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Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2017 5:40 pm
by mrssanta
teaandpies wrote:
About disposal, don't you get little hygiene bags to store the ickies? So why not just carry them off them off the hill like you would normally rubbish?

Good question, but now imagine yourself on the side of Ben Lomond or similar realising you need to change your protection. There are people around and no cover. Do you wait and risk an embarrassing leak or do you do it in public, or go off the path a bit hope nobody is looking. Or do you just stay home. Of course you can carry them out, but there's more to it than that.

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 9:58 am
by nigheandonn
My last was behind a grit bin at the side of the Cold Fell (Ennerdale Bridge to Calder Bridge) road!
I'd have preferred somewhere a bit less potentially public, but to be honest as long as I'm being reasonably discreet I think if anyone's looking it's their problem - I suppose some places could be so busy that even discreet is quite hard, though.

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 1:40 pm
by Fiona Reid
mrssanta wrote:Good question, but now imagine yourself on the side of Ben Lomond or similar realising you need to change your protection.


Personally, I just don't care. I will try to find somewhere reasonably discreet if I can but if the hill is mobbed (really only an issue on Ben Lomond, Nevis or perhaps the Cobbler in Scotland) then I'll do the best I can but if someone sees me quite frankly so what. I'm out in the hills, there aren't any toilets.

For the sanitary products and toilet roll etc I just carry a couple of decent quality freezer bags which won't leak. For the super paranoid a small heavy duty dry bag (e.g. a 1L Exped bag or similar) that you put the freezer bag + contents in could give peace of mind re. any accidents etc. I agree that it's a bit minging having to carry these things around with you but unless you're camping or out for a very long day you'll probably be carrying 1 or 2 at most especially if you are able to stop at an actual toilet before the start of the walk.

When I'm rock climbing or in more precarious places where trying to find a secluded spot is not an option I just ask folks to look the other way. If they have any sense they'll do that, if they opt not to or turn round and see a white backside again I just don't care.

To the OP, if periods etc are stopping you doing outdoor activities please please consider seeing your GP. There's loads of stuff that can help and you shouldn't have to spend one week in 1 unable to do stuff.

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 1:51 pm
by Elaine
Dog poo bags are very handy things to carry with you - you can't see through them!

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 1:13 pm
by Sgurr
I wish I hadn't contributed to this thread, I am being chased all round the internet with ads for sanitary products and garments. Still, it is better than the ads for funeral plans which preceded it.

Ah, when I posted this, that ad went, to be replaced by an ad saying "Secure your pipes and tubes"

http://www.essentracomponents.com/en-gb/caps-plugs?cm_mmc=CPC_Google-_-0-_-0-_-0&gclid=CN6h6_f0ztQCFeyc7Qodt0gDtA

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 1:48 pm
by KatTai
Sgurr wrote:I wish I hadn't contributed to this thread, I am being chased all round the internet with ads for sanitary products and garments. Still, it is better than the ads for funeral plans which preceded it.

Ah, when I posted this, that ad went, to be replaced by an ad saying "Secure your pipes and tubes"

http://www.essentracomponents.com/en-gb/caps-plugs?cm_mmc=CPC_Google-_-0-_-0-_-0&gclid=CN6h6_f0ztQCFeyc7Qodt0gDtA


:lol:

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 8:45 pm
by Sheryl
Try joining a local walking/hiking club to have fellow explorers, routes already picked out and plotted, etc.

And if you're like me after being absent from a sport for a while, my tendency is to start where I left off (say a 20km walk instead of 10km), which usually is overkill. Not only am I sore afterward with a longer recovery, but it colors my outlook. So, take it easy at first. Enjoy!

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2017 11:39 am
by chickadee
teaandpies wrote:
well, Chickadee mentioned that once a month she is unable to go into the hills because of being female. Nobody commented on this over the following 24 hours although a number of people commented on other aspects of her post. This surprised me.
I thought that as nobody else had commented I would do so, as I think it is a really important subject.
Too many women think that being stuck in the house once a month is inevitable. It isn't. I'm not going to give medical advice on an open forum as this would be unethical, but there is plenty that can be done.
There is also the issue of disposing of the "ickies" as basscadet nicely put it. I'd second the idea of the mooncup. I wish they had been around when I was at the appropriate age. One advantage of being "past it" I suppose.
Cheryl Strayed in her book "Wild" gives a rather detailed and hilarious account of using a natural sponge when she did her Pacific Crest Trail adventure. The whole book is hialrious actually, and serious in equal measure, very much worth a read.
Maybe we could start a thread on "leave no trace for girls"?


I suppose a majority of the forum users are male and can't fully relate or appreciate specifics. I can only speak for myself here but that's why I avoided it really.
I did think about replying touching on the subject of the being stuck in the house for a week. It seems a bit excessive given the way advertisements for lady products seem to suggest that nothing should hold you back but I couldn't word it without out it sounding ignorant (which I unintentionally am on the issue I guess) and as demonstrated but RTCs reply to me already in this thread already reading words can easily be misinterpreted.

About disposal, don't you get little hygiene bags to store the ickies? So why not just carry them off them off the hill like you would normally rubbish?


This made me giggle and not in a judgemental way! The adverts are a load of tripe and a source of hilarity for any female friends of mine. Unlike in the adverts, using 'lady products' doesn't suddenly make us willing or able to leap around on a beach (or sometimes the adverts show them rollerblading?! Yeah, that's what I want to do on my period!). Honestly not laughing at you and appreciate the comments! Just wanted to highlight how wrong (for me) the adverts are. Once a month I'm not doing anything active. I want to be in bed with Netflix and cups of tea.

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2017 11:45 am
by chickadee
mrssanta wrote:well, Chickadee mentioned that once a month she is unable to go into the hills because of being female. Nobody commented on this over the following 24 hours although a number of people commented on other aspects of her post. This surprised me.
I thought that as nobody else had commented I would do so, as I think it is a really important subject.
Too many women think that being stuck in the house once a month is inevitable. It isn't. I'm not going to give medical advice on an open forum as this would be unethical, but there is plenty that can be done.
There is also the issue of disposing of the "ickies" as basscadet nicely put it. I'd second the idea of the mooncup. I wish they had been around when I was at the appropriate age. One advantage of being "past it" I suppose.
Cheryl Strayed in her book "Wild" gives a rather detailed and hilarious account of using a natural sponge when she did her Pacific Crest Trail adventure. The whole book is hialrious actually, and serious in equal measure, very much worth a read.
Maybe we could start a thread on "leave no trace for girls"?


Thanks for your comments mrssanta. I agree in principle that a period shouldn't hold women back from doing whatever they like, including hillwalking. But for me it just isn't true that there's 'plenty that can be done'. My situation has got worse since I entered my 30s and it's not something I can just ignore or easily deal with. It's heaviness and lots of pain. I take codeine for the pain and I need to lie down. I feel faint during that time so going up a hill seems not the best idea for me then! In addition, I would need to change so often it wouldn't be worth it and it also wouldn't be pleasant. Hard enough finding somewhere to pee on a hillside without adding that to the mix! (And I appreciate this isn't an issue for some but it is for me. I don't want strangers seeing me change my tampon, to be blunt.) So it does knock out time around then and the days before, when I get associated mood crashes and feel very depressed. I know many women think the moon cup is great but whenever I post anywhere about periods someone will suggest this to me and I have one and it's not my thing at this point in time. So I'm just being honest about what I can/can't do which does relate to being female. It sucks and I hate it, but I can't see a way past it.

It is good to discuss this, though, as it's something I've thought about for a long time but couldn't see a way to start a chat about it here. Of course, if there are suggestions, happy to hear them, usually that week coincides with the good weather and then it's really frustrating!

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2017 8:30 pm
by basscadet
chickadee wrote:
Thanks for your comments mrssanta. I agree in principle that a period shouldn't hold women back from doing whatever they like, including hillwalking. But for me it just isn't true that there's 'plenty that can be done'. My situation has got worse since I entered my 30s and it's not something I can just ignore or easily deal with. It's heaviness and lots of pain. I take codeine for the pain and I need to lie down. I feel faint during that time so going up a hill seems not the best idea for me then! In addition, I would need to change so often it wouldn't be worth it and it also wouldn't be pleasant. Hard enough finding somewhere to pee on a hillside without adding that to the mix! (And I appreciate this isn't an issue for some but it is for me. I don't want strangers seeing me change my tampon, to be blunt.) So it does knock out time around then and the days before, when I get associated mood crashes and feel very depressed. I know many women think the moon cup is great but whenever I post anywhere about periods someone will suggest this to me and I have one and it's not my thing at this point in time. So I'm just being honest about what I can/can't do which does relate to being female. It sucks and I hate it, but I can't see a way past it.

It is good to discuss this, though, as it's something I've thought about for a long time but couldn't see a way to start a chat about it here. Of course, if there are suggestions, happy to hear them, usually that week coincides with the good weather and then it's really frustrating!



I'm so sorry to hear you sounding so defeated - wish I could give you a hug :?

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 4:35 pm
by chickadee
basscadet wrote:
I'm so sorry to hear you sounding so defeated - wish I could give you a hug :?


Aw thanks. I'm OK really.. Just it's often hard to motivate myself. I'm too shy to meet up with people to go walking, even though I think I'd love a couple of walking buddies to see sometimes! It's a catch-22 for me and always has been. Anyway next week I might try to go somewhere, even just a small hill.

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 8:04 pm
by mrssanta
A hug from me too. And I think you are very brave discussing this on this forum.
But I reiterate that is not inevitable these days. I'm a GP and I would seriously suggest you go see yours. Maybe you have seen your GP already. If your GP thinks that you have to put up with this, then change your GP. I hope I am not speaking out of turn here as I know nothing about your medical history but I think too many women put up with horrible cyclical problems praying for an early menopause.

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 3:24 pm
by chickadee
mrssanta wrote:A hug from me too. And I think you are very brave discussing this on this forum.
But I reiterate that is not inevitable these days. I'm a GP and I would seriously suggest you go see yours. Maybe you have seen your GP already. If your GP thinks that you have to put up with this, then change your GP. I hope I am not speaking out of turn here as I know nothing about your medical history but I think too many women put up with horrible cyclical problems praying for an early menopause.


Thanks and I wish it was more widely talked about. I suppose in general there are probably still more male hillwalkers than female, but there are still a lot of women doing it (and I'm sure that will increase, I hope so) and it's just never mentioned in walk reports or chats. My main walking buddy is a man, so it never crosses his mind when he suggests going for a walk.

I don't think seeing the GP will help much as they will probably just try to get me to take birth control for it and I don't want to do that. To be honest the mood swing beforehand is what worries me more than the actual event itself. I can practically manage pain and discomfort but the way I feel beforehand is not much fun and is precious days I could be doing fun stuff, spent not doing it! :(

I wish I had more female walking friends, I tell you! ;)

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 11:10 am
by BlackPanther
I can fully sympathize with you on PMS. I'm really a pre-menstrual bitch :lol: A couple of days "before" I suffer from bad mood swings, from uncontrolled sobbing to mad anger attacks. Last month a man knocked on my door... selling something, I don't even remember what, I chased him down shouting Out of my property now!!! I don't know what possessed me, I'm usually a happy, smiling, polite person. The poor man must have thought I was insane :shock:

As I mentioned before, I can manage the problem now, in my later years, I guess it becomes less painful with age. When I was in my early 30ties, hillwalking in THAT time was out of question. Pretty anything was out of question, to be honest. I even picked the date of my wedding carefully so it didn't coincide with THE PROBLEM. Imagine me chasing the wedding guests out of the church :lol: :lol: Luckily, I chose a safe date and the groom showed up, too :wink:

Walking with male companion can be a bit embarrassing when you have to deal with the female symptoms. Thankfully, my husband is very understanding, well, he has to cope with me every day so he knows the drill. When we plan holidays, he always reminds me to check my personal calendar to make sure we avoid the bad days. Not always possible, but it's nice to know that he cares and he wants me to enjoy the hills as much as he does.

From my personal experience... I ditched BC pills after less than a year, having tried different types, they didn't help the symptoms of PMS at all. I know every woman is different but in my case, the side effects of taking them were worse than the original problem.

I hope you find a solution and enjoy the great outdoors :D
All the best
BP

Re: Getting back into hillwalking

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 7:21 pm
by RocksRock
@Sgurr :lol: :lol: I find the internet is so instructive.....about things which interest me not at all :lol: