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BB1345
: The Mortal Men
Saturday
28th December 2013
The Snowman
and the Snowdog have completed their 18th and final encore.
Santa is long gone. Wrapping paper and empty bottles have been
boxed for
recycling. Spots of supeglue left from emergency repairs
painfully peeled
from finger tips. The last of the mince pie crumbs swept from
the floor. Still some tidying up to do but life is slowly
returning to normal.
Those BOOTboys released from post-Christmas duties
gathered for the end of year outing. However,
being still in grandchildren recovery mode, I was unable
to join in the fun. Let Stan take over the tale.
It
was a good turnout for the last outing of the year with
part time BOOTboys
Martin S and Ian B, together with Ian’s strapping sons
George & Harry, joining regulars Bryan, James, Stan
and Tony.
There
were pre-walk requests with the common theme of taking
things easy and not being blown off the tops, so the
day’s target was a gentle stroll around Wansfell. We
arrived mob-handed at the layby by the bridge south
of Troutbeck church which persuaded a camper van this
might not be the best place to spend the weekend, leaving
plenty of space for our three vehicle convoy.
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Sun on the Yoke / Ill Bell Ridge
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Brightly painted sheep!
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Given
recent weather, we were lucky that it was a near perfect,
fine, dry day with little wind and good visibility as
we leisurely made our way up Nanny Lane. As we
strolled along, Ian confided that he had been pretty
busy this year with fellwalking and other activities
and this was his second fell walk this year! Nevertheless,
with ample stops to take in the super views we kept
up a respectable pace albeit somewhat slower than the
foxhounds enjoying running free in the Troutbeck valley
below.
The
yelps of the hounds accompanied us as we by passed the
kissing gate and headed up the bridle path towards Baystones.
A number of hunt followers were encountered on
route but I’m happy to report that no foxes were caught
today. Reportedly, those foxes raised were last
seen making for more welcoming pastures in Longsleddale
whilst waving two paw pads towards the foxhounds and
followers.
By
the time we reached the top of the ridge the wind had
strengthened and we decided to follow the wall until
we found a place to shelter for lunch. We found
a suitable place where the ridge wall meets an adjoining
wall at a ladder stile and settled down to a leisurely
lunch.
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On the ridge towards Wansfell
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Comitibus
: Wansfell
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Not
a whimper had been heard from Tony at this stage as
it was his lucky day.
His
son had just won £20,000 on the lottery and Tony
was looking forward to the return of a loan from his
son, with added interest that would make Wonga green
with envy. To cap this we had stopped for lunch
at 11.51 a.m., a full nine minutes before Tony’s stomach
alarm kicks in.
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As
we headed towards Wansfell top we saw that
the crowds were out and realised the
Wansfell Fell race was in full swing.
Bryan
reminisced about past events as this race
was too short and fast for him even when
he was young and fit. My view also.
We
dallied for a few minutes watching the race
and taking in the super views but the wind
was now stronger and colder so we set off
down the southern ridge to join Robin Lane.
Runners reaching Wansfell summit
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Stan,
left, and Bryan, right, in their pomp
and
others still on their way up
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Late afternoon sun on Windermere
When
we reached the end of the Lane there was no sight of
Ian’s strapping young sons (they just dinnae ha’ the
stamina these days), so we stopped to wait for them,
but not Tony & James. They had got the whiff
of beer and set off at a cracking pace in the direction
of the Mortal Man. When the boys came into sight,
I set off after Tony & James and caught them up
as they were approaching the Mortal Man. James
was in the process of telling Tony there was no way
Don would go in the Mortal Man and so it would be dishonorable
for us to do so.
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Tony
agreed and said he wouldn’t be seen dead
in the place and without breaking stride
they continued in the direction of the Queens
Head.
Although
there was a welcoming log fire at the Queens
Head, Tony & James announced that it
was too crowded and poncey inside, even
by James’s first tier county connections,
and so we’d have to sit outside.
Tony
appointed himself kittymaster and ignored
requests for lager and other girly drinks
and said there was no way he was ordering
anything other than 8 pints of beer!
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A pint OUTSIDE the Queens Head
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The
beer was OK but it was too cold to sit outside
for more than a pint so a move to the Mortal
Man it had to be.
A
good decision.
The
Mortal Man was more welcoming with better
beer and there was room for all of us to
sit round a table.
In
fact, Tony announced that it was the best
pub he’d been in all year but reverted to
form and threw a tantrum when the rest of
us wimped out and wouldn’t stay for the
full session.
A
fitting end to the BOOTboys
walking year, with a few cobwebs blown away
on a fine clear day in good company.
Stan,
28th December 2013
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How
I Learned To Love The BOOTboys
Not
everybody likes statistics so if you follow
the BOOTboys
but aren't bothered about our records, try
the Auteurs instead, as found by Mike in
his CD collection.
Click
on their album cover, right, for more.
However,
for the geeks amongst you, let me tell you
how this year has compared with others.
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It
has been a pretty busy year. Not back to the glory
days when Stan and I were knocking off the Wainwrights
but the log has got better in aggregate since 2011
though the average distance and ascent dropped a little
this year.
Total
active BOOTboys (including one BOOTbabe)
stayed steady at 19 with a welcome boost to the average
number of participants.
Here
is the full set since records began:
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Total
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Average*
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BOOTboys
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Year
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Events
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Miles
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Feet
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Miles
|
Feet
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Total
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Ave
|
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2006
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33
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236.9
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83,627
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8.2
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2,613
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9
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3.5
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2007
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40
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334.8
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101,748
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8.6
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2,609
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8
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4.7
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2008
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40
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427.9
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95,108
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10.7
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2,378
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9
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3.3
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2009
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41
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446.0
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103,334
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10.4
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2,403
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13
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3.8
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2010
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46
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516.3
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128,099
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10.5
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2,614
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19
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3.4
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2011
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40
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348.2
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52,814
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8.9
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1,320
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22
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4.8
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2012
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44
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372.5
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77,682
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9.3
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1,942
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19
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3.4
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2013
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45
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395.7
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83,321
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9.0
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1,894
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19
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4.3
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*
The distance averages are adjusted to remove non walking events.
Hopefully,
with John Hn wanting to complete his first round of
the Wainwrights, even more progress will be made in
2014.
Happy
New Year!
Don
| STATISTICS:
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BB1345
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| Date:
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Thursday
19th December 2013
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| Distance
in miles:
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6.7
(Garmin GPS)
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| Height
climbed in feet:
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1,493
(Memory Map / OS)
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| Features:
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Wansfell
Pike, Wansfell (Bowstones)
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| Comitibus:
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Bryan,
Ian + George and Harry, James, Martin
S,
Stan, Tony
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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 bb1345 .
To
discover which Wainwright top was visited on which BB outing
- although it may not be that up to date - see: Which
Wainwright When?
For the latest totals of the mileages and heights (ditto) see: BB Log.
Photos
have been gleaned from many sources although mostly
from me!
Likewise written comment.
Unless stated
otherwise, please feel free to download the material
if you wish.
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