Above the clouds……..

For all the walking I have done over the last few years I had yet to witness a really good cloud inversion.  There have been moments when I’ve been close and seen a wave of cloud pour over a ridgeline or seen a distant peak poking through a blanket of white but these have always seemed to hint at something more spectacular.

I’d planned a decent walk centred around High Street which is a prominent part of a Roman Road that traversed much of this part of the Lake District and provided plenty of opportunity to extend or shorten the day depending on the conditions (and just how masochistic I felt like being).

 A quick photo op before heading up to High Street.

Whilst the walk along Striding Edge had been fantastic much of the previous day had been spent walking in fog, and without access to any weather forecasts I had no reason to expect anything different today.  

However by the time I had reached my first top of the day it was clear that I was in for something special.  All around me there were peaks and ridges rising through valleys full of cloud and in the distance I could even pick out most yesterdays walk.

 Helvellyn, Striding Edge & Catstye Cam rising above the cloud.

With such spectacular conditions it made sense to make the most of the opportunity and tick of a few more Wainwrights (The Knott, Rampsgill Head, High Raise, Kidsty Pike, Mardale Ill Bell, Thornthwaite Crag & Gray Crag) however with daylight running out and conditions deteriorating, the sensible decision was to descend at Threshthwaite Cove rather than try to squeeze in the last two I had in mind (Stony Cove Pike & Hartsop Dodd).

 The walk out along Pasture Beck.

Helvellyn & Striding Edge……..

There are some routes in the mountains whose reputation lend them an almost mythical quality, they are the rockstars of hillwalking and they have the ability to attract and repel walkers in almost equal measure.

The legend grows as their names are casually dropped into conversation with other walkers you meet who are more than happy to share their tales of how they witnessed someone (but never themselves) stuck “Crag Fast” halfway down the route, unable to continue and unable to retreat.

In your own mind you like to visualise your own attempt like a movie, complete with perfect weather and glorious views,  almost skipping  along, picking out the tiniest of footholds with confidence and ease.

  

The view from Catstye Cam:  Red Tarn with Striding Edge behind, Helvellyn rising up into the cloud on the left.

 OK, so that may all sound like a load of grandiose twaddle but for me Helvellyn and StridingEdge was something more than a “normal” day out. 

Starting with a long steady climb across  Patterdale Common until you reach Grisedale Brow.  By this point most of the days climbing is behind you but there is still a sense of nervous anticipation as you follow the drystone wall waiting for your first glimpse of Striding Edge.

The view from Patterdale Common.

You take a few minutes upon arrival, watching those beginning their attempts, tentatively picking out their route across the very highest points of the ridge.  Others make a tactical withdrawal, the wind and the fog making the option to follow the track 20 yards beneath their colleagues too hard to resist.

The conditions demand respect as you take your time, choosing each step with care, often pausing to allow the gusting wind to drop before making your next. 

Every now and again the “low” path crosses your route and you grab a minutes respite before scrambling back up to the ridge.  Then just as you where starting to enjoy yourself you find yourself at the end, faced with the final steep climb to the summit.  

There will be no views from the top today but that doesn’t matter you can wander about with a smile on your face, relieving the experience and happy in the knowledge that there is a well earned beer waiting for you when you get down.

High Spies, Maidens & Catbells……..

Having spent much of the last few weeks running my guts out you could say that I was looking forward to a few days “rest” in the Lake District.

The drive up there usually takes around 6 hours and I always find myself faced with a bit of a conundrum, do I get up early (4:30am), get in front of the traffic and get a few hours walking in or do I wait and set of around 10am, gaining a lie in but sacrificing precious time on the hills?

As usual the lure of the hills proved too strong and after a pretty good drive I found myself in Keswick early enough to get in a bit of gear perving (lots of self control required) and a late breakfast before lacing up my boots.

Knowing my legs would be stiff and tired after the drive and without knowing exactly how much light I would have I’d planned to do Catbells, not the mightiest peak in the Lakes but a good warm up with the potential for some good views.

The last part of the ascent to Catbells

The climb to the top was good, my legs felt strong (all that training must be doing some good!) and I had plenty of time so despite the wind doing its best to knock me off my feet I decided to carry onto up to Maiden Moor.

The route from Catbells to Maiden Moor.

And of course once I’d reached Maiden Moor it was only a hop, skip and a jump (well in my minds eye perhaps), to carry onto to High Spy to round off the day.

The smile's fake, I was freezing having waited for 10 mins for another couple to reach the top so I could scrounge a photo out of them (I let you decide whether it was worth it).

The Final Furlong(s)…………

Brace yourselves for a bit of a blogging bonanza over the next week or so as I have my trip to the Lake District to write about and there’s some key elements of the Kilimanjaro trek that are almost ready to report on too.

However before all that I wanted to post a quick update on my November “100 mile” challenge as we move into the final week.

It’s been tough, (sometimes REALLY tough) and there have been plenty of times when I have questioned myself and had to fight hard to resist the lure of the sofa but “so far” (geddit?) I’ve managed to stick it out.

I always knew from my schedule that there was going to be a deficit built up over the first few weeks that was going to have to be made up, and whilst very enjoyable my four days in the Lake District really didn’t help!

The bad news is that I have to find just under another 30 miles in the six days remaining.

The good news is I have a plan which will take me over the target but it involves running further than I ever have before over six consecutive days!

So really it all comes down to this, if I shorten or miss a run I fail, if I don’t I’ll succeed…………….

71.04 miles of 100 completed (£35.52 raised).

Digging in………

There’s always at least one point in every challenge I take on where I find myself faced with a very simple choice, do I give in and walk away or do I dig in and keep chipping away?

Sometimes there is a specific, identifiable moment when I can decide to quit or to continue, and on other occasions it can last for much longer, the doubt chipping away over hours or even days depending on the challenge.

On my original "100 mile" plan weekends accounted for over half of my target however thanks to a pair of wicked blisters I lost most of last weekend, and with four days walking in the Lake District planned for this weekend I’m left with a great big hole in my schedule that I am desperately trying to make up!

So it feels like something of a make or break week for the challenge, I’ve tweaked my plan and as a result I’m running harder and longer every evening, battling with myself to squeeze out an extra mile, to postpone the solace and comfort of the sofa for a little longer as I claw my way a little closer to my target!

And therein lies the heart (and the genius?) of this challenge, because even if I do manage to achieve it there will still be an awful lot of work to do before Kilimanjaro but if I don’t make it, by just attempting it I will be that much closer to being ready.

42.76 miles of 100 completed (£21.38 raised).

Out of the blue……….

I'm not very good at asking for help at the best of times and asking for money is even harder, especially with Christmas fast approaching!

If I’m honest it can sometimes feel like a long constant grind and your fundraising target that felt ever so achievable when you first set it now seems higher and further away than the mountain itself!

But sometimes, out of the blue someone comes along and blows me away with their generosity, their imagination or occasionally a combination of the two.

Yesterday I received a text message from my sister and brother in law offering to sponsor me 50p per mile for my 100 mile challenge.  As well as being an exceptionally generous it’s also a great way of keeping me motivated through my training as I can visualise my sponsorship increasing with every mile I run!

It hadn’t even occurred to me to utilise this side challenge to garner more donations so a big:

 to Elaine & Rob!

So if you fancy joining in (or like the sadistic thought of helping force me out into the cold, dark nights to pound away the miles) email me your per mile rate at simongvskilimanjaro@gmail.com and I’ll confirm the final amount raised at the end of the month!

1p per mile = £1

5p per mile = £5

10p per mile = £10

15p per mile = £15

20p per mile = £20

£25p per mile = £25

5.28 miles of 100 completed (£3.73 raised).

100 Miles………

Or 160.93 kilometres as that tends to be my preferred method for measuring distance (admittedly because it sounds further)!

As the evenings get darker and the weather starts to deteriorate I have been looking for ways to keep committed to driving my training onwards (and hopefully upwards).

My latest “brainstorm” is to try and run a distance of 100 miles throughout the month of November, I know to many seasoned runners this may not be all that impressive but I will need to make a significant commitment to achieve it.

Over the last two months my weekly average has been between 25 -30 km I can’t just jump up to the required 40 km without risking injury so that means I’ll have to accrue a shortfall in the first week or two and probably end up running closer to 50 km in the final week!

It’s going to be HARD, and I simply cannot afford to get home from work and look out to a dark, wet night and decide I just don’t fancy it, but even if I don’t quite make it I hope that by the end of it I’ll been broken down even more barriers in my training and will be that much closer to reaching the summit.

0 miles of 100 completed.