Daring Deeds - real stories, expeditions, road trips and adventure

Old Salty Dog weekend

By Kenny Stocker | 04, Sep, 2009

Salty Dogs

The past few weeks had been full on.. and then some. With six of us trapped in a cramped unit we just had to get out or something was going to blow..

Running a small company is demanding, working for a small company is demanding and trying to make a small company bigger while keeping it small is let’s say.. bewildering. There can only be one release from these demands.. and it tastes salty.

It was the August bank holiday, otherwise known as the annual Alpkit Old Salty Dog weekend.. a chance for Alpkit staff and friends to head down to the Gower for a weekend of sun, sea and surf.

So we provided the teepee, (a communal area is really essential in the British weather) and filled it with beer, marshmallows, friends and some of our sponsored athletes. Actually some of our friends are our sponsored athletes, I don’ t want you getting the wrong idea thinking we are big or anything. The really cool thing is that despite all our experience none of us actually know how to surf, we are absolute beginners with nothing to prove or lose.

That is until it gets to Smite.

We are all contenders, even Dan with his gammy knee. Stinger Steve keeps score as The Chunk throws to stay in the game. Pete sits back in his chair confident that he can strike out next throw, Al fakes disinterest, it is a familiar story.

The following day it is still windy, the sea is no refuge and we take a beating. The sea is a great leveler and we gather to toast mallows and lick our salty wounds around the campfire.

It is great to get out of the office.