Bob Graham Route Choices

[mr brightside]

Halls fell looks a bit boring and a bit loose underfoot. I'm looking for more danger and peril really.

[wheezing donkey]

What happens if you straight line it down that nasty looking gill?

That 'nasty looking gill' is the parachute route as devised by ydt - I would not want to do it without him, he manages to string together a lot of grassy 'tongues' but it does get very rough once it levels out in the bottom of that gill.

But as Bob intimates; one guy who thought he could manage it on his lonesome did end up a casualty statistic.

Stood at the BG changeover point, outside Ken Hebson's yard, when Yiannis is bringing a contender down at night, it does appear that their headtorches are in vertical freefall ..... hence 'the parachute route'.

PS, new Walsh PB's or new Mudclaws are the order of the day

[mr brightside]

That 'nasty looking gill' is the parachute route as devised by ydt - I would not want to do it without him, he manages to string together a lot of grassy 'tongues' but it does get very rough once it levels out in the bottom of that gill.

But as Bob intimates; one guy who thought he could manage it on his lonesome did end up a casualty statistic.

Stood at the BG changeover point, outside Ken Hebson's yard, when Yiannis is bringing a contender down at night, it does appear that their headtorches are in vertical freefall ..... hence 'the parachute route'.

PS, new Walsh PB's or new Mudclaws are the order of the day

I'm not taking Gate Gill, i'll go over the tongue. I'll be in Talons unless it's wet, then Walshes.

[Martyn P]

That 'nasty looking gill' is the parachute route as devised by ydt - I would not want to do it without him, he manages to string together a lot of grassy 'tongues' but it does get very rough once it levels out in the bottom of that gill.

But as Bob intimates; one guy who thought he could manage it on his lonesome did end up a casualty statistic.

Stood at the BG changeover point, outside Ken Hebson's yard, when Yiannis is bringing a contender down at night, it does appear that their headtorches are in vertical freefall ..... hence 'the parachute route'.

PS, new Walsh PB's or new Mudclaws are the order of the day

Ian,

Just in case there's any misunderstanding, wasn't Yiannis navigating the night that Nigel had his awful accident while descending the parachute? Or perhaps you were referring to another parachute casualty - I think there have been several if I'm not mistaken.

Interestingly, the Dallam/Lonsdale guys do a different version of the Parachute: rather than coming straight off the summit they head W along the ridge before dropping down the eastern flank of middle tongue. I went this way in hammering rain on my 1st BG attempt, looking back it was a miracle I stayed on my feet

[wheezing donkey]

Ian,

Just in case there's any misunderstanding, wasn't Yiannis navigating the night that Nigel had his awful accident while descending the parachute? Or perhaps you were referring to another parachute casualty - I think there have been several if I'm not mistaken.

Interestingly, the Dallam/Lonsdale guys do a different version of the Parachute: rather than coming straight off the summit they head W along the ridge before dropping down the eastern flank of middle tongue. I went this way in hammering rain on my 1st BG attempt, looking back it was a miracle I stayed on my feet

Martyn,

Now that you mention it, I do recall the name Nigel being associated with a casualty incident; but I think that occurred well down - in the more level section of the lower gill which is very rough and bouldery.
I used the singular as I did nor want to over dramatise the issue. The parachute route does start to the W of the summit.

[NigelC]

First time I've been on the forum for years. Didn't know it was still going (had a tip off I'd been mentioned).Yes, as Martyn says, Yiannis was navigating that night. It was on the bouldery bit near the gill. I remember it well although not the fall itself. Just a freak accident. Probably a poor footplant.

[mr brightside]

Good news, Ian, i've found a pair of Mudclaw 300 Classics i'd forgotten i had so i'll wear those.



The Dallam/Lonsdale route is clearly a more straight forward line, but i'd like to experience the authenticity of the real(red) line, which seems to take no prisoners judging by what i've heard so far. For those lurking i'd like to reiterate that i'm not doing a round, just getting off the hill somehow. Navigation will be interesting if the clag is down.

[Bob]

Like I said, I've only done it the once, probably ten years ago now. Even then there was a faint trod so I'd imagine it's a bit better defined now.

In the upper part of your line there's a small "kink", at about that point you cross the upper part of the gill. There's a small crag/rock face on the true right as a landmark to aim for - you are heading down a small subsidiary tongue at that point. Once on Middle Tongue you do a contouring descent on the edge of the gill before cutting across the tongue to drop in to the next gill at about this point - http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=332...6973&A=Y&Z=115 I think I followed that gill on the wrong bank. Once you are back at Gate Gill cross the beck, there's then a very short rock step to scramble over, then once you are at the old mine workings it's easy out to the fell gate.

[mr brightside]

No parachute attempt made yesterday. The clag was down to about 600 and i'd never have been able to pick a good line. As it turned out some of our group marched on up to the summit from the tarn and stood around for 15mins in rain and gales needing navigation support, so i became the official navigator which meant i got to do some well deserved running! Got one bunch to Knowe Crags then went back to check on the rest. 7 of them did Sharp Edge, which was earlier described by a pair of strangers who'd refused it was an ice rink.

I was reminded again on the approach to the summit of Blencathra how easy you become disorientated in low visibility. I could have sworn we were off-line, but the compass delivered us right to the summit.

[Graham Breeze]

...again on the approach to the summit of Blencathra how easy you become disorientated in low visibility. I could have sworn we were off-line, but the compass delivered us right to the summit.

Famous last words? "The compass must be wrong!"