Stolly's adventures 2009

1. Gisburn Forest Trail and Whelp Stone Crag

Date: 02/01/09
Distance: 10.5 miles
Ascent/descent: 950 ft
Route map
Time: 1 hour 38

Well I've decided to carry on with a 2009 version of stolly's running adventures........ for better or worse! (Hopefully much better).

Yesterday I forced my flu racked body to get up and at 'em and run for the first time in 10 days, feeling at long last like I'd be able to run and not die in the attempt! I didn't fancy anything too hard though so I popped over to Gisburn Forest to run the 10 mile mountain bike trail with an added swerve off to the top of Whelp Stone Crag. As expected the views from the top were fantastic:

Ingleborough on the horizon with it's head in the clouds:

http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/981/p1020641xz3.jpg

Panning to the right Pen y Ghent and Fountain's Fell with the rest of Whelp Stone Crag in the foreground:

http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/4296/p1020642ty8.jpg

Whelp Stone trig looking the other way with Pendle behind:

http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/6858/p1020643zp1.jpg

Looking back into the forest from the crag with much of my route back in there somewhere:

http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/3360/p1020644al9.jpg

Anyway a cracking first run of the year even though I coughed up a lung in the process!

Fab stuff Stolly....:) Glad you're back up and about, might start taking my camera more often and stop leaving it in the car without battery :rolleyes:

Good to see an '09 log with pics. Pics are good.

Excellent Stolly. I really enjoy reading these, good photos too:D

2. Barden Bridge and Barden Fell Loop

Date: 03/01/09
Distance: 7 miles
Ascent/descent: 1,150 ft
Route map
Time: 1 hour 24 (including lots of pratting about with the dog)

A final run this morning with Kelly before she buggers off to America for six months - I had in mind 13 miles but she was having none of it, then 10, then 9 but finally pinned her down to a measley 7 miler! She chose to bring Lottie along too, her boyfriend's nutter cocker spaniel. We drove to Barden Bridge choosing to run along the Wharfe and then hack up onto Barden Fell before dropping down to the Valley of Desolation and Strid Woods for the final couple of miles run in.

Just starting to climb above Appletreewick:

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/5371/p1030646fl9.jpg

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/7916/p1030647xx0.jpg

Valley of Desolation:

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/9910/p1030652es7.jpg

The Strid viewed from above on the east bank - last time I came past here the river was a white water raging torrent and everything was maybe a further 15 feet under! Very placid today:

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/2890/p1030653jj6.jpg

By the way Lottie wasn't supposed to run over Barden Fell - no dogs allowed you see - but we did anyway, keeping her on her leash mind and away from any grouse or pheasants.

Your daughter must be a better runner than me because my legs are like jelly since auld lang syne.

The view across the wall in the first pic is fantastic!

Good work Stolly - I'm pleased you're continuing with your running diary :)

3. Pen y Ghent and Long Mires from Horton

Date: 11/01/09
Distance: 8.5 miles
Ascent/descent: 1,700 ft
Route map
Time: 1 hour 39

Okay this was a complete wimp out - I set out (in the freezing, wind whipped rain I hasten to add :)) this morning fully intending to run all 24 miles of the 3 peaks.................. it just didn't end up that way is all!

Two major factors contributed to me changing my mind. Firstly, although I've got over the flu, I still have blocked sinuses and coming off Pen y Ghent I was cold and had a horrible catarrh taste in the back of my mouth and sort of started worrying about potentially making things worse, what with a long rain battered cold run over two more icey mountains still ahead of me. Secondly there was just so much ice about as to make running extremely dangerous and slow. And where the ground wasn't ice it was perma frost covered in a slippy film of water.

I think had the ground been okay I'd have run all the way regardless and had I fully recovered from the flu I wouldn't have cared about the ice. Having both at the same time though and, by the time I got to Long Mires (on the 3P route) frozen hands inside sopping wet gloves (from the three falls on the ice experienced by that point) I decided to 'live to fight another day' and retreated back towards Horton down the Pennine Way. Even that proved difficult with all the sheet ice about!

All the same the run, such as it was, was still fun in a semi lethal sort of way. The view looking up the final shoulder before the top of Pen y Ghent:

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/6558/p1110655rf8.jpg

Me having 'great fun' on my lonesome in the mist and ice at the top of Pen y Ghent:

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/162/p1110656lm4.jpg

The view towards Long Mires which is just over the next ridge line:

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3207/p1110661mv1.jpg

My hands were chill blain cold at Long Mires but I managed to revive them gradually by taking my gloves off and pulling the sleeves down on my water proof. Ironically I felt fine once I'd got back to my car in Horton but with hind sight I'm glad I cut the 3 peak attempt short. Next week maybe?

Next Friday Stolly, 9:30 start?