Wandering Around Ynyslas

It was a chilly start to the day today. Minus 2 degrees Celsius with a heavy frost.

Back Pain

I didn’t sleep much last night thanks to my back pain. I don’t know what’s wrong with it but it feels like a typical compressed disk type pain and there’s little I can do to make it go away. Turning over in bed is painful, but then again, so is just lying there. It’s one of those pains that whatever you do it just doesn’t help. Sitting, standing, lying, moving – however I try to get comfortable I just can’t. The worst part about it though is the timing. Why now? Why a few days before I head off on what should be the adventure of a lifetime? With a trek up Kilimanjaro booked for later in the week a bad back now is the last thing I need.

A gentle stroll is usually the best thing for such pain and helps to ease it somewhat. I think it’s just a distraction really but it’s what I usually do to help. Somehow a 7 day trek up the ‘tallest free-standing mountain on the planet’ whilst carrying a heavy rucksack probably isn’t the best thing for it though. Climbing Kilimanjaro is pretty tough at the best of times, doing it with a back injury may be just a little too much so things had better improve over the next few days.

The whole camping malarky, sleeping on the floor, doing things bent over, being cold and lugging things in and out of tents isn’t going to be great for it either. I have a few days before I leave though, and 6 days until I’m actually on the mountain so hopefully things will ease up by then. I guess 24 hours of travelling, airports and long haul flights won’t help much either. There is little I can do now other than keep taking the pain-killers, take it easy and keep my fingers crossed.

Wandering around Ynyslas

A gentle stroll is usually the best thing for it. So the planned Sunday morning Surf Ski Time Trial in Colwyn Bay was scrapped and instead I headed out into the early morning sunshine for a wander around Ynyslas. It gave me a good chance to try out the camera I’ve borrowed from my brother as well. I wasn’t sure if my iPhone would quite cut it for Kilimanjaro. The photos it takes are great and it is certainly convenient, but I’m not sure how well the battery will stand up to the cold. I’ve therefore borrowed a Panasonic Lumix DMX TZ60 as a backup and second camera for the trip. So, here are some shots of Ynyslas this morning.

Tags: Ynyslas