BB2004 : An Ambulation of Mind

Wednesday 22nd January 2020

Well, a six thousand acre pasture is certainly an Open Space!

The Walking quotation comes from her 1991 set of non-fiction essays called Island, The Universe, Home. Shortly after these were written she was struck by lightning and incapacitated for some years, subsequently writing about the experience in a book entitled A Match To The Heart.  These days she seems better known for her motivational and inspirational quotations including that concerning the Ambulation of Mind.  

How and why do I know all this?  Well, I came across her by chance as the Ambulation quotation was referred to in an article that was otherwise completely unrelated to any BOOTboys activity.  Somehow, it seemed relevant to the rambling conversations we enjoy whilst ambulating.

Today's ambulation intention was for a mid-level walk in fog and mist on a route where it would be difficult to get lost but would still provide a degree of challenge. Time and other constraints led us to choose the east side of the Kentmere valley.

What surprised us was that when we parked near Stile End, the predicted fog unexpectedly lifted.  It was now a clear morning with hardly any mist to be seen.

That changed as we climbed the pass and turned north to Shipman Knotts.  

The valley was filling up, as were all the other valleys.  The higher we ventured, the more dramatic the inversion became.  

We were not always entirely mist free; Dock of the Bay-like, we watched it roll in over us then watched it roll away again.

Lunch was taken on the top of Kentmere Pike in glorious sunshine.  The view was magical.

Whilst tanning ourselves, I told the boys about Gretel Ehrlich and how Uncle Google had then referred me to a website  called The Quote Garden.  In the section on Quotations about Walking, her Ambulation of the Mind is to be found amongst a long list of others, including: Solvitur Ambulando:  It is solved by walking.  Stan reminded me that we had encountered this previously; see BB1636.

The problem we now had to solve was whether to continue as planned and return via the fog-enshrouded valley or should we retreat the way we came and make the most of the sun?  We deferred the decision until we had climbed Harter Fell.  Then the weather made the decision for us.  The mist rose and it seemed that by descending down to the Nan Bield shelter and then onwards south down the pass, we might actually emerge below the cloud level.  To a large extent, this worked though at times it didn't.

And then, as we passed above Kentmere reservoir, it was clear.

 And then it wasn't!

It's a long walk back down through the Hallow Bank Quarter, which gave plenty of opportunity for mind ambulating.  

Temporarily, we mislaid John which reminded me of another erudite example from the Quotations about Walking, this one by Ellen DeGeners:

My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty.
She's ninety-three today and we don't know where the hell she is.

Fortunately Stan found John and the car.  As we approached, I voiced one more quotation.  That of Evan Esar who observed that "Walking isn't a lost art- one must, by some means, get to the garage."  

To which Tony added "Yes and then from the car to the bar."

We took the hint, headed for the Eagle & Child and raised a glass to absent friends.

Don, Wednesday 22nd January 2020

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STATISTICS

BB2004 : An Ambulation of Mind

Date:

Wednesday 22nd January 2020

Features:

Shipman Knotts, Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell

Comitibus:

Don, John, Stan, Tony

Distance in miles (Gar min):

9.5

Height climbed in feet (OMN):

2,391

GPX track

BB2004.gpx

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