Firstly thank you for the responses to my last post, much appreciated.
So it's been a couple of weeks since i wrote on here, as usual! In the last two weeks though i've had 3 really good runs with a few short ones thrown in for good measure!
Firstly Agent A and I had an early morning jaunt up a frozen Skiddaw last Monday before i had a day at work. The temperature in town was cold, but manageable, and i set off before Adam arrived, he's faster than me anyway! I got up Latrigg in average time, but had bad stomach issues as soon as i hit Jenkins Path which slowed me down a bit. Adam soon caught me at the first gate on the ascent of Jenkins and we power hiked up the zig zags and resumed a very slow pace to the stile below Little Man.
My legs were like lead, i had no strength for some reason, but we ran on and then power hiked up the last climb to the summit plateau and jogged to the summit.
It was a bit cold on the summit!
As proven by the ice on Adams legs!
Agent A braving the elements too
Agent A descending from the summit
The descent was fun as always, steep technical trail interspersed with hard packed paths, leading into Latrigg which is a fast path back to the car. I then went to work, which was fun on knackered legs!
The next day Matt text to say he was up for a run of our local route, a mixed bag of tarmac and muddy fields for 3 miles. My legs were sore and tired after about 100 metres, and Matt was pushing a decent pace! I was happily surprised at the finish of the run to see we were actually faster than the same route the week before, and even got out on the bike the next day and felt ok!
The Sunday night tradition of running Skiddaw was reinstated this week after a hiatus for surgery and without me heckling people to run it, they never do! The weather was perfect, clear skies and sunshine, and the tops were covered with a healthy dose of snow.
Agent A was nursing a mega hangover at work and was in no fit state to join us (pansy) so myself, Matt and George decided we would skip Latrigg and start from Underscar Carpark. Matt & George are fit guys and soon left me for dead on the ascent, waiting every few hundred metres to make sure my headtorch was still heading up hill.
Just above the zig zags on Jenkins path the snow took over and it was a welcome return! The crunch of each footstep was amazing, and the jog up to Little Man stile, and onward to the summit stile was pretty magical under a starlit night sky. The summit plateau was enshrined in a thin cloud which dissipated quickly thankfully.
George (seated) and Matt on the summit
me, stood on the Trig Point on the summit
George & I on the summit
The descent was great fun, the snow allowed for a fast descent from the summit, and Jenkins path was a joy to bound down under the moon light to the car park, once again a thoroughly enjoyable jaunt up and down a hard fell!
The weather for yesterday was forecast to be perfect for a run, so Agent A and I headed to Buttermere to run my favourite route in the mountains, and a route that Adam had never walked nor run.
We started out with the run from the hotels along the farm tracks to the base of Red Pike. The climb up RP is a little over 2000ft in less than 2 miles, and it's a real slog!! we made the summit in 70 minutes from the car, a ways off my pb, but still pretty good going!
Agent A (above) and Myself atop Red Pike
From Red Pike we dropped down to cross the top of Chapel Crags and climb up to High Stile. From High Stile we ran the technical ridge line above Comb Crags over to High Crag, taking us to over 3000ft ascent in less than 4 miles! The Gamlin End descent off High Crag is a quad crushing mix of loose scree (talus to the Americans) and hard stone staircase to the foot of Seat. We walked over Seat and took in some GU Chomps and Clif ShotBlocs then ran the descent to Scarth Gap, where we decided to carry on over Haystacks to stretch out the day a little longer!
Running the ridge line above Comb Crag
Descending Gamlin End
The first scramble on Haystacks
Haystacks was Wainrights favourite mountain, and it's easy to see why, a mixture of steep path and rock scrambles leads the way over the fell to Innonimate Tarn, which is generally where i eat lunch if hiking the route! We briefly discussed heading over to Honister and completing the full horseshoe, but dismissed it and instead decided to cut down the sheep trod to the bothy. A quick drink and more energy blocs at the bothy and we descended to Gatesgarth in the valley bottom, and followed the lake back to Buttermere village. We quickly spruced ourselves up (deodorant and a change of t-shirt) and we went to the little cafe and destroyed some amazing sausage baps and a few cans of coke! all in all an absolutely fantastic few hours on the fells, and i think Adam was suitable impressed with the choice of route!
Innonimate Tarn on Haystacks
The view of Crummock and Buttermere from the Bothy is worth the hard work!
The End
(until next time)
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