Fantastic to see you back on KZbin John.

Awesome to see a post from you! Hope you finished your house John! Done the CWT twice now, South to North and North to South thanks to your inspiration! Great to see Mossie out and about!

@@ashtoddphotography hahaha, it is'ne but, is it! 😂🐾👍

@@karenciaffa3044 thanks! Yeah, Moss is a wee gem, isn't she! 💚🐺🐾👍

@@fraserconnell21 thanks man. 🙂🐾👍

@@HoundsofHowgate WOw.. chap !!! Response from chap Has Bear turned my frown upside down. 🙏. Many Thanks to chap with weird Mustache.. May hope your boss blesses you..😀 keep in touch brother.. Here's a compeed for your first foot 🧐 and happy new 2025....

@@hannahbaker6323 hi Hannah, really just like any other kind of training: way back at the start, when Moss was a pup, we practiced recall with a long leash first and built a solid base from there. Long leash quiet, long leash distraction, no leash quiet, no leash distraction, increasing distance then really long distance whistle recall. Once a bulletproof recall was established we started introducing more and more. Some of it developed over time naturally just due to the amount of time we spent together. Some of which were hiking specific and came about just due to the amount of time we spent out hiking. Another core thing is encouraging eye contact as a pup. So that Moss looks at me when considering things as it means we can communicate more clearly. In the initial stages of that I hold a treat up to my forehead and call her name. When she looks at me and sees the treat I give her it and praise her. Building on that I'll say her name when we are out and about, again with the treat held to my forehead, and give her it with praise when she looks at me. Then I'll hold a treat to my forehead but not say anything. When she looks at me and notices, I give her the treat and praise. It gets her in the habit of looking at you. Then when we are out and about, if we are in a secure place and I see she doesn't look round at me for a while I hide. When she eventually notices I'm gone and she comes looking for me I give her a treat and reward her. It becomes a bit of an enjoyable game and really strengthens the bond and relationship. You and your dog want to be checking in with each other all the time. You can get to the stage where you don't need to say commands much as you are checking in with each other and can read what each other is going to do etc. Initially I use treats as a reward, with lots of praise, but I fade that out quickly so that praise alone is all that is needed. That's part of the bonding process. I could write much more but I'd be here for days! 😄 I hope you get the idea though. It is relationships building as much as it is anything else. Cheers, John & Moss 🙂🐾👍

Hi again Hannah, not really. More or less everything is the same apart from a smaller pack (still Ruffwear) for Moss as she is getting older: that's her 11.5 years old now! Moss and I were away camping at the weekend actually. I'll be putting a wee picture of her up on Instagram later; she defo doesn't look her age. All that good Scottish air and hiking has done her good. Cheers! 🙂🐾👍

@@stuartturner2668 thanks Stuart! Really glad to hear that you and the Mrs. hiked the trail and found something special in it. I'm so glad the vids were inspirational and insightful. Thank you very much for taking the time to let us know. Cheers! John & Moss 🙂🐾👍

@@HoundsofHowgate my pleasure mate. Your CWT video series is still far superior to anything else I’ve watched all these years later. Are you and Moss still hiking/camping by the way? And if so any other adventures planned? We’re thinking East Highland way next as opposed to the now too popular WHW. And gotta ask…is the camo zPacks still going strong?

@@siraidanofmayo7678 thanks! Glad to hear you liked the CWT vids. 👍 Nah, the shorter days don't put me off at all. Especially this early in the year as the weather is still decent enough. Plus the beasties have calmed doon. You just have to factor it all in really. Like heavier gear for the cold in general (more so at night), better/heavier waterproofs for the wet (cos the wet and cold combo is nae joke, as you know), potentially heavier food etc. If the weather also happens to be particularly smelly, you tend to be a bit slower in hiking and setting/striking camp. With the shorter days that has to be considered. Plugging that in: at that time of year, say you get up at sunrise (08:00 ish), and leave by 09:00. Then start looking for a pitch about 17:30, so you can be set up for sunset (18:30 ish). That gives you roughly 8 hours of hiking if you factor in some stops etc. The route you mention is aboot 70 miles, so that would be aboot 12 miles a day over 6 days. 12 miles in 8 hours, with everything we talked about, is totally reasonable. It can be A LOT of tent time though, and that can do folks nut's in over multiple days, especially if everything is wet, cold, smelly and dreich during the day. It is totally subjective but I'd defo go for it. Personally I only ever factor in 10-15 miles per day during the darker half of the year as you just dinne hae the luxury of daylight to donner aboot. Plus cos of all the aforementioned hings. So aye, if I had 6 days to play with, I'd go for it, knowing that I'd given myself plenty of time. If I finished early, then I'd spend the remaining day or two in the Kintail Lodge Hotel bar at Glenshiel. Hope that helps! Cheers! 🙂🐾👍

@HoundsofHowgate Cheers John. That's brilliant feedback. Tbh I'm trying to cut the balance between trying to keep things fairly lightweight without being daft. So, hoping the 3 season waterproofs will do. I'm gonna probably have a bash at that section as I love it up there in autumn. I was up there end of August and the keds around glen dessary were terrible, have they died off yet? I'm assuming the wee beasties have gone. I'm a bit in two minds about tackling the kinlochourn to shiel bridge bit. That looks like it may need breaking in two, but don't want to be camping high near the ridge, so I've a bit of thinking to do. Definitely gonna have a few pints and a slap up meal in the Kintail lodge if I make it! How's Moss btw?

@@mjclark641 Oh really? How so? Please enlighten us.

@@HoundsofHowgate The editing was frenetic and you appeared hurried and stressed out. Maybe you weren't, but that's how it came across.

@@mjclark641 it was 5 years ago so ah canne mind. Genuine points but, so fair play tae ye. Probably not the 'most' stressful thing on YT right enough.

@@HoundsofHowgate Maybe I was stressed before watching it! I'll blame the granny in Lanark! 😂

@@mjclark641 no worries. 🙂🐾👍

@@ccwweeman3385 no the noo, but no sayin' niver! Cheers! 😀🐾👍

@@fraac Good info, thanks! 👌🙂🐾👍

@@AlexGal936 thanks! Really chuffed to hear you have enjoyed the vids! Hope you like the rest and you never know, there might be more coming at some point in the future! Cheers, John & Moss 🙂🐾👍

@@SarahOutdoors1957 glad to hear you are enjoying the vids Sarah! Cheers! 🙂🐾👍

Defo will at some point. 🙂🐾👍

@@HoundsofHowgate missing you both, how old is moss now anyway hope shes well and doing her little adventures

@@shadowchaser59 glad to hear you found it useful! 🙂🐾👍

@@ClaireCelticMystic glad you found the vid helpful and good luck wae those itchy wee bits! 😉🙂🐾👍

@@vvs3796 I prefer the Duomid as you can have a half inner and then have a split tent. Idea in the wet, as wet/dry half's. But it really comes down to what you want to use it for. My Duomid is my lightweight winter tent in Scotland (so real wet and cold). If weight was not an issue I'd go for the nylon or silpoly as it stretches to shape, so makes pitching easier, amongst other things. DCF has it's perks but I'd defo not pick DCF unless weight was my main concern.

Thanks!

@@vvs3796 no worries. 👍 BTW, they also say DCF doesn't absorb water, which is true, but water hydrostatically can cling to it. So it is a much of a muchness in terms of weight between the two when wet as well. Basically I don't use any DCF stuff unless I'm absolutely trying to have my kit as light as possible as I'm going to be trying to get the miles in over consecutive days. If that isn't the case, then DCF tents (or anything) aren't worth the money or sacrifices.

@@HoundsofHowgate Thank you for information! Can I ask what is your go to backpack now for multi day hikes?

@@vvs3796 I honestly love the Osprey Exos (or Eja, for a lass). The price, features (including the breathable back system), durability and light weight of it...they just nailed that for me. Perfect middle ground. So (for me) the best choice for most non specialist things. Did you see the last day of my Cape Wrath video series? My 18kg dog hurt her shoulder, so I carried her in my Exos bag, with all my stuff strapped to the outside (so MEGA overladen), and the only thing that happened was that the chest strap popped off the rail on one side. Proper good. Tents, footwear, backpacks, etc...they are all so subjective though. So what fits one person great may be a nightmare for another. But aye, for me, the Exos/Eja is almost perfect. Make sure and try it on thought! They come in different sizes and I personally like a pack to ride high on my hips, so prefer a shorter back length. I found my HMG bags super comfortable even though they don't even have load lifters. But in the summer I'm sure my back would be crawling with prickly heat. Then my Zpacks zipwhatever, isn't as comfortable, but gives me the breathability. And so on. But then they are too specialised. The Osprey just nails it for me.

@@DARRBEV thanks! 🙂🐾👍

@@petershores thanks Peter! 🙂🐾👍

Canne whack it! 😋😄👌😂

I m about to experience the same, preparing myself mentally..

I wouldn't, no. It quickly became less efficient after a few uses, clogged, and my forearm was killing me from all the pumping by the end of the day. I quickly reverted back to my sawyer filter. Maybe as an emergency filter for when you are going on day trips, but I'd definitely not buy one again. In fact I never used it ever again after that first day of this trail. I like a HydroBlu Versa Flow as my main filter. Plus I like a Katadyn BeeFree filter and bottle setup for on the go.

Thank you for info..

Permetherin repels midges on clothing, yes. As midges can't really bite through clothing though, it is really something for your exposed skin you want for midges. Unless you are prepared to completely cover up, that is. Then it wouldn't matter if the clothing was treated for midges or not. I know what you mean though: like a treatment that almost emits something that keeps them completely away from you. So no, it doesn't act like that.

Exactly! At the end of the day it isn't a competition, so may as well please yourself. 👌🐾👍

Thanks Paul! Glad to hear you liked the vids. 👍 All the best and enjoy the tail! Cheers! 🙂🐾👍

Thanks, glad you liked it! 🙂🐾👍

Nice one! 👌🐾👍