Pages

Monday 1 April 2013

Bob Graham leg 2 (partial) recce

After Saturday's fabulous run around the 4 lakeland passes in almost warm alpine sunshine (I even got a tan) yesterday me, Hester, Harry, Andrew and Stef went up higher onto the Helvellyn ridge line from Threlkeld and gave ourselves a damned good icy wind thrashing. 

We were originally planning to follow the leg 2 BGR route out to Helvellyn or even Nethermost Pike, before returning the same way we went up, but it was darn tooting cold up there exposed to a fairly unremitting wind, with the snow not making the running/trudging any easier, so we decided to turn back at Stybarrow Dodd. It was still a great outing though, totting up to 12 miles and about 3,500 feet of climb. It was also a grand climax to what turned out to be a 237mile and 39,000 ft month for me. 

It was also me, H and H's first weekend's camping of the year...... and yes it was fricking cold, maybe down to -10˚* on the second night, with Harry's water bowl freezing solid in the tent over night! All part of the fun though.

*Edit: I checked back with the Keswick Weather Station and the temperature only dropped to a 'mere' -5.4˚ overnight on Saturday, and -4.8˚ the night before that. So I was clearly exaggerating saying -10˚. Either way it felt much f-f-frigging colder!

Hester bog dodging with Blencathra behind

Harry and again Blencathra

Looking south east(ish) from White Pike

Heading towards the top of Clough Head

Me at the wind shelter on Great Dodd

Looking south from Great Dodd

Stef, Andrew and Harry heading towards Watson's Dodd

Skiddaw and Blencathra on the far horizon from Watson's Dodd

Hester doing her Bedouin thing with her buff and hat

Our frozen tipi

No comments:

Post a Comment