30/06/06 The Return of the Wyevale

As it turns out, I will be working at the garden centre after all. The manager has confirmed that I'll be working on Saturdays at least, and possibly Sundays as well, for the next four weeks until I move back to Norwich. Only one or two working days per week should cut down the level of stress that tends to escalate after a while, and will still provide some much-needed income. Woooop!

My eagerly awaited Aschenbrenner didn't arrive this morning, annoyingly. Looks like I'll have to wait until next week now. I've been doing some research and have found a fool-proof method of determining its approximate age. If the STUBAI logo on the blade is enclosed by a diamond, it's pre World War II; if the logo is enclosed by a stylised mountain, it's post World War II. I'm hoping for the former! Many of the Original Aschenbrenner model ice axes were used in first ascents of the great north faces of the Alps and on early Himalayan expeditions. It's a shame I will have no way of knowing the history of this specific axe. Apparently there's a sizeable chip in the adze, but that's merely a tantalising hint of the life it has led.

Have been doing a lot of tree climbing this past week, repeating ascents of many climbs in the two main clearings where the greatest concentration of quality routes are to be found. I am still unable to get past the overhang on the Bug Bowl but am now very familiar with the (previously difficult) entry pitch. Have also discovered three hard new routes crossing between trees: they're very intricate and exposed, but eventually I'll figure out how to do them! This rather strange little hobby really is doing wonders for my climbing ability. It's also helping me to block out the dreadful memory of falling off The Fear and that awful hour of crawling off the hill. After nearly a month, climbing is starting to be fun again!

However my injured back is still not 100% better. It is still a little stiff in the mornings, and on some days it keeps me awake in the early hours as it used to in the week after the accident. I will ask to be excused from heavy lifting duties when I go back to work. Obviously the injury was more serious than I initially thought ... it's healing, but it's a process that is clearly going to take some time.

Am in the process of doing a complete gear overhaul at the moment. I discovered three ancient tents, a rickety old backpack, and two early '90s sleeping bags in the garage, together with about three boxes full of Scouts-era camping gear. They'll end up on eBay I think. I recall one of the tents, my faithful old Backpacker ridge model, was damaged by Cabbage trying to jump over it when we were camping at Beaumanor Hall ... nine years ago! How time flies these days.

Posted by Alex at 1:15 PM

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29/06/06 Featured in an article by the BBC!

This weblog, and more generally the entire site, has been featured in this article on the BBC Suffolk website. There's a screenshot of this page, and here's what they say specifically about me: "Alex Roddie keeps a regular weblog about walking. He also has a back catalogue of beautiful photographs. It's an excellent resource for hikers in Suffolk."

Great news indeed! Visits are flooding in from the link on the article. Strictly speaking, of course, this blog isn't about hiking in Suffolk (even though this has been a recurring topic lately), but rather about my life in general. The rest of the site is devoted to mountaineering and walking. Even so, it's nice that all the effort I've put into this website over the past eight months is being appreciated.

A pile of new gear arrived all at once yesterday. My new helmet and set of 21cm extenders, all bought for a bargain price from www.climbstyle.co.uk, arrived in lightning time. I highly recommend this seller; they get the job done quick, don't charge for delivery, and supply items at discount prices! My new crampons also finally arrived. I ordered them about a month ago from PlanetFear but there was a mix-up with the supplier, apparently. In any case they're excitingly spiky and a good deal more aggressive than the old Grivel set, now belonging to James: perfect for harder mountain routes.

My long-awaited Stubai ice axe should be arriving tomorrow. I'll post pics when I can, and also photos of the restoration process. Apparently they're worth more when in original condition, but I'm not concerned about its monetary value. This is an axe of tremendous historical significance and I want to clean up the blade, maybe sand down the shaft and rub in some oil to preserve the wood. Eventually it will gleam!

Posted by Alex at 11:40 AM

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27/06/06 I WIN!!

At last, after weeks of bidding on various antique ice axes on eBay only to get outbid at the last minute, I have bagged myself an original Stubai ice axe, an Aschenbrenner from Austria. It's the old fashioned long variety, 32 inch Ash shaft, traditional non-drooped smooth pick and a true spike as opposed to the more modern spade design. Can't wait until it arrives and I can start cleaning it up!

Of course, it's highly doubtful I'll ever use it. Not only is it far too old to be reliable (it's pre-1950, possibly much older), I would also find the alpenstock format rather uncomfortable to use. Mountaineers these days are taught to use far lighter, shorter axes with more aggressive picks that can be used for belaying. Try belaying on this beast and you might regret it! No, I'm keeping it purely as an ornament, a source of inspiration, and a symbol of the golden age of Alpinism.

In other news, I'm putting off calling Wyevale to ask for my old job back. There are four useable weekends left before I move back to Norwich, which means a total of twelve days working (my normal working days are Friday to Sunday). Not sure if I can survive twelve days of customers. However I do need the money, and there's no guarantee I'll be able to find a job in Norwich, so I guess I really should ring up the manager.

The second two installments of the June trip report are in the works and will be coming shortly ... promise!

Posted by Alex at 10:30 PM

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26/06/06 Update

Went into the forest yesterday afternoon for some tree climbing with James. He climbed the entry pitch of the Bug Bowl but, like me, failed to tackle the overhang. I have absolutely no idea how I managed to climb that the first time around. Just can't get my head around it. I've often said that climbing is only 10% strength, and 90% brains: this is the perfect example.

Also spent an hour or so going over belay techniques. It takes a while to get used to using a belay device as opposed to the waist belay (which he was using before), but it'll be a lot more secure. My big reservation is his harness. He went for the cheapest possible harness, a very basic DMM model, which lacks a belay loop and is hard to adjust. This means that belaying is rather awkward. We'll probably get a short sling and rig it as a makeshift belay loop. In any case he has picked up the basic skills and now simply needs to practice. I've been urging him to get into tree climbing for a while now, because it really does help on many levels ... especially the thinking process of climbing and in building arm strength, both very important aspects.

Our plan for the August trip to Ogwen is changing all the time. The current idea is to have a bash at the Bochlwyd Horseshoe, Tryfan Little & North Gullies, Main Gully on Glyder Fach, a traverse of the Carneddau including one night wild camping (yay!), and the fairly serious climb of Glyder Fawr North Face. Naturally everything will change depending on glitches that arise--there's always at least one--and bad weather. In particular rain will make an attempt on the North Face of Glyder Fawr impossible. It's a very long and committing Grade 2 route and I want perfect conditions if we're to attempt it at all.

Sorting out broadband for the new house today--still much to be done before we move in!

Posted by Alex at 12:30 PM

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23/06/06 Back! (mini trip report follows)

As it turns out I only spent one night bivvying. The reason was simple but avoidable: the volume adjusters beneath the insole of my right boot had slipped forward, creating a ridge of material that pressed against my heel and caused a blister. By the time I realised, it was already too late and it wouldn't have been too comfortable continuing walking. That was at Aldeburgh this morning, about fifteen miles from my destination.

Even so, I walked 26 miles in a mere 8 hours, which is damned good going (even if I did bivvy somewhere in the middle of those eight hours!) And although I've bivvied a few times before, this occasion was the best. The bivuouac site was perfect, beneath a stand of pines in the middle of Blaxhall Heath. I was lulled to sleep by the churring of nightjars.

The sunrise, at 3 AM this morning, was something special. The eastern sky lit up in a golden glow, and as I watched a sharp crescent moon, also golden, soared into the sky just above the rising sun. Despite the midges and my nose blocked up from hayfever (pine pollen doesn't agree with me), that sunrise alone made me very happy. It was absolutely stunning and I doubt I'll ever see anything like it again.

There's something deeply satisfying in walking a long way and sleeping under the stars, then waking up the next morning for another day full of long miles. Bivvying is something I've always enjoyed but this experience has convinced me that I have to do more of this. A proper bivvy bag has been added to the list of things I need to get sometime!

So despite the disappointment of not completing the route, and the perhaps even greater disappointment of missing the legendary Southwold pubs (mmm ... Adnams), I lived the true wilderness camping experience as it should be. No tent, no heavy pack, no heap of tangled climbing gear and plastic bags cluttering up the place. Just me, a campfire, and a sleeping bag. Perfect!

Quick picture ... here is the new titanium mug/pan/thing on top of the Rocket cooking my dinner. The mug, made by Alpkit.com, is apparently called MyTiMug (from "my titanium mug", obviously), but I'm already callling it the Mighty Mug. It really does have special powers! Probably the only cooking vessel I'll ever need for cooking expedition ration packs, and weighing only 100g. The only problem was that the insulation tape I'd wrapped around the handles melted due to the intense heat of the Rocket's flame. There's a trick to that which avoids scorched fingers.

Posted by Alex at 10:30 PM

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22/06/06 Going away for a couple of days

I've decided to head off on a spur-of-the-moment backpacking trip this afternoon. I'm testing out out the ultralight philosophy by keeping my pack weight to a ridiculous minimum: I'm using my 35 litre pack, as opposed to the usual 65 litre one. In fact the water I'll be taking weighs more than the rest of the gear put together!

The plan is to cover the majority of the Suffolk coast, hopefully ending up at Dunwich or Southwold on Saturday evening. Daylight hours are long, so I'm hoping to clock significant mileage on each day. Instead of camping, I'll be bivvying in the forests. I'm taking the bothy bag in place of my tent, which is too bulky to fit in the '35 pack.

The weather is currently a bit blustery, so given the fact that I'm not even taking a waterproof (the windshirt will do), I might be in for a very interesting time! Some have said that I have a masochistic streak to my personality ... I think this is the final proof.

See you on Saturday!

Posted by Alex at 12:45 PM

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19/06/06 meh

Still sneezing a little today, but the Lurgi seems to have gone--thank heavens for that! Still plenty of pollen about but I'm not reacting as badly to it. Went on a trek up to the top heath and back round via Iken and the coast; I probably haven't been that way for six months. I was quite smug that I managed to keep to Rodders Standard Time (4 miles per hour) and walk 12 miles in almost exactly 3 hours. Take that, Naismith! I also managaged to do the entire route without referring to a map once. Just goes to show that I really, really know this area well.

It's quite extraordinary looking back on how much walking I used to do around here back in the old days. I believe I clocked almost 500 miles in 2004, and over 900 in 2005. Altogether I suspect I have walked several thousand miles in the patch of countryside bounded by the Deben in the southwest and Southwold to the north. It's actually a pretty big chunk of coast, and it's slightly galling that I never achieved my uber objective: a complete traverse of the Deben, South, Central and North Coastal Routes over two days. Of course I got sidetracked by other things and became interested in mountaineering over backpacking. Maybe now I'm in Suffolk for a few weeks I ought to get back into my old hobby. It'll keep me fit, after all.

In other news, there's a chance that we'll be able to get a refund for the Scotland tickets, but not a very big chance. Got to write to GNER Customer Relations and ask them nicely. Have decided to cancel the expedition altogether ... it's just going to be too much hassle. That means we get to concentrate on planning the great Wales trip instead. I just can't wait to be back in Ogwen climbing some of the most rugged mountains of the UK.

Frankie and I also have an almost definite moving-in date for our new house: July 29th. This has actually turned out for the best in a period where not much is certain at the moment. Means we don't have to worry about timing the Wales trip and can go pretty much whenever we want (I'm thinking the 7th as was originally planned). And then I'll be back in Norwich again more or less permanently. Huzzah!

Posted by Alex at 10:30 PM

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18/06/06 Struck down by the Dreaded Lurgi! *sneeze*

A strain of uber-hayfever has struck me down today--I've been virtually disabled by constant sneezing, a running nose, swollen eyes, and a dull thumping somewhere in the back of my head. James thinks it's a cold but I know better. Yesterday I passed under a pine tree so laden with pollen that the ground underneath it was yellow. It's the damned pines that always seem to set me off, and of course there are hundreds of thousands of them around here. Not too shiny.

Apart from sneezing my way through multiple packets of tissues, most of today has been spent drawing up emergency plans for the July expedition. There's a massive spanner in the works: turns out that, for a number of reasons, I won't be able to go to Torridon after all. However I'm still stuck with two return tickets to Dingwall (where I was to stay overnight with my mum, who was to be visiting relatives in the area).

I had considered Fort William or Glencoe, but the train journey from Edinburgh--one of the stops accessible from our booked train--is bloody inconvenient and involves hanging around in various stations for hours. I also found out that the Glen Nevis campsite near Fort Bill charges £8.50 per person per night at this time of year. I simply refuse to pay those prices.

The other area I considered was the Arrochar Alps, a range of mountains not too far from Glasgow, featuring notable peaks such as the Cobbler and Beinn Ime. The train journey isn't so annoying, but Arrochar village just isn't designed for people without access to a car (back in 2004, in Wales, I vowed never again to put myself in a situation where I'd have to walk along an A-road to get places). And although the mountain summits are undoubtably fine, their lower slopes are shrouded in dense forest up to about 1000 feet, making navigation and initial ascent a bloody pain.

At the moment the plan is to try and get a refund or exchange on the tickets--failing that, to sell them on eBay--then go to Ogwen early instead, freeing up the whole of August. It's annoying having to cancel another trip but there really is no other alternative. I only hope we can get the money back on the tickets: they weren't cheap!

Right now, I wish it wasn't this time of year and I'd like to get through to August as quickly as possible. Summer in the Sandlings just doesn't work for me these days.

*sneeze* OH £^$$%*@@!!!!

Posted by Alex at 10:30 PM

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17/06/06 Back in Suffolk

I have now permanently moved out of Paston House, and have left Norwich until August. Feels very strange being back in Suffolk. For some reason it doesn't feel like 2006; there's a sense of being two or three years in the past. I know that makes no sense at all but so many things remind me of the summer of 2003. Perhaps I've started to go crazy earlier than I thought.

In any case, I've decided to postpone my decision to leave the Underground for a few days while I think it through from all angles. Grace pulled out all the stops the other night pursuading me to stay, and her insights made me see things from a slightly different perspective. I'm thinking that maybe I should simply take a step back from being an active member until September. I will review my decision then, and if I still don't like the place I will leave permanently.

Saw the first Pirates of the Carribean film yesterday--what an utterly brilliant movie! It was almost a crime not having seen it earlier (I am on the committee of the UEA Pirate Society, after all!) but at last I can see what all the fuss is about. Four words: best pirate film ever. Can't wait to see the second instalment!

There's just under five weeks to go before the Glen Torridon expedition. I will probably start working at the garden centre next weekend (groan) but other than that there are a few things I need to do. Firstly I need to get used to serious long-distance walking again, to prepare myself for the long walk-ins to the Torridonian mountains. I haven't forgotten that this is going to be the most serious expedition I've ever been on, both logistically and technically. In a way it's intimidating: Liathach has a rather ferocious reputation as one of the Big Three mainland ridges, and it is by no means certain that I will succeed in my attempt. But in a way that makes it all the more compelling. Up until now, I've been very confident of reaching the summit of every mountain I've climbed. Liathach is different: it's a gigantic monster with a long walk-in, a cruelly steep ascent, and a difficult, inescapable ridge known as The Teeth (Am Fasarinen). When you're up against something like that it's easy to be a bit frightened by the scale of the challenge. However, if I succeed it will be the true jewel of the crown. Liathach is respected as one of the best and hardest mountains in Britain.

But five weeks is a long time, and I'm really not looking forward to working at Wyevale! At least I can look forward to moving into the new house after I come back from Scotland.

Posted by Alex at 1:45 PM

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15/06/06 SAwesome

Come back from the Fat Cat--what a great pub!@ They have the largest selectiion of ales I've seen in any pub in Norwich. And they concentrate heavily on teh Adnams, to the extent of having Adnams beermats and ashtrays. I particularly liiked the quote, "Don't risk going on holiday before checking that your destination has an Adnams pub". Lol!

As it turned out I walked in with Chris, taking a route along Dereham Road that was supposendly to pass his house for next year, but for some reason we missed it. Met Frankie and Richie there, which was rather funny because nobody else was expecting them. Fitz turned up soon, and Sionide a little later.

Several pints of Broadside were consumed and a great time was had by all! The group (which consisted of myself, Frankie, Richie, Chris, Fitz and Sionide) seemed to split naturally into two halves, with myself, Frankie and Richie on one side of the table, and the others on the other side talking about other matters. It was good seeing Fitz again for the first time in ages, but I couldn't help feeling that there was some tension between himself and Frankie due to past differences that were never resolved ... and, indirectly, between me and himself, due to the fact that it's generally known I'm a friend of Frankie and Richie. And, to be fair, I did spend the majority of my time talking to them.

It's a shame that everyone can't just forget the past and be friends, but these things happen, unfortunately.

Even so, it was a great celebration of our first year at UEA (or in some cases second year) and a hugely fun evening, reminiscent of the legendary Golden Age of Forum Meets. In fact there was a great deal of reminiscing after the first couple of pints, looking back through perhaps rose-tinted glasses at how things were 'back in the old days'. Although most of us had met for the first time well before Christmas, we became friends during the 'golden age' of February to March, which featured a record number of Underground events, including on one occasion three in as many days. Credit has to go to Frankie for organising them (hell, she was the driving force behind the Underground in general), and since she was thrown out it hasn't been the same.

Seems like many things have come to an end tonight ... not only my first year, but also the tremendously fun, varied, and sometimes not so fun rollercoster of experiences that has been the UEA Underground movement. I'm leaving the forums tomorrow due to personal reasons and I very much doubt I'll be back.

Posted by Alex at 01:15 AM

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14/06/06 Last full day

Today is my last full day at UEA this semester. As it turns out I'm moving out on Thursday morning instead, due to difficulties fitting various things in. So ... just one day left. That feels very very strange.

My big task for today is going to be packing up the contents of my room. Honestly I have no idea how I've managed to accumulate so much clutter. Most of it has been simply crammed into various drawers, strewn over the floor, or leads a clandestine life on the top bookshelf, where I keep various oddments such as the Guinness Hat, pirate hat, and (unused!) cardboard sick bowl which is a souvenir of the occasion in March when I got totally and utterly wasted.

There are also things lurking in my wardrobe, but since I don't keep my clothes in there--what do you think the chair is for?--its contents are a complete mystery. I guess all will be revealed soon enough!

Something is definitely happening tonight, not sure what yet. The idea of a forum mini-meet at the bar has fizzled out but apparently Fitz has suggested the Fat Cat, which is the traditional watering hole of the Fell Club and allegedly stocks an impressive collection of real ales ... including teh Adnams!! It's a fair way from campus, but quite near Richie's house so I daresay I could beg a lift back if I'm too smashed to walk.

In any case, I feel like sending my first year out with a bang so I hope something does end up getting organised. If the Fat Cat idea falls through I'll just pick a time and suggest we meet in the bar. I think they still have Explorer on tap at the moment, so the idea sounds promising!

I suspect that, generally though, this week is going to go downhill. Not only am I leaving Norwich for a considerable length of time, I also lost the auction on that antique Stubai ice axe ... was outbid by someone who could afford to pay more than me, and seemed hell-bent on getting it. So much for a lovely old-fashioned style ice axe to hang on my wall in the house next year.

Posted by Alex at 12:20 AM

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12/06/06 All done!

Have now signed the contract on our house and paid the first month's rent in advance. Also sorted out a few more miscellaneous bits and pieces, eg. which type of internet connection we're having (unlimited broadband--wooot!) and how the bill sharing system will work out. We also dumped a load of Frankie's belongings off at the house, much to the amazement of all when it became apparent just how many clothes she had!

I then headed into town and bought a few items at Venturesport, namely a new Powerdry baselayer--I've been looking for another one of these for ages--a plastic 'spork' for camping use, and DEET50 insect repellant. Am a bit dubious about the latter due to its reputed ability to dissolve Gore-Tex, but I'll need something to keep the midgies at bay when I'm in Scotland. Didn't get a helmet in the end because they didn't have the model I'm after, but it's on the list!

After I got back I was accosted by Chris and Grace, who I haven't really seen in ages, and somehow ended up chatting about stuff in the kitchen for six hours! Not sure how that's possible, but as it was pointed out I once spent an entire night talking to Grace over MSN, maybe it isn't so surprising. In any case it was good to catch up and we're probably going to get together on Wednesday, for the forum proto-meet (if it happens). Overspawn has hinted he may be coming, so it should be ... interesting!

Spent the past couple of hours designing some new aspects of the Piratesoc site with Frankie. We've made up some variations on the classic 'forum egg' graphics, the original version of which was a small graphical egg which 'hatched' at the first of the month into an unknown creature. Our versions are miniature treasure chests. Not sure what they'll hatch into yet, but it'll be along a pirate theme. All these little bits and bobs we're adding to the forum (for example the gold-plated "COMMITTEE" badge) are helping to create a unique and original atmosphere. Hopefully it'll make it more attractive for all the gullible freshers we plan to lure into our net at SocMart in September.

Posted by Alex at 11:50 PM

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11/06/06 The end of the year approaches

There's a funny atmosphere around campus at the moment. The days are deadly hot and still, and most of the students have already left, so the place feels almost like a deserted ghost town on the Western frontier, lifeless and dusty. There are still students about, of course, but the university has lost its vibrant bustle. I think all the exams are now over so there feels like a lack of purpose, people just hanging on because they don't want to leave yet.

Several people on our corridor have already moved out, and although I didn't know them that well (I met almost all of my UEA-based friends through the Underground or my course originally), it feels kind of sad that the very first students to inhabit Paston House are now leaving for good. Everyone will be living off-campus next year. And although of course I'm really looking forward to sharing a house with Frankie and Dan, I suspect I shall miss the convenience of being less than two minutes away from the centre of campus. And despite Paston's many faults, the place does grow on you after a while.

I will be moving out on Friday, which is the latest possible date I can leave. To tell the truth I think I shall find it difficult to adjust to living back home again. For a lot of the first semester I used to miss home a fair bit, but that phase is over ... once you leave the nest it's hard to go back for any length of time. Which is partly why I suspect I'll be living in Norwich a fair bit after we move into the new house in early August. There's the Ogwen trip to consider, which has been rescheduled for the 7th to fit things in more smoothly, but after I come back from that I'm going to be searching for a job here in Norwich.

Am probably going to be working at Wyevale again for a few weeks once I head back home. It'll be fun to catch up with my friends there but other than that, the prospect fills me with dread. I've worked there on and off for going on two years now, and to be honest I've had enough. Garden centre customers (or maybe just customers in general) are evil, end of discussion.

Anyway we went to the pub quiz at the Mitre on Earlham Road this evening, and although Frankie and Richie are regulars this was my first quiz. A lot of the answers we put down were guesses but I managed to supply several useful solutions, dragged up from seemingly random pieces of information I didn't realise I knew ... for example, that Eels spawn in the Sargasso Sea. I also kicked myself at not knowing that the capital of Jamaica was Kingston. Kept thinking it was Port something. Lol! Ended up with a score of 29, which wasn't too bad at all, but let down by the ten football-based questions at the end, which none of us really knew.

Tomorrow Frankie and I sign the contract for our house (Dan has already signed). We're meeting up at the house itself at eleven then making our way into town. After that I need to hit the mountain gear shops to equip myself with a new helmet, chemicals to wage war against biting insects, and maybe a long-sleeved baselayer. Will also see if there are any cheap DVDs in Border's; they often seem to have pretty good offers at the moment. And I'm keen to build up a larger DVD collection since most of our films are on tape and the new house won't have a VCR player ... altho we've discussed getting a cheap one.

There have been suggestions of a final meetup before everyone leaves Norwich (sniff sniff), and also a small forum meet, but given the level of apathy and general lack of enthusiasm on there at the moment I doubt that'll happen.

Posted by Alex at 11:00 PM

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09/06/06 Life slows down ... for a while

After all the excitement of the past few days I'm hoping for a nice quiet week ahead of me. This afternoon we have the Piratesoc barbeque down by the lake, which should be a lot of fun, and next week will include the signing of the contract on our house for next year (possibly Monday) and maybe a small forum meet, ie. drinking session. I've become a little jaded about the Underground in recent months but it still might be fun to catch up with people I haven't seen in ages.

Am spending much time browsing eBay at the moment. There are some good things for sale: particularly, a set of two Mountain Technology ice screws and a couple of rock pegs caught my eye. They're in good condition and have no reserve. I got a max bid of £25 in straight away, so hopefully I'll get them! Don't really want to go over that price, even though they're worth three times as much, because I doubt we'll need ice screws for a long while (however recent experiences have made me realise how important protection is!). I'm also bidding on a gorgeous old Austrian ice axe. It's a little rusty and mucky but nothing that can't be cleaned up. Would make an impressive wall ornament, or maybe even a functional axe, altho it's the old-fashioned long alpenstock design and I tend to prefer the shorter 50cm format.

Still recovering from my injuries ... the back's getting better daily, altho it seems to be at its worst in the wee hours of the morning, when I'm forced to wake up every hour or so and give it a stretch to prevent it from seizing up. I'm certain it'll be fully recovered by the time I head up to Scotland late next month. I'm also hopeful it won't prevent me from working once I move back to Suffolk in a week or so.

Until I post the trip report (which I'm now working on), here's another pic from the trip ... this taken from the summit of Side Pike. It's a classic view, well-suited to the black and white format, and you can almost imagine it with a youthfully grinning A. Wainwright standing in the foreground, complete with tweeds, flat cap and pipe.

Mighty Bowfell stands between the valleys of Oxendale and Mickleden

Posted by Alex at 12:37 PM

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08/06/06 My first 'epic' (ie. period of horror and unpleasantness)

Still here, still alive--fret not! Rumours of my grisly death have been greatly exaggerated. However, I did something a little silly on the first evening of the trip and had an accident in which I fell about 20 feet off a rock route that was much harder than it appeared from the bottom. The remainder of the trip was characterised by a severe back ache that defeated most of my objectives, and forced me to come back a day early.

I was engrossed in the Grade 1 (easy) scramble of Side Pike South Spur, an intricate little route on the little hill just above the campsite. It was a pleasant evening, and having climbed the first crag on the route I was feeling confident and good about how things were going. My big mistake was to rely too heavily on the guidebook, so when it said to take a 'right fork in the path to reach the foot of a rocky skyline rib', I took the first right fork, which led me to the base of a grim but exciting-looking cliff. Certainly not a rock rib, but I saw one line that looked possible and I thought it would be an engrossing alternative route.

The line that I took. I have designated it The Fear, V.Diff,
although to be honest V.Diff is a conservative estimate of the grade.

The first two or three metres were great: vertical rock, great holds, and entertaining moves. Certainly more in the class of a rock climb than a scramble, but I felt certain I could do it. Until I reached the crux move of the pitch, that is. The crux is an evil, overhanging corner of rock, smooth and mossy and completely without holids, except a little knife-edge high up that I could just about get my fingers in. I knew I couldn't climb this, so I tried traversing around the arête to my left to an easier line. That wouldn't go either.

I knew I had to try to climb back down. I've never liked downclimbing, and the idea of climbing back down twenty feet of vertical rock filled me with dread. The inevitable happened: my feet slipped off their small holds, leaving me hanging by my fingers. In the brief, frantic rush to regain control my fingers weakened and I was falling.

I bounced off a boulder at the foot of the route and landed on a grassy ledge on the edge of a big drop. My first thought was, stupidly, that at least I'd got down! Then I realised that my back was in a great deal of pain. It suddenly rushed into me and I screamed out loud, convinced that I'd broken my back. I was also winded and unable to breathe. After a while I managed to stand up (so no broken spinal column, then!) and limp off the hill, cursing my own inability to climb six simple feet of overhanging rock.

That night was very uncomfortable, and the next day's plan to climb Harrison Stickle via two hard scrambles had to be scrapped. I did however manage to climb the first of the Grade 2 routes I had in mind, Pike Howe, despite my very stiff back and bruised arm. After that I walked very slowly up to the Langdale Pikes plateau and summitted Pike of Stickle and Loft Crag, then limped back down very tired and slept for two solid hours as soon as I got back to my tent.

The next day I abandoned the itinerary entirely, as it was pretty clear that I wasn't physically capable of climbing big mountains, especially given the hot weather. I made my way up the small fell of Lingmoor (469m) after finishing the correct final line on Side Pike South Spur, which turned out to be an excellent little bit of Grade 1 ... quite unlike the sinister verticality of The Fear. Lingmoor's summit was an awesome place with a stunning view and warm grass that I lay and dozed on for quite a while.

So despite a potentially fatal accident, and despite having to abandon my plans of traversing the Scafells, it wasn't a total loss. I climbed two entirely new summits, pushed my number of ascents up to 39, and climbed my first Grade 2 rock route. Plus I have another hundred and eighty photos to add to my collection. The trip report, scrambling files, mountain entries, and other various updates will be coming within the next week or so.

The campsite on the first evening. This is why I love Langdale.	Great Langdale beck, dried up, with the Crinkles in the background.
Solid Grade 2 terrain on Clean Slab, Pike Howe, 2.	Lower Langdale from Clean Slab

Posted by Alex at 1:50 PM

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02/06/06 Back from Yarrrrmouth

We had a great day in Yarmouth, playing Pirate Crazy Golf (predictably, I lost, whereas Frankie got three highly suspicious holes-in-one!), driving go-karts (which I seem to have a talent at), eating fish and chips from one of the many chippies, and skimming stones on the beach. After much searching we managed to find a pub that sold Adnams beer for the benefit of me and Inigo, both being staunch Adnams fans, only to discover that I had forgotten to bring my passport with me and so had no ID. I think I've grown complacent, not having been IDd at the Union pub for some time now!

We eventually ran over the length of time on the parking ticket, but nobody clamped the car so no worries there. I had suggested we saw X-Men 3 at the UCI when we got back to Norwich but Frankie and Richie had already seen it, and apparently it's nowhere near as good as the first two ... in particular, Hugh Jackman seems to have aquired a questionable American action-hero accent that seems very out of place. So I think I'll see it another time, or maybe not at all.

Heading back home early tomorrow morning (it's my birthday--woooop!), then it's off to another adventure in the mountains of Great Langdale. The weather forecast is currently very good indeed, verging on superb, except the usual threats of low cloud in the west. I'm very hopeful that conditions will be good enough both for the difficult scrambles I have planned and my epic (foolish?) traverse of the Scafell range.

I'll post again on Thursday evening or Friday morning. Please wish me good luck, clean rock, and blue skies!

Great Langdale, best place in the universe

Posted by Alex at 5:30 PM

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01/06/06 Final preparations!

I went shopping today for the food I'll be taking to the Lakes. After several years of trial and error, I think I've finally come up with a reasonable fool-proof menu for camping and mountaineering: porridge in the morning (nobody makes porridge like I do--or "damp oats", as my brother calls it), a range of Mars bars, cheesy oatcakes, Tracker bars, and flapjacks for eating on the hill, and either Reiter dehydrated ration packs or Wayfayrer ready-to-eat meals. I've also learned to pack slightly more food for during the day than I used to. On the big mountain days you get through a lot of calories.

Here is my final itinerary. I'm going in for challenging, climbing-rich routes this time, to prepare myself for the upcoming expeditions to Scotland and Snowdonia. In particular the Scafell Pike day is going to be interesting, probably the longest day on the hill I've ever done, even if I don't do Scafell as well. To put things into perspective, last time I climbed Scafell Pike and Scafell together--from Wasdale Head, which is significantly closer--I was pretty knackered. This time I'm doing them from Langdale and climbing a massive cliff in between! Fun.

Tomorrow I'm going to Great Yarmouth with some friends--it's a Piratesoc event, although only a few of us are going--so I'll post when I get back. Also Saturday is my twentieth birthday. The Lakes trip the following day will be the best present of them all.

Posted by Alex at 7:00 PM

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