Chin up Martyn. Get some soul music on; that'll cheer you up. Plenty of time to get fit. You already know the way :thumbup:Originally Posted by Martyn P
Chin up Martyn. Get some soul music on; that'll cheer you up. Plenty of time to get fit. You already know the way :thumbup:
Poacher turned game-keeper
Martyn.
You'll be reet! Plenty more recces. You can join me when I get rid of my 'elephant man' elbow!
Cheers fellas. I took DTs advice, got me iPod out and did 3000ft on the gym hillclimb machine .... not quite the same as Skiddaw but the best I could do in limited circumstances
So come on lads, you'll be thawed out by now - how did your day go?????
Mrs S texted at 6.15pm to say she was setting off for home. Looking at 2 and a half to three hours to wait for the report.
Was a good day out very hard going in the snow we was out for 9 hours.We dropped down back to Dunmail after Helvellyn as it was gettng dark it still 9 hours in those conditions was more than enough !
Wow, what an awesome day, snow snow snow everywhere.
The omens were good when I saw my first ever red squirrel whilst starting off along Spooney Green Lane.
Passed 4 walkers whilst going up to Skiddaw, apart from that, no-one until coming off Doddick Fell.
Conditions on the top of Skiddaw were sufficiently exciting enough for us to run run run, for our lives. I've never experienced conditions like that before. Despite all the emergency gear I had in my rucksack, probably a case of run or die! Exhilarating.
Hank took the decision to drop down the the fence early to avoid any precarious ridges (thanks for your awesome navigation btw, much appreciated).
Drop down to Hare Crag and Cumbria Way was a nice diversion from the blizzard conditions. I found the climb up to Great Calva a struggle - not a good omen! Great Calva summit was similarly challenging to force us to just get off and drop East asap....or freeze to death, heh heh.
We all took a different crossing line thru the Caldew and guess who found the only slimy stone and ended up falling one side, wet hand and arm. Hmmmm, you don't need to guess. We were about on the BG timings until here and the slog up and across Mungrisedale.
I was spleased to see Blencathra summit, and even more pleased that Hank safely navigated us away from the Arctic conditions down Doddcik Fell.
By now my wet helly sleeve was drip feeding my hand.....and despite the attempts of the buffalo mitts, never really recovered all day. With hindsight I should've put on my spare paer of gloves Under the mitts, and thanks for your gloves offers as well guys.
Drop down into Threlkeld was nice and out of the weather, then nice to meet up with Mrs Stagger and Jackie for leg 2.
Once again I seemed to be the weakest link climbing up Clough Head, and was pleased to get up on the summit in slightly better conditions than leg 1. Let Hank and Jackie navigate as they are exceptional orienteers. Lazy of me? Possibly as I had map and compass in my bag. Occasionally some tiny bit of blue sky and sunshine tried to appear but never really made it. So we ended up walking (yes mostly walking!) thru snow between 1 - 3 feet deep. It really was heavy going, suspect today I'll have aches in places I never knew existed! Forgive me if I've missed something out here, but I don't remember much of interest on this section apart from great company and camraderie (thanks friends), and some interesting conversations. First (other) human spotting took place climbing up from Lower Man when we passed 2 walkers going the other way. I bet it's not every day you only see 2 other people of leg 2?!
Helvellyn at 1700, so time to bail. Took the nice, fantastic descent down to the Thirlmere woods, some of us had headtorches for this nice drop down, some used the bright, bright snow. Once in the woods I discovered just how rubbish my headlamp batteries had got, and how rubbish I felt. I dropped back again - apols all, and thanks for waiting for me! There then followed one more Clive dropping back incident when I decided to walk a little bit, but ended up to my advantage when in the quiet and peace I heard a tiny swoooooosh, and quickly looked up to notice a ghostly barn owl flying very close to me very low level. Feathers and flight designed to be virtually sound proof, but so majestic - hmmm, yes I can agree with that.
The final push on the road I got a second wind, sniffing my nice warm car and peanut butter and banana butties! Dropped Hank back off at Keswick, and Linda at Threlkeld and then Jackie and I got back to Calderdale just past 9. A long, but very enjoyable day at the office, with awesome company and wonderful conditions and beautiful deep pure white snow.
I was the only one not done a BG or doing one this year, but would I do another BG reccie again with great friends, you bet.
Great report Clive, sounded like a great day out.
Some of my best days out were spent in Jan and Feb doing the same.
Ken
Me and Jackie had a great time in the snow, thanks Hank for organising us all. Nice to meet Andy, Martin and Clive - you were all great company. Shame the weather never cleared enough to allow us to see any views but spectacular all the same.
I didn't get home until 9.30. Apparently we'd had a heavy snow fall around junction 22 at teatime which meant lots of people on the M62 had abandoned their cars on the hard shoulder, it was slow going for many a mile but I made it in the end. Hope everyone else managed ok.
Thanks again and look forward to another outing in the Lakes.
Reading this took me back two years to me and my mate reccying leg two in thick snow and clag. Running down off Dollywagon in the snow to a frozen Grizedale Tarn was hilarious.
Well done everyone, it sounded a blast.
Clive, don't read into struggling too much at this stage. At least you're out there. I supported a friend of mine a couple of months before my own round and bombed big time at the end of leg 2.
Good luck to all this year, and hopefully I might be able to get out and support some of your rounds (Clewy's got first dibs!)
Some pictures here
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3370757&type=1
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