Kilimattjaro

June’s here and it finally felt like summer might be on its way as I planned our penultimate training hike.  I selected a Lake District route around the Langdale Pikes and Bowfell , armed myself with a map and compass and arranged with Paul and Debbie  to meet at 9.30am at the New Dungeon Ghyll hotel.  Jeff wasn’t free to join us this weekend but we’ll get the whole team together for one last walk next weekend before we head out to Tanzania.

It was a little overcast but presently warm as we set off , each of us enjoying being able to wear just T-shirts. I led the way out of the car park and with minutes we were onto the pathways and picking our way along and up a rocky climb alongside a stream. After about 30 mins of hard work we were all hot and ready for a rest as we came up and over a crest to see the  Stickle Tarn. This wasn’t in the plan but I’d manage to take us up a more northerly track. Still it was a pleasant place to stop for a snack and drink as we studied the map and worked out a revised route. I’m definitely going to book myself of a navigation training course when I get back from Kili.

We left the tarn for High Raise to the north and climbed over some very wet ground and ten onto some pretty steep slopes. We stopped off at Sargent Man to take a rest and shelter from the wind and have a drink. We were rewarded with stunning views to the south and east over the Lake District and out over Morecambe bay as we basked in the sun’s warming rays. On went the fleeces as we got back into the wind and made our way over to High Raise’s trig point.

We then turned south west and headed down to pick up the Cumbria way foot path with the intent of looping over to Angle Tarn. However we missed the path and so ended up carrying on to follow stake gill as if flowed own into Mickleden Beck at the base of the imposing Langdale fell and its many stony crags.  Our knees were glad to find the valley floor (sometimes going down is just as tough as going up) and we waked parallel to the Beck as it led us back the last few miles to the car park.

At just over 8 miles this wasn’t a massively long walk but it had a lot of steep ascent and descents which all help work the muscles we’ll be needing for Kili in a couple of weeks.  I’ve post some photo on the Kilimattjaro facebook page and the climb stats and map.

Last weekend’s training hike was Wales’ highest mountain, Snowdon. Martine and Sophie joined me and our new (to us) caravan (we’ve had enough of tents in the UK weather!) as we spent the bank holiday long weekend in Snowdonia. Paul, Debbie and Wallace the Labrador stopped in their campervan on the same site.

Saturday morning was glorious, warm and blue skies as Paul, Debbie and I set off down the road to pick up the Snowdon ranger path a few miles away to start the long climb up to the 3560ft (1085M) summit. After the initial climb and about 4.5 miles into the hike we stopped looking down over the Llyn Ffnnon-y-gwas reservoir.  It was time for lunch and where Wallace decided that he liked the look of Paul’s ham sandwich and swiftly grabbed it and wolfed it down in the blink of an eye.

It was then on to the hard stuff as the path became rocky and steep and it zig-zagged up toward the peak where it intercepted the LLanbaeris path and mountain railway track to the summit. As we rose higher the temperature dropped and we even saw patches of snow hiding in the rocks along the ridgline. The views were spectacular looking our across both sides of this impressively high (by UK standards) mountain.  The peak was very busy but we took the obligatory photos as the summit trig point before grabbing a hot drinks and snack and donning gloves and hats.

Rested and refreshed we followed the mountain train track down towards Llanberis for a few miles before turning off westwards around Hebron station to make our way around the lower flanks of  Moel Eilio and then descending  back down to our campsite.

At just over 14.5 miles this was a long walk but whilst tired and with empty hydration bladders we kept up a good pace and all felt good the day after.  I’ve posted the climb stats and some photos of the day.

“I’m glad it was cloudy so I couldn’t see how much we had to do” said one of team after our 11.6 mile walk around the peaks of Kentmere in the southern eastern corner of the Lake District.  It was a long, steady ascent up to the first peak and we were soon in the mist and getting damp.  On came the waterproofs as we stopped for an early lunch.

After sandwiches and a hot drink we began off along the ridgeline up and down the horseshoe of peaks. Visibility on top was no more than 25 meters, the ground damp and after while the path became hard to identify. Out came the maps, compass backed up by my trusty iPhone GPS app! Eventually we got ourselves fixed and back on the path as we descended to lower ground and below the cloud. We were now rewarded with stunning views of the Kentmere valley and the peaks we’d just traversed along.

We completed the circuit tired but in good spirits. On the way home Jeff and I polished off Kendal mint cake and flapjacks after our long day in the hills. I’ve posted the climb stats and some photos on facebook.

Last Sunday Jeff and I took on a Whernside and Ingleborough double whilst Paul and Debbie sunned themselves in Dubai (Envious? Me?). I think they had the better deal weather wise.

We parked up just outside the Ribbleshead viaduct and set off around 9.30 in over cast and breezy conditions. Initially heading north westerly following the train line before turning to begin the climb up to Whernside’s ridge. By this point we were in the mist and drizzle so out come the waterproofs. At this point I realise my Gortex over-trousers are at home – big time fail!  Around 11.30am we make a quick stop at the summit wind shelter where I grab a cup of tea and an energy bar and then we’re off along the ridge and then down the valley where we stop to adjust kit and snaffle down a sandwich.

It’s now windy and really raining – cold on the face as I try to reduce the presented surface area by receding well into my coat’s hood. We cross just north of Chaple-le-Dale and begin our way up towards Inglebrough.  Once over the fells and past some pretty impressive looking pot holes we climb back into the mist and up a very steep and wet path of rock steps up to the north easterly side of set of Inglebourgh upper slopes. From there it’s a short climb to the south east to reach the summit trig point and the welcome respite of the wind shelter where we finish the last of our hot drinks.

By this point my lower half is saturated and I’m cold so I’m glad to get moving again. The next hour or so we move north easterly along the upper slopes of Inglebourgh, across Southern Scales Fell and Park fell before descending down to pick up the road back to Ribblehead.

In an effort to conserve battery life I rather smartly stuck my phone into aeroplane mode forgetting that this also disables the GPS. This means that I didn’t record any climb stats for this hike but Jeff estimated our route to be around the 14miles mark. We finished the route at around 4.30pm which is fairly respectable time. If we kept that kind of pace up we should be able to nail the Yorkshire 3 peaks under the 12 hour mark – a challenge I’d like to attempt but perhaps save for after the Kili trip as I don’t seem to be getting any takers from the rest of the team just yet. Not too many more weekends on the hills as we leave for Tanzania in 30 days’ time!