Sunday 8th September 2013
An update on my list from a few weeks ago. Clearly you were all too polite to tell me about the numbering, it was not sequential and there were only nine. Grade 3 in Maths could have taken a long time!!! In fact I’d probably still be doing it!
The tasks on the list have gone as follows:
10. Plan out my last few week’s training and make sure I stick to it. OK so far!
9. Check all the required kit is bought and worn in! Make sure I have a travel bag for it all. Kit in place except a sleeping bag liner and some gloves/mittens. Can’t find any at all.
8. Complete vaccination programme. Done. Buy travel insurance. Done.
7. Climb Scafell Pike, Siddaw and Blencathra. Three favourites in The Lakes. Planned for later in September, weather permitting.
6. Write out a daily list to take with me…or I will forget …e.g. to put my boots on. Yes I’ve walked out of the house having done that! Done. (Yes it is amazing isn’t it!!)
5. Decorate the list of things I have drawn up around the house. Some major, others minor but it will take the best part of a month! Started it!
5 (b). Cut hedges and prepare them for winter. Not yet.
4. Make sure our fund raising target, of £5,000, is reached by arranging and completing the last three planned events. Nearly there.
3. Make travel plans to be in London on time to catch the plane to Kathmandu. Not done yet.
2. Relax. Reflect. Walk the walk…in my head. Am reading & thinking with the help of blogs from Australia!
1. ?… For the one thing you are all saying….Don’t forget to……Still waiting.
Stats for the week.Yoga. One session. Bike rides. One. 24:5 mls; 2hrs 13mins & 1590ft climbed. Walks. Three. 11hrs 17mins; 29:6mls; 6186ft climbed. Runs. None. Weight change. No. Ice creams. Too many.
Contrary to popular myth we do not simple walk out of the house and head to the hills or pile into the car, find a destination and head over the horizon. It may seem hard to believe but there is a plan. For a number of years we have been working our way through some books by Jack Keighley, Paul Hannon and a Barthlolomew Guide by Brian Spencer. These are a variety of length, difficulty and terrain. We do not just look at a map and think, that’s a good place. Occasionally we do but the books give us a guide as to all of the above and suggest places we might not think of going to, or suggest routes we may not otherwise consider. they are a good starting point and if you are unsure give you a bit of confidence. Having said that we do find it is essential, the books tell you to do this as well, to take a map of the area. At times we have been horrendously off the track and lost our way. Sometimes the guides are poor, sometimes it is as simple as missing a style, or a yellow painted way marker which is only about one inch high!! An essential piece of equipment is therefore a pair of binoculars because they can save you a great deal of leg work walking round in circles looking for clues (it has happened) or thrashing the grass while thinking what to do next because it is late, dusk and we are at least two miles from the car… at the end of this wood. Sadly my binoculars are now been enjoyed by the person who found them on Snowdon, on a rock along the ridge at Bwlch Main!
I digress. After the walk we always try for a tea, or ice cream and discuss the walk. this finally involves giving a score out of 10. So far we have awarded some low scores 4 and even a 3 once. Lower than that is just about impossible because any walk deserves at least 3 because it gets you out in the fresh air. We have awarded a few 9:5 (the average of at least two scores), about three, but never a 10. …Until today. Today we walked from Malham, via Malham Tarn, on to Langcliffe, back via Attermire Scar and the old Pack Road through the Pass and down to Malham. Malham Cove, Malham Tarn, the Yorkshire Three Peaks in view, Attermire Scar (and the caves), verdant green valleys and to finish off with more views of the Tarn, Cove and Upper Airedale. 14 miles of the best scenery there is. I know I’m biased. I never recommend walks but this one I would. How did we know about it? Well a few weeks agoI found this little book in a bookshop in Hawes by Colin Speakman. Printed in 1969, it cost about 50p then, I had to pay £2 for it, it is a little gem and gives walks that are a little bit longer but always worth the effort.
So what I’ve learned this week. Never give up looking, searching and been curious!
Scenes from this week. (Click to enlarge)
River Aire at Malham
Malham Cove
Malham Tarn
The Tarn from the the Field centre
A stampede, just avoided!
One more descent to go back to Malham
Thanks to all at the Golf Day, who, I hope, enjoyed themselves while raising money for Macmillan. A wonderful gesture to help a complete stranger.
Until next week. Goodbye.
The Last Day in Lukla
Everest Base Camp with Macmillan Cancer Support 