BB1431 : Up The Eskimo !

Wednesday 27th August 2014

At first I was apprehensive- not just for Tony but for me.  There is one part of the route which seemed to go up by a deep ravine.  Photos on Google were not encouraging.  It looked pretty dangerous and the impression was not helped by reports describing it as a scramble.  There are scrambles and scrambles.

I used to think of the word to mean a section of rock where hands were needed but no great difficulty nor real exposure to sheer drops.

Then I learned that in mountaineering terms there is a quite different meaning which basically means more or less unroped rock climbing.  

To be fair, there are different degrees but even the easiest sounds scary to wimps like me.

Bryan assured me that it would be fine for the group. Perhaps it was his use of the word "interesting" that meant it wasn't until I found the report on the Hileys website that I was fully reassured. Although the photos of the ravine looked fearsome, the fact that they were able to take four dogs, two of them large retrievers, made me realise that Bryan was right.

We were joined today, in weather that would have been perfect had it not been for a cold easterly wind, by one of the original 1973 BOOTboys, Ian, with his two sons George and Harry.  I don't think Ian had told them much if anything about Big Josie!

Philip was also with Martin and me, as a training exercise for his imminent Nepalese trek.

Notionally I had divided the ascent into five sections.

The first, the gentle climb up to Lingcove Bridge.  (2.8 miles; 640 feet)
The second, the slightly more inclined climb to the crossing of the Great Moss and on to the base of the How Beck ravine scramble (4.7; 1,358)
The third, up the scramble to the base of the gully (5.6; 2,310)
The fourth, up the gully to Foxes Tarn (5.9; 2,733)
The fifth, the scree to the Sca Fell summit.(6.2; 3,162)

The first section leads gently up the Esk valley surrounded by the distant Sca Fell, Scafell Pike, Bowfell and the Crinkles ranges.

Once over the lingcove bridge and into the second stage, the views were spectacular.

Esk valley panorama

By the third stage, the Crinkles fell away and we were deeper into the tightening area of what is possibly the wildest and most dramatic part of the Lake District, hemmed in by Sca Fell and Scafell Pike.

The scramble was steepish but with excellent grips and no great exposure.  Bryan was right.

Section four, up the gully, led us away from the valley,, committing us to Scafell.  It was very narrow and steep, although not dangerously so, and again there were good grips to assist the climb.

Foxes Tarn, the smallest named tarn in the Lake District, provided brief respite then it was a charge up the short scree to the summit.  Job done.  Tony's only regret was that neither of his normal guides, Bryan and Stan, were there to share the moment.

There was also a bit of scree on the descent.

Screes aren't what they used to be.  What I first visited the area, at school camp in the 1960s, screes were rivers of small rocks and, although they were beasts to climb, you could have fun, running safely down stones as they shifted and sank under your feet.  Now they are very much worn out and only the odd patch of fun remains,  The tracks are more like treading on marbles.

Looking back to Slightside and Sca Fell

After Slight Side it was a long trek back to the car but at least it was downhill and still with the sun in the sky and not too hot.  There was a good view of Mediobogdum, the Hardknott Roman Fort, the size of which being apparent from this aspect.

Mediobogdum

LeJogging Your Memory

To find out more about Ian and Martin S's epic ride visit LEJOG.

To make a (further?) donation, visit Justgiving LEJOG2014 :

BOOTboys routes are put online in gpx format which should work with most mapping software. You can follow our route in detail by downloading bb1431 .

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 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.
A reference back to this website would be appreciated.
If I have failed to acknowledge properly the source or infringed copyright, then I apologise.
. Please let me know and I will do my best to put things right.

BOOTboys routes are put online in gpx format which should work with most mapping software.

You can follow our route in detail (and at your own risk) by downloading bb1431 .

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 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.
A reference back to this website would be appreciated.
If I have failed to acknowledge properly the source or infringed copyright, then I apologise.
.Please let me know and I will do my best to put things right.

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