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BB1225
Travelling Light
Wednesday
8th August 2012
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I
got no bags or baggage to slow me down
I'm traveling
so fast my feet ain't touching the ground
"Travel light,"
I told myself, "the forecast is good so there’s
no need for heavy gear or boots."
I
confess to carrying a rucksac but it was only a tiny one for
my butties!
Only
Bryan and Stan for travelling companions today so I was expecting to be pushed
hard. Stan had proposed a circuit to include Fairfield
and St Sunday Crag.
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As
Bryan led, storming up the nose of High Hartsop Dodd
and onwards past Little Hart Crag to Dove Crag, I realised
that travelling light had been a really good decision.
From
here, the Olympic spirit set in. I took advantage
of my having nothing, well next to nothing, to haul,
certainly no comb or toothbrush, and led the charge,
feet barely touching the ground,
onwards via Hart Crag to the summit of Fairfield.
No
comb and tooth brush, I got nothing to haul
I'm carrying
only a pocketful of dreams, a heart full of love
and
they weigh nothing at all
High
Hartsop Dodd and round to Hart Crag
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Brotherswater,
High Hartsop Dodd a-peeping
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Looking
back over Brotherswater
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Our
lunch stop dreams were marred by some nasty wasps who insisted
on joining us. Certainly no heart full of love for them.
The
Raven
Do ravens eat wasps? An inquisitive
raven that was watching us quothed "Nevermore"
which was little ironic given that,only last week, whilst
deep underground, I had indirectly referred to such
creature in the quotation of the Night's
Plutonian Shore.
The
western panorama
Helvellyn
range
I
knew what next lay in store and I was not looking forward
to it. Cofa Pike is only a little addendum to
Fairfield but involves a steep rocky climb in a semi-exposed
position. Kind Stan made sure I had some practice
on similar terrain by leading me down Fairfield by a
precarious descent first! Wise Bryan took a much
more sensible route.
Equally,
I
was not looking forward to the ridge over to
St Sunday Crag. I had it in my mind that it was
a scarily narrow path with big drops to each side. The
drops were there but the path was wide and not at all
scary. Looking back over previous reports, I can’t
think why I thought it might be.
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Cofa
Crag and St Sunday's Crag
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Grisedale
Tarn
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Ullswater
from St Sunday's Crag
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Comitibus
:
St Sunday's Crag
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Following
a number of false summits and then the real St Sunday
thing, Bryan suggested we stopped
for a brew and that, for me at least, was a big mistake.
After all that charging around, my
legs no longer felt as if they weighed nothing
at all.
My knees were
starting to complain, a grumble which they kept up all
the way down Cold Cove Gill whilst Stan, who goes faster
as the day gets longer, skipped down
the hill. Bryan kindly kept me company.
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I might
have been travelling light but the hoots and hollering
I made were nothing to do with love looks or paradise.
Soon,
I'm gonna see that love look in her eyes
I'm a hoot
and a holler away from paradise
Fortunately,
on reaching the level ground in the valley bottom, the
joints starting working again, at least well enough
to get me back to the car and out again at the Brotherswater
Inn.
Here
we celebrated Bryan now officially being an old man
which he proved was simply a number and not a condition
by showing us his photos of his recent ascent of Mont
Blanc. I
am flattered that a number of readers of BB1224
thought that it had been me who had accompanied Bryan
on that adventure. As if! Respect where respect
is due.
Bryan-
Respect!
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Brotherswater
Inn bar
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Congratulations
Bryan
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The
Inn's medicine kicked in and my legs were mended, after
a fashion. Somewhat later than anticipated, we
headed off for home.
Travellin'
Light, Travellin' Light
I just can't wait to be with my baby tonight !
I
was thinking of what delights might be awaiting. I
was not disappointed.
A glass of wine and a
delicious supper lovingly
prepared by my dear wife. Yes!
Don,
9th August 2012
Where
Was Tony?
Eagle-eyed
readers will have realised that Tony was not with us
today.
His excuse? Something rather
fishy.
Here
he is with his other friends: a 6lb 3oz Barbel and a 3lb
9oz Chub.
He
reports that he had a marginally successful day on the
bank for eight absolutely baking hours and in all that
time only managed to catch one barbel, two chub and
an eel!!
White
Scar Cavies
It
wasn't until I processed the photos for BB1224
that I discovered that the entrance to the White Scar
Caverns is also a guinea pig farm!
Ellie
Mae at the Olympics
My
new granddaughter has some surprising skills.
STATISTICS:
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BB1225
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Wednesday
8th August 2012
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| Distance
in miles:
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9.8
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| Height
climbed in feet:
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3,472
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| Wainwrights:
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High
Hartsop Dodd, Little Hart Crag, Dove
Crag, Hart Crag, Fairfield, St Sunday
Crag
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| Other
Features:
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-
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| Comitibus:
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Bryan,
Don, Stan
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BOOTboys
routes are put online in gpx format which
should work with most mapping software. You can follow
our route in detail by downloading bb1225.
To
see which Wainwright top was visited on which BB outing
see
Which
Wainwright When?
For the latest totals of the mileages and heights see: BB Log.
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