A glorious day for Ingleborough.

Today started out absolutely beautifully.

The sun was shining, but there was still plenty of snow on the hill tops in the distance (even though we were to be heading in the opposite direction)

I picked Steve and Rixy up. Rixy was running 10 minutes late.

Steve being the gent jumped in the back. Rixy, with his travel sickness jumped in the front, and was delighted to be greeted by a packet of ginger biscuits on the dash. Shame I had emptied them out earlier just to wind him up haha.

We set off for Clapham, our start/finish point for the walk up Ingleborough.

When we got there we wondered why the car park was empty, I guess the 5 quid charge answered that. What tight Yorkshire man is gonna pay that?

I gently squeezed into a roadside spot, we donned our gear and headed off.

I've done Ingleborough once before, many moons ago and a totally different route, so wasn't sure what lay ahead. The start was quite easy, up a well made road next the the woods, through a farm, and then dropped back down to a well made path to the caves.

 After this it was a short climb to Trow Gill, and what an epic sight we were about to see. A huge gorge with masses of ice hanging down, and an ice river before us.

We chose to try it without ice spikes first just to save a couple of minutes, it worked. Fortunately the rocks sticking out above the ice gave us enough foot holds to get us up easily and safely.

 

Rixy was complaining that he wanted it to snow, so we kicked some loose stuff at him while he did the last 10 yards :-D

The going from here was quite easy for a while. Up the track, stop to make sure we are going the right way, turn around to head off and then land on my arse, over the wall and then onto the path to Gaping Gill.

We didn't bother nipping down into Gaping Gill, as we were conscious of the lack of time/daylight hours. We carried on over Thack Pot and started the ascent up Little Ingleborough and then onto Ingleborough.

It started to snow a little over Thack Pot which put a smile on my face, but the flakes were smaller than talcum powder, and it stopped quicker than it started. There was still quite a bit of snow on the ground from the previous week, but it was patchy on the path at this point, and quite compacted so easy going.

It all started getting much tougher as we started up the stairs. There was a lot of ice and compact, slippery snow all the way up.

As we crested the top of Little Ingleborough the world opened up, no more looking at the hill in front, just the open plateau and Ingleborough in he distance.

The wind hit us, it was quite strong, and bitterly cold. We hunkered down, pulled our scarves up and plodded on. What probably only took 10 minutes seemed to take forever.

As we reached the South side of Ingleborough and started to climb, we were thankfully sheltered from the wind again. Here the ground was solid snow but easy going. The climb up was quite easy going...and then we got to the top.

The top of Ingleborough is another big plateau. With the sun shining and the whole top covered by a level layer of snow, it could be mistaken for the Antarctic, with us 3 intrepid explorers like Shackleton, Hillary and Fiennes (with a very, very vivid imagination maybe) The scene was one of the most beautiful things I have seen. An expanse of white nothingness gaining slight altitude with only the clear sky beyond it. I hope the group shot (if you can call 3 a group?) can give you some visualisation of it. I faffed about with the camera on the phone and did the best I could to capture the awesome view.

After posing for the shot, we headed up to the wind break for a well deserved lunch. I broke out my 'new' (2nd hand ebay bargain purchase) Jetboil, Rixy and Steve got our their shiny jetboils too.

Non of us seem to be into 'standard' packed lunches, it was Pasta Salad (I think) for Steve followed by chocolate pudding, Lancashire Hot Pot for Rixy and Lamb Curry with Pilau Rice for me (gotta love rat packs) They soon cooked up, but took a little longer to boil than it did when testing the jetboil in the kitchen at home.

Rixy was well impressed when he saw a lady taking pics with her camera, but accidentally shouted "woohoo, photo bomb" loud enough for her to hear (she seemed to find it quite amusing).

Bear in mind at this point we had been laughing with/at each other all the way up. It must be a man thing (because the Wife doesn't understand it) but we had some awesome slagging off and insults flying between us all.

For all you women out there wondering why we do this, it's our way of showing affection to all the wankers and toss bags that we acquaint ourselves with :-D

We were all cooked up and eating, Rixy was fannying about trying not to spill on his jacket, I laughed at him and promptly slipped (but stayed upright I might add) slopping a spoon of Curry everywhere and after seeing that Steve sprayed a mouthfull of his meal all over Ingleborough. This is where we agreed that we'll probably grow old, but never grow up. Men can't do that. Men need to be left as boys, it's how we cope with life. 

Once we had composed ourselves it was time to pack up and bug out. Not before Rixy decided to go around the other side of the wind break to 'wash his cup out' Washing his cup out consisted of filling it with snow and lobbing it over the wall at us haha.

We set off to the Trig point, no point reaching a summit and not touching the trig now is there? We then turn about and headed back off of the Antarctic, towards Clapham! As a matter of fact, we headed for the south east 'corner' of the plateau and down one of the steepest sections.

 

It was only a short drop and once again we left the spikes in the bags as the rocks looked like good foot holds.

What also looked like (and indeed was) a good idea, was sliding half way down on our backsides, at which point I remembered about the survival bag in my pack. Time to break it out and spend half an hour acting like 3 year olds again haha.

Now some of you might have just read that and thought about how responsible we were, but we weren't, we were very sensible and recorded it :-D

There isn't much to say about the route down really. It was uneventful, full of insults, and full of laughs. It has become apparent on the few walks we have done, that on the way down it is all about getting our heads down and getting back to the motor.

There was one point where we could look back and see what we had achieved though. The view of Ingleborough from the south is lovely.

Keep your eyes peeled on my blog. Hopefully my writing abilities will get better with practice.

I thought I was going to be all prim and proper, but then decided that it wasn't me, so you're stuck with what you get I'm afraid.

Hopefully the content will be more regular too, walks will still be irregular, but that is because I am volunteering with St John Ambulance now, that should give some stories (but obviously confidentiality will play a big part).

 

Destination Yorkshire Dales

Well, this Sunday we are planning on either Pen-Y-Ghent or Ingleborough.

It looks like it might be a cold one so I'll be digging around in my kit to see what I have.

Fortunately, I found my North Face windproof fleece this weekend, which I haven't seen all year, so that'll be getting used.

The weather for the week is below freezing temperatures, a risk of fog, and some snow showers.

How we'll be effected won't be know until the end of the week, but I don't really care. I'll be out there regardless.

Again, it's down to me and Rixy. All the others  have 'prior engagements', but I'm sure they're just too soft for the weather.

I might look into the possibility of doing both together, but I'm thinking not due to our lack of experience and the short days.

I'm hoping it will be clear. Cold I can cope with, but fog I can do without.

Anyway, keep your eyes peeled, I'll be posting up a trip report when we're back. Now, what to have for lunch while we're up there?

Pen-Y-Ghent

Ingleborough

The Bagging List

I guess every hiker has a bagging list?
I do, and it includes many of the highest peaks of the UK, Ben Nevis, Scafell, Snowdon etc.

So why do I want to do them?

I decided, not long since, that I want to get back into walking. I decided that a walk around the park wasn't good enough any longer. I wanted to get back into walking, which I did with my old man some 20 years ago, at the age of 13/14. I also have some personal mountains to climb.
I'm not entirely sure what these personal mountains are yet, but on the few walks I have done, I have felt a sense of achievement, a sense of being 'on top of the mountain'.
I always feel good after a hike, no matter how hard it was.

My outlook, was to start with Simons Seat, as I remember this being the first hill I climbed with my Dad, and at 1500ft it shouldn't be too hard?
My Brother and I had a failed attempt at the beginning, which he is unfortunately still suffering from!
The second attempt, a success.
The second attempt was a success in a few different ways. A group of 5 of us 'bonded' in the good old fashion of walking together, only 2 of them knew each other, but they were all friends of mine. We made the round trip in one piece. We made it to the top in horrible weather, all things considered.
It was a success, and I was happy.

The next Peak on my list was going to be one of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, Pen-Y-Ghent, Ingleborough, or Whernside. Only 1 of the group could make it, Rixy, and he was one of the more experienced. We chose Whernside as he had done it before, but I hadn't.

Whernside has been done. Another 'achievement unlocked' for me - walking in the snow.
It wasn't bad snow, but I had a grin like a Cheshire Cat inside my hood.
Rixy was a great walking partner, and we had some very, very random topics of conversation.

So back on to my 'Bagging List'...

We have done Simon's Seat @ 15000ft
We have done Whernside @ 2415ft
I think the next should be either Pen-Y-Ghent @ 2277ft or Ingleborough @ 2372ft
Also on my list, I have;
Scafell @ 3163ft and Scafell Pike @ 3209ft
I have Helvelynn @ 3117ft, via Striding Edge of course.
Skiddaw @ 3054ft
Great Gable @ 2949ft
Pillar @ 2927ft
Blencathra @ 2848
Crinkle Craggs @ 2818ft
Coniston Old Man @ 2635ft
Buckden Pike @ 2303ft
Kinder Scout @ 2807ft
Gragareth @ 2057ft

At some point, I also want to complete Ben Nevis @ 4409ft and Snowdon @ 3560ft.

(All heights shamelessly stolen from THIS wonderful website)

Now, these are on my list for the simple reason that I want to do them. I'm sure there are many more peaks, many more beautiful walks, but this is about me climbing mountains!
When I figure out what the mountains are that I'm climbing, I'll be sure to let you know.

Once these are finished? Well who knows eh!
So far, 3 walks in, and I'm loving it. I already have dates planned for next year, and plan on getting at least 18 peaks in, a night walk, and the Yorkshire 3 Peaks for the Anthony Nolan Trust.

I'll point out at this point, that I am fully aware I'm a novice walker, I have mediocre gear, and little experience (although pretty good knowledge)  of what I am doing.
I don't plan on going un-prepared. As my buddies will tell you, I'm usually over prepared.

I'll leave you with a few pics now. I've blatantly stolen these from Google Images.
While searching for them, it became apparent, that when you climb mountains, you have a clear picture of what is out there.

Striding Edge

Coniston

Snowdon, Crib Goch

From what I know, this is Crib Goch, a route up Snowdon. I did this back in '92 with my old man. I would have been 13 years old. I've never seen it from this angle before because it was COVERED in cloud when we did it. Good job really, it looks scary haha!

Into the clouds.

Well, that's Whernside done.

We arrived at the Ribblehead parking area in good spirits (as always) and donned our gear.

Looking up to the peak, there was a bit of clour cover, but it wasn't going to put us off.

Rixy and I set off walking, he kept telling me how bad a walk it was going to be.

As he said, no point sugar coating it haha.

As we went past Blea Moor signal box, the cloud cover seemed to dissipate from the peak a bit, thankfully, as I wouldn't want to get to the top and not have a view, would I?

 

The going was steady for the beginning, with a few simple stream crossings, that added to the sight seeing I guess. We then hit the hill and slowly wandered up, stopping every now and then to take a breather and take in the views around us.

On the way up, Rixy saw a Collie that looked like Richard Gere. Strangely enough, I saw the resemblance! (I'll point out now that if I told you about ALL the random conversations we had, we would probably be hunted down, put in a straight jacket, and locked in a padded room)

We got a spot of drizzle just before we hung a left, and over the stile.

From my point of view, the going got a bit easier here. Still uphill, but somewhat less strenuous.

I mentioned stopping for a quick snack, and Rixy said 'Just over the next hill then, there's plenty of rocks to sit on'.

When he said plenty, he meant one or two!

 

We sat down and I put my waterproof on, just to keep the wind out. I've been collecting Army ration packs of late, as they are pretty good in my opinion, so I gave the yeast extract, on biscuits brown a go.

NEVER AGAIN! Hell that stuff is foul, I doubt even Bear Grylls would touch it. Fortunately, I have some 'Fruit Spread-Strawberry' as back-up, that went down a treat.

As we were more or less ready for setting off again, it started to hail. Instead of re-packing the waterproof, I kept it on. Good move.

As we trudged on, the hail started coming down, and then the snow flakes.

Now, this may sound a little childish even a little stupid to some people, but it put a HUGE smile on my face. I said to myself that despite the weather, I was going to walk as often as possible, as often as family life allowed. I wanted to walk in snow, it was just something I wanted to do.

When walking as a kid/young teenager with my old man, it was always just Summer walking. I have wanted to do a bit of Winter walking for years, and this was the start of it.

As we wandered further on we stopped to take in the fact that the cloud base was just there, right in front of us, 50 yeards up.

We kept our heads down at this point, as it was getting quite bleak, and cold.

When we hit the summit, it let off a little (but not much). We got into one of the wind breaks up there. There was another couple sat eating their soggy butties.

I had offered to provide the meals, as Rixy had driven, but he decided he didn't want my Curried LAmb.

He announced that he was going to have his Chicken Casserole, at which I think the couple silently scoffed at the idea. That was of course, until the cookers and meals came out. The lady piped up that she thought we were joking. We were deadly serious haha.

We had a bit of a chat, and seriously, if you are reading this, and you are the couple that was up there, it really is part of the fun, part of the adventure.

We set off cooking. Very similar set-ups, gas canister with small burner screwed to the top.

If you have read my blog about Simons Seat (which can be found HERE) you will see that my last idea of cooking was a disaster! Well this time, it was Rixy's turn to need the use of somebody elses gear...mine!

He forgot a lighter, I had a few spares 'just in case'. His cooker was taking forever, so while I was tucking into my Sausage and Beans, he was using my stove to warm his food. Oh, and he borrowed my spare mug for his brew.

We talked on the way up about my idea of packing everything 'just in case', but as you can see, it helps sometimes.

We hurried along, had our snap, had our brew's, and then headed off after checking we had packed everything away, including all our rubbish. (It bugs me when people leave rubbish behind, even the slightest bit, but I can bend over so many times to pick up the odd bottle top, I can only fill so many tight pockets with bits)

We both knew it wouldn't be long before we were back to seeing the fields below, but it was quite windy, and freezing on the face and soaked gloves (note to self, windproof doesn't necesarily mean waterproof!) so we kept our heads down.

Ingleborough

After a short while, there it was...the descent. Oh my god! It was hard work, harder than the ascent. My knees were killing me, but my boots were holding out well and not rubbing.

For those who don't know it, it's a quick drop of about 750ft (very rough estimate) down some steep, stone, man made steps. I can imaging it being deathly in icy conditions.

Fortunately, after probably 20 minutes, it levels off and it's through a few fields and farms, up to the tunnel under the railway, back onto the original path, and then back to the motor.

Happy Rixy

Looking back up towards the peak

All in all, it was pretty easy going, the descent being the hardest part.

The climb up? Yeah, it's kind of hard, but my aim is to get out and climb mountains. I'm under no illusion it will be easy. I don't ever think I will do it stood on my head kin of thing, asI know that is the attitude of silly people.

I'm out to climb physical mountains, and climb personal mountains.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day. It added to my 'bagging list' for 2012/2013, it was a hill I had never hiked before, it also gave me route knowledge for the 3 Peaks Challenge, which we will be doing for charity (probably in October 2012) Near the top of the descent, Rixy showed me the rough route of the 3 Peaks Challenge. It's going to be a killer, but all for a good cause.

Just to add, one of our conversations was about Tele-transportation machines, and whether the useage would be charged pence per mile, with an altitude gain surcharge or not? That's the sort of randomness that I enjoy.

Yorkshire Dales 3 Peaks Challenge. "Let's just get on with it"

Well, it's with great regret that an Airsoft friend of mine passed away  on Oct 29th, after suffering with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. You can read a little of his story HERE on the Daily Mail website.

Today is his funeral, but I'm unable to attend due to work commitments, which is quite saddening.

Due to such a sad loss or a great man, and his families wishes for people to support the Anthony Nolan Trust, I am planning, in 2013, to do the Yorkshire Dales 3 Peaks Challenge.
The challenge takes on/around the Pen-Y-Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside hills in the Yorkshire Dales.
The route will take in 26 miles and 5250ft ascent/descent, all within 12 hours (usually).
With Rob being a 'man of action' though, and always challenging himself to be the best, I may look at shortening this time if I feel it can be done quicker by the team.

I say 'team' as I know that when I let more people know about this, they will join in, I may however just open it to those of Cerberus Airsoft, which is where I know Rob from.

Keep your eyes peeled here, and I shall be advertising the date this is going to happen, as soon as I have plans confirmed.