Mountain Leader Assessment 5th – 9th October 2009

This week its my birthday… and my ML Assessment, gulp!
Davie has been great coaching me on the run up to this thing but even on the drive up I found myself on the phone to him seeking some kind of reassurance that I wasn’t going to muck something up. To make matters worse it seems Ginger is going to be involved and, while it will be great to catch up with him, I just know I’ll be spending the next 5 days doing just that… trying to catch up to him!
The first morning Pete (Hill) and Ginger decided to give us an easy start and took us for a nice walk in the Cromdales. This was because the snow on the Cairngorms was a little too deep! We did navigation, emergency procedures and carries, flora, fauna, access, history plus a 5 minute talk each!

Once they had seen enough we went Dulnain Bridge for a river crossing.
I went first and used a walking pole to get across. The river was cold and reached my chest at the deepest point. Once everyone else crossed without hiccup we were told to get the rope out and do a group crossing. With a variety of techniques explored we were told ‘they’d seen enough’. Did that mean we were rubbish or we’d met the minimum standard? These boys should play poker cos they were giving nothing away!
Day 2 had us up Ben Rinnes for our severe ground day. Just because we were doing rope work we didn’t get out of our group management, weather and navigation exercises to and from the venue. We climbed over rocks, grabbed rucksack straps, belayed, abseiled and lowered until again ‘they’d seen enough’!
Back at the bunkhouse we had our review of the written exam paper which had everyone sweating during some of the more probing questions!
For the next 3 days we had our holiday part of the assessment up in the Cairngorm Plateau. The snow had more or less gone and the weather was cold and windy. From the moment we left the car any ‘holiday’ feeling soon disappeared as Pete took on a variety of roles to test our group management skills as well as making us search for rocks, contour lines or anything else that was on a map and not necessarily on the ground!
We made our way down towards Cairn Lochan were we picked a good campsite and settled in for the night.

After dinner with the sun low in the sky, Pete had us out navigating once more. As a birthday treat for me he allowed our navigation legs to take us to the summit of Ben MacDui where I watched the sun set… bliss.

The next 5 hours were not so much fun. In complete darkness, we each took turns to navigate a leg while everyone else followed trying to figure out where we were.
The following morning we woke to a little snow and a lot of mist… more micro nav was the order of the day. After a full day on the Plateau we descended to a lower altitude just west of the Ski centre due to the threat of gale force winds closing in over night!

We spent the evening with Pete instructing us to find a metre square and deliver a lecture on the flora and fauna within it!
Once in my tent I quickly fell into a deep sleep only to be woken at the crack of dawn by Ginger advising us to ‘abandon ship’. The weather forecast was right and his tent had collapsed during the night due to high winds. We packed up double quick and made a sharp retreat to the nearest venue for a debrief.
Waiting in the café drinking coffee and eating bacon butties was a nerve racking experience as Pete and Ginger sat in the car deciding our fate. With the result in there were 4 passes 3 deferrals and a fail, fortunately I had passed!
To say I was over the moon was an understatement.
I couldn’t have done this on my own and a big thanks has to go to all those who helped me along the way.
SPA next…

Grisedale Pike, Hopegill Head, Crag Hill and Causey Pike 25th September 2009

After a good nights sleep and an early start (due to some numpty feeding the geese as stoopid o’clock) I head over to climb Causey Pike via Grisedale pike.

I wanted to start at a car park at the start of the ridge but, even getting there before 9am wasn’t early enough to beat the masses, it was full! I ended up parking in a lay-by closer to the village and followed a low level path before cutting up a gully to meet the ridge route. The going up the gully was as hard as it gets; steep, uneven surface and waist deep bracken!

By the time I reached the ridge path I was knackard and I’d only just started! Fortunately, the route from here was really easy going and I was soon on top of Grisedale Pike. Next I went over to Hopegill Head then tried the direct route up Crag Hill where I planned to have my lunch. The climb was tough with some very loose rock making the scramble quite tricky but, with the trig point in sight, it was time for a snack. Bugger, forgot my pack up!
From here the route to Causey Pike is quite long but generally easy.

Once on the summit and with my stomach making some strange noises I decided to take the direct route back to the car and continued the journey without the use of a single path!
A great walk!

Cat Bells, Maiden Moor and Black Crags, 24th September 2009

In the final stages of preparation for the Mountain Leader assessment I had to complete the most difficult part of the process for me… The First Aid course!
I booked a two day outdoor course in Keswick so that I could bag a couple of mountains while in the area. The course was run from ‘Theatre on the Lake’ so I camped at the Derwentside campsite and put my tent right on the shore.

I arrived early afternoon so decided to get a hill close to the campsite so I wouldn’t waste anymore time in the car and chose Cat Bells to spend some time practicing navigation and abseils.
The walk up to Cat Bells is pleasant with great views over Derwent Water.

Once I was past the summit I used the top of Maiden Moor to practice some micro navigation before finding the steep ground down to Black Crags to practice abseiling.
It took me over an hour to get down to the shore of Derwent Water from here with a total of 7 abseils using my 45m rope doubled. The route finding was difficult and anchors where sparse in places. Some sections were really easy and the rope was for practice rather than safety but other sections were a real test including one vertical 5 metre face with a 2 metre overhanging gap at the bottom!

Back at the tent I shared my dinner with the ducks and geese that had decided to surround my pitch!

Great Shunner Fell, Yorkshire Dales. 18th September 2009

With Rich's ML Assessment looming (NOT LONG NOW RICH!) and Davie's interview with Mountain Rescue in the same week, we thought it would be a good idea to head up onto into the hills to recce the land for my interview and for Rich to practice some micro navigation.

It took a good hour and half to get there and makes me wonder of I'd be any good as a rescuer...

We blitzed up to the top of Shunner Fell from Thwaite just to get warmed up and got to the summit in about 90 mins. (with a little but of off piste navigation practice thrown in).

The next two and a half hours were spent hacking through the peat hags, with me pointing at shake holes on the map and Rich navigating us to them. Most legs were between 250 and 800m so good pacing and bearing were important. This was tough going and is indicative of the conditions Rich will have on his assessment with lots of boggy ground, boxing around obstacles and steep ground.

Sadly, he never missed a beat and found all points within acceptable tolerances; even Ginger would have been pleased.

We headed back to the car and omitted the therapy break in Thwaite in order to avoid a rambler type who looked like he was going to spoil our moment.

Next time.

Davie

Yet another dance with the bear - Brimham Rocks, 16th September 2009

We thought it would be a good idea to introduce some of our adventurers to the Dancing Bear, so on a cool and ever darkening evening, a party of us set off to get three virgins to the top.

On previous occasions Davie has led this climb, but to give Rich another log book entry he took the honours.

Joining us was Speirsy and his son Will, Paul and his son Alex and Jack T, who elected to be camera man for the evening.

Every one made short work of this HVDiff climb and hopefully we have sparked a bit of interest in more technical stuff.

Good to see Paul getting stuck into it and shame our 'founder members' snap on top was taken by Jack as it came out blurred. (use both hands next time Jacko!)

Good night again Verdes! lets keep up the momentum.

Davie

Three down on Steve's quest. 12th September, 2009

Two weeks ago we bagged Skiddaw as part of Steve's quest to get the top ten done before Christmas.

Taking advantage of some fantastic weather a party of Verdes Adventurers comprising of Rich S, Paul B, Steve H and Davie headed back over to the Lakes to tackle Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike and Catstye Cam which, if successful, would bring Steve's tally to five out of ten.

Like most Verdes adventures, when Paul and Rich get together the talk turns to motorbikes and their leather fetish. At least, we hope it was about motorbikes. As they giggled on the back seat ooooing and ahhhhing all we could hear in the front was the odd word or two; leather, oil, helmet, twist grip, two up, 3 inch pipe and various other 'technical terms'.

Brought to a head though when the question was asked as to whether a certain type of leathers had 'twin zips'....

When we weren't having our ears bashed about v-twins and two strokes, the rest of the journey was spent telling Steve all about the mortality rate on Striding Edge, how like a tightrope it was and how he had nothing to worry about...

The weather was truly idyllic and we stopped to have some snaps over Ullswater which was like glass, a solitary duck causing some ripples.

We drove right up to the Youth Hostel and got underway, with Rich taking role as leader as a preparation for his ML Assessment in early October (NOT LONG NOW RICH!).

We had a snack at Red Tarn and elected to go from here straight up the slope to Striding Edge, using this to gain the summit. As you would expect on such a great day, the ridge was covered in people all snaking along trying to get to the top.

In spite of a fear of heights and three changes of underpants on the journey in, Steve kept to the highest point of the ridge all the way to the top, never once dropping down to the easy path. A truly excellent effort, fully embracing the Verdes spirit and one which opens the way to Sharp Edge and Jack's Rake once the ten are bagged.

We summited Helvellyn and then made our way across to Nethermost Pike. The summit plateau is a good area for some micro navigation practice, so Steve and Paul headed back to Helvellyn and Rich and I had a play with the map and compass for 20 mins. On a day when you could see almost every mountain in England, Rich managed to navigate his way round successfully.

From the summit of Helvellyn we then headed down Swirral Edge to Catstye Cam. Steve's legs were still holding up and his new ankle was well broken in. Paul was moving well with the zimmer sticks and Rich had given up trying to be a ML and had reverted to type; seeking out the scariest path back and sticking to it.

The views from Catstye Cam were excellent and a down hill bike was spotted by Paul for a future trip.

We arrived back to Glenridding in good order and immediately initiated the therapy phase of the adventure; mint choc chips all round and a soothing dip in the river with our bare feet....excellent.

Another great Verdes day and Steve now has 5 in the bag. Next trip will be another biggy with Bow Fell, Great End and Scafell Pike in our sights.

Davie

Great Gable, 5th September 2009

Saturday saw Davie, Dicko and the elusive Speirsy departing Ripon for the Lakes. The weather in Ripon was clear and dry, but the forecast in the Lakes was to the contrary. As the merry band sped across the A66, the plans were still not finalised. Would it be a chance for the Needle virgin (Speirsy) to finally pass through the sacred crack??

Only time would tell.

The cloud started to build and the ominous signs of rain on the horizon would prove the weatherman right. Still with the chance of a hike and some retail theory in Keswick, I could think of worse places to be on a Saturday. We drove through Keswick, on the way to Seathwaite.

A lot of cars on the road into the farm suggested that not everyone had been put off by the weather. With low cloud and a fine drizzle, unperturbed the merry band donned waterproofs, packed the tuck and set off up the hill.

The route was set: Styhead Tarn, the stretcher box and then? This was the first that Speirsy had seen of the area in daylight, the previous visit had been during the epic National 3 peaks last year. Arriving in the dark and retuning at dawn, little had been seen outside the beam of a head torch.

Dicko set the pace after having robbed his son’s backpack for the trip; the added weight of his lads school books didn’t seem to slow him down. Davie the ML kept Speirsy in sight and onwards and upwards the 3 amigos pressed. The rain got heavier and wind started to pick up. As we approached Styhead tarn we passed a group of four lads heading back down the hill. It transpired they had travelled up on Friday and camped out at the tarn. They were heading back down to the pub and would be back later. Good effort lads - impressed the Verdes boys. As we approached the Stretcher box, it became clear that there was indeed something on. 24 peaks in 24 hours challenge, 14 hours on the first day and 10 hours on the second. The Stretcher box was occupied by one of the local Mountain Rescue chaps and his 2 labradors.


The stretcher box was the decision point: where next? In weather that was described as bad enough to ‘kill a civvy’ the chances of threading the needle were slim. The chances of survival of Dicko and Davie were also in question, thankfully the ML had a bit of previous with the regulars so his chances were improving.

Speirsy thankfully held the 3 together, but did fear the worst. Dicko appeared to have his gortex on inside out as it was drier on the outside. Davie then produced the latest gadget: a 2 man shelter, loving it; does it do what it says on the tin? Much to the amusement of a few souls around the stretcher box, our 3 intrepid adventurers then attempted to put 3 men into the 2 man bivvy. Dicko forgot about the school bag and tried to get in with it still on. Speirsy then had to crouch down and come in from below. With a scene reminiscent of a gay porn orgy (so Davie tells me) all 3 did manage to get inside but sitting down in the thing will require some prior practice. Now the crunch point, where to next? Easy! Dicko was off, he’d had enough; cold, wet and thinking of hanging out with the 4 lads we’d seen earlier. So off he went, with the keys to the car and some pocket money for sweets.

The Needle was going to be to wet, so best save that for another day. As Speirsy had never been up Great Gable, it would seem rude not to. Thinking back to Snowdon last year it was the same pairing heading up the hill, not wanting to miss an opportunity.

Speirsy was in his latest bit of kit, the Paramo, and was keen to see just how good it was. The verdict: worth every penny. Davie did his best to drag his client up the hill, as the weather worsened and the wind picked up the more these 2 enjoyed it. After a slow old slog, and putting a few stray groups back onto the right path, the summit was reached. Denied the views due to low cloud and seeking shelter from ever increasing wind and rain, the pair had a well earned brew and sandwich. Just enough time for a photo and then it was on our way back down for some therapy in Keswick.

After a swift decent back via the stretcher box our eagle eyed ML/First aider spotted a limp. A competitor from the 24 peak challenge had pulled up and was heading down. Davie sprung into action and like a well oiled machine had the lads trousers down and asked for a look …….. at the knee.

Speirsy not wanting to be outdone rolled up his trouser leg to get to a strap on support he was wearing. Like a scene from a Thursday night lodge meeting, 2 men standing with their trouser legs rolled up shaking hands.

The decision was made to escort the lad off the hill, with Speirsy muttering about his army days and ‘let’s just shoot him and get to Keswick’. The trip down was slow and deliberate with Davie demonstrating how to support an injured walker, (all good stuff) It transpired the lad worked for the company sponsoring the event and had previous with his knee. I think it appreciated the gesture.

By the time we were back at the car time was against us and the retail therapy would have to wait (ebay time). All in all a good, yet wet, day out. You can never say a day in the lakes is wasted (unless you’re Dicko, only joking, love you man……) The Verdes spirit remains high and the support shown to others reflects the true ethos of the group.

Speirsy remains a needle virgin, Dicko is still drying out and Davie has still got a fashion accessory waterproof.

Ian S

Skiddaw, 22nd August, 2009

A few months ago, Steve H declared that he would like to get the top ten highest mountains in England bagged before 2010.

After bagging Great Gable in fine style (see previous blog entry), he promptly fell over in his own car park ( think there's a claim there Steve!) and put himself 'hors de combat' with a nasty ankle sprain.

However, he has made a full recovery and has been 'bigging it up' about getting on with the other 9 peaks on his bagger list. So, taking advantage of a good weather forecast, Steve and Davie headed to the Lakes to have a go at Skiddaw, a hard slog from the car park with 45 minutes of agony to look forward to, but a straightforward runout for Steve and his new ankle...

The weather was excellent - sunny but a cool and stiff breeze once you reached the foot of Little Man.

In spite of a good few 'viewing' breaks on the way up, we made good time, summiting in 2hrs. Steve, flushed with success, suggested tackling Little Man on the way back so we returned via this top to get back to the car park.

At the top of Skiddaw, we had lunch with a retired couple who had just completed all 214 Wainwrights, having started on January 1st. Champagne and sandwiches greeted us, but sadly had all been consumed on our arrival.

Never mind....next time.

Adventure over, we had our therapy session at the Llama Karma Cafe near Penrith. home of the worlds biggest rabbit.


Excellent day out... only 8 more to go Steve - maybe go for Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike and Catstye Cam next.

Davie

Lawrencefield, 14th August 2009

This evening saw Rich S and Tim back in the Peak District for some more climbing. With Birchen being the closest crag for both of us we have been going to it a lot recently and although it has enough routes (Rockfax, Eastern Grit has 161 routes listed!) we felt the need to try some longer routes so set off for Lawrencefield. The setting for this crag is fantastic just a 5 minute walk from the car park down into a wooded area with a small pool. Under the trees are the remains of one of the quarries past products, a surplus of millstones, some completed with others half carved from huge boulders. Being a quarry, the sides of the crag are vertical with routes exceeding 20m in some instances. To kick off we found a nice VDiff called Snail Crack, a 16m slab climb following the route of a finger crack to the top. I led the route and found it much harder than any other VDiff I had done before. Tim followed and came to the same conclusion. The descent on this route involves a scramble to the top of the crag which was hard enough to make me glad I had rock shoes on!

Next we went for something a little harder, Tyrone, an 18m VS 4c. Again, I went for the lead and started well finding good protection along the way. As I reached a small stance at 16m I was faced with a bulge as the rock lent backwards slightly. Above me was a small hold and to my right a nice ledge, easy I thought. Not quite! The hold was good but I was at full reach and my arms were tired. This one was no good and I decided to climb down to let Tim try. After seeing my struggles, Tim decided he didn’t want to finish the lead so I set off to the top of the crag to top rope him. After a couple of minutes Tim had reached the difficult bulge and lunged for the hold. Three times he attempted the moves and each time he would swing out on the rope as his grip failed. Time for another route, we’ll try this one again another day!

We moved onto an area called the roadside bay where we managed another route called Straight crack, a 10m VDiff. A much easier proposition that was dispensed with ease.
Lawrencefield is another great area with most routes HVS and above. We will probably be back when our confidence at VS has grown and we are looking for more challenging routes. For now its back to Birchen and Stanage!

Brimham Rocks, 11th August 2009

Davie, Jacko, Speirsy, Chris H, Dicko and son Nick headed up to Brimham to try the Zig Zag Bear, a route on the Dancing Bear that we somehow missed last time out.

The weather was good but very windy and the threat of rain loomed on the horizon for most of the evening.

However, I managed to crack the elusive Zig Zag (Hard Severe 4b) and added another lead to the log book. A noticeable change of difficulty over the Severe I did last time out with a couple of twitchy moments as I got myself back on route.

Set up the belay on top and brought the party up both HVDiff routes to complete a most enjoyable evening climb... well done guys!

Davie

Pillar from Wasdale 5th August 2009

Earlier in the year I had climbed Pillar from Honister Pass with my father in law via Haystacks and the Shamrock Traverse. Having told everyone how good the walk was, he had managed to convince my wife (Nic) that she could manage the scrambles around Pillar Rock and she should come along. So a plan was hatched and we set off for Pillar but this time from Wasdale.
The weather was bright and sunny but there was a strong wind at our backs as we made the ascent up to Black Sail Pass. The ascent was long but the path was easy and on reaching the top of the pass, the views to Haystacks and into the Ennerdale valley where worth the effort.

Along the top of the ridge the effect of the wind was making the going a little difficult but once we dropped onto the High Level path we were completely sheltered and the walk was very enjoyable.

We visited Robinson’s Cairn and had a sandwich or two before getting stuck into Shamrock Traverse.
The walk up until this point had been pretty flat but now the going was definitely vertical with some sections requiring ‘spotting’ for those a little nervous of heights.

This had been Nic’s most serious hill walk since climbing Snowdon before the kids were born and she struggled a little with the exposure on the section from Pillar Rock. Good job the climb is short! Once on top, everyone was elated after completing a difficult route and with the exceptional views from the summit.

We descended back to Wasdale via the scree slopes into Mosedale. For me, this was the hardest part of the route, especially on tired legs.

A great walk with fantastic weather, however, I’d recommend the route from Honsiter Pass due to the incredibly long drive around to Wasdale Head!