride a metric century!! It was blooming cold and the hill was steep. Walked the first few 100m just to get the blood back in the feet (great tip, forever thanking Jon/Lazarus for it) then started riding.

It was steep and I recalled the very first hill back near home. The total elevation of the 130 miler was 11k of ft and that first hill was where the Liverpudlian had once told me (on the Ronde Von Calderdale cobbled classic), pick an easy gear and drop down one (for the upcoming 70 miles of 7000 ft of elevation).


Got to the top and realised why it was so tough and where I'd been sleeping the night.


Managed to dodge riding down Doghouse Hill to Todmorden (thankyou Lord) and got a pic of this. My first ever job when I was merely 14 years old, 30 years ago. It was the takeaway next door which was now something else... In Hebden Bridge. I'd survived a frosty derelict ride across the valley/mountains and past Gorple Res. It was all rather gorgeous but most shots the camera just could capture.


Frost everywhere once I'd hit the town, which explained why I'd been freezing near Gorple (abd would be later)..


Another pic of the moon which had followed me all night (Alhamdulillah) and this was actually probably taken at the start of sleepy-sleepy.

THE END (for now).

1 out of 12.
2 consecutive streak (or however the professionals like Reg n Pete pronounce it).

[Lazarus]

great tip, forever thanking Jon/Lazarus for it)

Stolen from Phil or someone else on here ( not minenoriginally but it really works)

My Garmin said zero at about 930 pm but it did not seem that cold to me.

[summittoppler]

Well, after some umming and areing, it looks like I'm in
Literally a last minute decision to make the most of the nice looking weather window on the 30th. The day was calm with a forecast of a clear calm night with some winds moving in at around 6am.
So after me tea (a chinese) and after getting 'clearance' from the Mrs I loaded some kit in a backpack and on the bike and loaded up the car for a 20 minute drive.

A short pedal to a 2,300 year old Iron Age hill fort. I know its a bit cheeky as it is a Scheduled Ancient Monument but I felt good knowing I was arriving late and was to be leaving early with no trace to be had of my stay. I started pedalling at 8pm and by 8:30 was setting up the Tarpstar.



Good to see this information board not far from the hill top


The evening was certainly a calm one and i was looking forward to getting the Jan one out of the way






I got myself a new phone last week so was looking forward to seeing how the camera (s24 ultra) handled night shots
This was taken at 00:10


I managed to drift off to sleep till 2:55 when I was awoken by the wind lashing the tent, the wind had came a few hours early!
I stuck it out till 6am and then make the call to break camp and head back and be in work for 7:45.

January done and I'm back in the game

[Leerowe76]

Late starter here after a really crappy start to the year with the back end of December rolling into January with a chest infection and then with all my luck in the world I managed to land myself in bed for a few days with a positive Covid test and felt pretty rough. Made the decision I'd give it another go after only managing 9/12 last year and with a day to spare. Local wood not 3 mile from the doorstep, new Sierra Designs bivvy bag coupled up with the Pipedream 400 sleeping bag felt rather snug as the temps dropped in the night. Bivvy a month is Go woohoo

Lots of trees all in a line
1000040772-01 by Lee Rowe, on Flickr

Proof a bike was used
1000040775-01 by Lee Rowe, on Flickr

New bivvy bag test, all seemed good
1000040780-01 by Lee Rowe, on Flickr

New bivvy slippers because I'm getting old
20240130_230249 by Lee Rowe, on Flickr

Bag view
20240131_000007 by Lee Rowe, on Flickr

January BAM complete
2024 = 1/12

[Boab]

New bivvy slippers because I'm getting old
20240130_230249 by Lee Rowe, on Flickr

What brand...?

[fatbikephil]

I knew you'd ask that Boab
List updated, 27 starters is close to the most that have started since I took on the accounting. Any more??

[redefined_cycles]

I knew you'd ask that Boab
List updated, 27 starters is close to the most that have started since I took on the accounting. Any more??

Any rough ideas (off the top of the brain) of how many have been starting as opposed to finishing. I'm one of the weakest links but with yhe chest infections seeming to have stopped, I'm gonna attempt a streak...

[redefined_cycles]

*not that kinda streak!

[fatbikephil]

Starters/finishers....

2021 - 21/11
2022 - 24/16
2023 - 32//15

I did count 2020 but lost the spreadsheet when my computer crashed - it had a high start and a low finish for obvious reasons....

[sean_iow]

New bivvy slippers because I'm getting old
20240130_230249 by Lee Rowe, on Flickr

What brand...?

They must be quite a tight fit as there's some tyre levers next to them to get them on?

[Stinginglip]

I'm also in for another year. Glad I didn't leave it until tonight, lashing it down here at mo. It was my first ever school night bivvy last night...Most local one so far,setting off after 9pm armed with minimal kit for me.
Found a decent spot up on my local golf course looking out on the bright lights of Manchester. Thin groundsheet, insulated mat and just the quilt for this test. Bivvy bag was in the frame pack as a back up but stayed put. Dropped right off as the night went on and I ended up blocking the balaclava eye hole off with my mitt because my eyeballs felt frozen.
Slept a little bit(standard) but got up and packing just after 5am. Wahoo was showing -4, hands were agreeing but i knew I'd be home well before 6am for a much needed coffee.
Left for work at the usual 7am and have felt spaced out all day. I won't be making a habit of School night BaMs but glad I'm in again for 2024
Still no idea on the pic posting..Soz

[redefined_cycles]

Thanks Phil. Looks like 30 this year have started (and maybe some stragglers tonight if it still counts as Jan). Am sure it's gonna be another excellent year (aside from the Genocide and our countries being complicit/normalising of it... but that's another matter. For support of them kids/displaced/widowed I'm thinking of selling my winter bag Tundra -5 if anyone's interested... still in two minds as it cost a bit and don'twant peanuts for it).

Here comes Feb.

[Leerowe76]

New bivvy slippers because I'm getting old
20240130_230249 by Lee Rowe, on Flickr

https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/stoic-nykr ... 3988920_25

The tyre levers were to prise the balaclava off my head at 5am

What brand...?

They must be quite a tight fit as there's some tyre levers next to them to get them on?

Link above Boab

[MuddyPete]

...and have felt spaced out all day. I won't be making a habit of School night BaMs but glad I'm in again for 2024

Same here: by 3pm I'm usually when I bivi Thursday nights.
Fortunately we have a flexible working policy so most of management don't work Fridays, which co-incides with one of my WFH days

[Boab]

https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/stoic-nykroppa-slippers/
Link above Boab

£ 12.98!!! cheaper than some of the socks I was considering...

[redefined_cycles]

...and have felt spaced out all day. I won't be making a habit of School night BaMs but glad I'm in again for 2024

Same here: by 3pm I'm usually when I bivi Thursday nights.
Fortunately we have a flexible working policy so most of management don't work Fridays, which co-incides with one of my WFH days

I thought it was just me. Did a Bivy last night. 2H sleeping and a fair few riding through the night. Back home and another sleep from 0900 til 1400. But still knackered through the day.

Always happens to me, regardless the nature of the bivy (or ride before/aft). Thought ot was unique to me being rather soft. Thanks Oere/Stlnglip...