Carneddau ring: 1

Posted on 25th Mar 2018 by essiep

6°C start sunny patches. No wind.

Hiking in semi-winter conditions. The theme here is ‘no planning’. My first idea for a start was changed because of a closed road. There map a cross country running event that forced closures. Other people having adventures.

The next obvious car-park is far more remote near a roman road. It’s along track with very steep bits and all single-track. At the car-park, I got chatting to an elderly woman who wanted to hike there despite her recent his replacement. She keeps these years secret from her physician. I could have chatted more, but it was 12 and time to go.

I’m trying to use the Carneddau as a horseshoe. So far, the idea has worked. I’m now camped in the Lee of Carnedd Lleweddlyn by a crash site. It’s cold, the sky has cleared and temperature has plummeted. Inside the tent is +1°C. Outside must be 5 below that. No wind though. Utter peace but no animals. I miss them.

This picture is taken on Foel-Fras in the Mountain Rescue hut. Don’t worry, I only went in to brew a cuppa. Despite there being ice on the inside walls, it felt considerably warmer than outside. I headed for the lake on the east where we wild-camped on my ML training course, summer before last.

Berwyn ridge.

Posted on 7th Dec 2017 by essiep

7°C, brisk NW, hill fog above 600m, mostly dry and cold.
I hiked with MapMyRide+! Distance: 14.61km, time: 08:39:00, pace: 35:31min/km, speed: 1.69km/h.

http://mapmyride.com/workout/264441241

I don’t recall hiking in December before. it’s not too cold yet, though the wind-chill was strong. Our route was along a few valleys parallel to the main Bedwyn ridge.we went off track to practice navigation and route finding as two trainee mountain leaders. Once we’d visited Cadair Bronwyn the return is along an easier route in the failing light.

The photo above looks back on the route we came from. Look at the notch in the ridge, we were there. This was our lunch break and we got up to practice confidence ropeing for a while.

Heading further north onto a spur then turn West into the wind. This spur joins the main Berwyn ridge and is signposted as a Special Site of Scientific Interest. Up here the ground is fairly flat and therefore – boggy. Good stately duckboards ran north-south so the summit Cadair Bronwyn was easy. On top is a large cairn of quartzite. By now, the sky was noticeably dull grey, either rain or coming sunset. We didn’t stop.
I recognised the ridge up to Berwyn from last time even though the weather and visibility were entirely different. We saw no views down the steep scarp slope.

Carl is always a quicker descender than I am, if fears falling less than I do. His new boots lost their new look when negotiating boggy patches near the fence-line. The worst one swallowed Carl up to the waist in thick black sticky bog gum. I was out of reach and unable to pull him out. He dragged himself out though and checked his kit. Phone, car-keys and compass, all shut inside zipped pockets. Onward.
This point we made to only necessary course correction of the day to get back to the fenceline which marks our route all afternoon.
Around the time the fence ran out, we decided on lighting up. Route finding was still relatively easy if we followed tracks in the long grass. There was such a track in front where our compasses pointed. Off we went into growing darkness.
Carl was using a 1:50k map all day. He wanted to make up for some errors on his recent HML assessment week at Plas-y-Brenin. I used the normal 1:25k that most hill walkers use. That fills in the detail missing on the 50k map. The last few hundred metres led us in error to the top of Pistyl Rheaddr falls. Not far now, after a little back tracking.
Finally, the car number plate glowed in the head-torch lights. 8 hours 35 minutes, a Quality Mountain Day for the log book.

Streap, a Corbett.

Posted on 14th Sep 2017 by essiep

10°C, rain most of the day. Milky mist with some patches of sun.
Corryhully bothy is ideal for this route. In effect, I went straight out this morning onto the hill. Nevertheless, two hours went by before I reached the first summit. At only 6°C up there, there was no reason to stay long apart from hunger. A few hollows offered shelter enough to eat sandwiches.

The next few tops are all north. It turned into a ridge walk after the next summit, Stob Coire nan Cearc (887m).
As such, there was much to enjoy, despite the rain.
The most spectacular bit was a step in steeply inclined rock that looked impassible from a distance. My mind raced for escape routes should that step in the very narrow ridge defeat me. Each of those steps is about 10m of rock. From the bealach where I took the photo, they looked vertical. They were very steep up close too, but a clear scramble was obvious. The apex of the triangle in the photo is not the summit, for that look right to the crinkly skyline- it’s there by the cliffs. I love that feeling when walking on a ridge where your peripheral vision is down a huge drop in height to the glens below. There is more of that feeling after the summit and the ridge curls round to the right. More fine views and an opportunity to read the route down in the grassy topology. At first, the descent looks like a spur but it’s actually more a low wide whale-back that climbs up to more summits. The idea then is to find a route down into the glen as close to it’s head as possible. The further forward you go, the more climbing out of the glen to the bealach and back down again. It’s a compromise between descent and return ascent. Near the top of the glen are some nasty looking steps and minor cliffs that meant a diversion north into the valley to find a safe route down. Also, the further north you meet the river, the bigger it will be. Side streams join every 200 metres to engorge the river very rapidly- that means a more difficult river crossing. River crossings can be dangerous (and nobody knows I’m here). Braiding in rivers really can help, they divide the river into several streams that are much easier to cross.
Oh, and that col! It map so mucky, all boggy between slippery boulders. That was hard and quite dispiriting at a time of failing light and indistinct paths.. Oh well, it’s all down from here.
Even the fords are currently verging on dangerous. The last one, at least, cleaned my boots.

The walk took 9 hours and at times, was the a slog. The climb was steep but the return was so difficult.
Today’s rain filled all burns and fords with roaring yellow torrents. Every possible pathway was a stream, others were buried in ponds.
A very wet day. I’m now lying in my bunk with most of my clothes drying by the fire in this bothy. There are busy voles above and the roar of water outside. The rivers are now all in spate.

The Mamores from Kinlochleven.

Posted on 13th Sep 2017 by essiep

12°C, dry white cloud to start, rain after about 3pm.

Walk along The West Highlands Way for a short while before taking a wet turning north. Onto a bealach that connects two of the horseshoe’s summits. The route up the Glen issues soggy but with reasonable grip. Once over the edge, the full force of the wind was felt but it remained dry.
The planned route was part horseshoe and tee-bone it with two Munros. So over the col and diagonally down the other side to trace a contours behind the peak Am Bodach to skip it out. Stob Coire a Chairn (981m) was the one I wanted.

AnGearanach

Before me was a magnificent panorama, the most striking is An Gearanach which looks like a fine scramble for another day. I’d prefer not to do that one solo for safety reasons.

Return was by the same route any then along the ridge to Sgurr an Lubhair. That one is not a munro, even though the height is enough. Munros have to stand 300m above surrounding land, this one doesn’t, quite. Still, for a horseshoe ridge, the top is flatish and requires a decision using the compass to get down. Two sides are drops down dramatic cliffs so you need the right path.
Despite the hill fog, the terrain here was interesting. A very nice Lochan marked my junction. The water is distinctly turquoise with white quartzite stones below. Worth coming back, take note. I chose the descent into the glen south back to the West Highlands Way. A path contours and descends westwards. Reading the contours on the map, there appears to be a chute which turned out to be a very useful route down. It zig-zagged down on what must have been an ancient route. It was too big for a deer trail but overgrown with grasses and lacking any footprints. I think is must have fallen into disuse decades ago.

DSCF5654 It was here that I encountered the first midges of the trip. I crouched down at a burn to collect and filter drinking water. I got mobbed by them. Once on the track, I turned east for the long walk back along the West Highland Way. Not having seen anybody all day, a few small groups passed going north here. One group of Germans were setting up camp in a short grass patch on the Glen.

Sgorr Dearg, 1024m

Posted on 11th Sep 2017 by essiep

13°C, brisk SW Bringing showers late afternoon.

Part of the Ballachulish horseshoe. Met a group of guys from around north Manchester getting ready for a walk. I asked where they were going to go. They showed me on a route card, so I said yes to their invite.
I was delighted after a somewhat sluggish start. Those leaden clouds were quite off-putting.
The guys were all retired from work and lifelong fell runners. Their experience bodes well.

We waked up the first half of the Ballachulish horseshoe. The group decision was to turn back before the second Munro because of the risk of failing light and building rain. Anyway, it was an excellent day out and kick-started my trip after a slow morning’s start.

A Muvrella

Posted on 30th Jul 2017 by essiep

30°C, light wind, 0 cloud.
mountain day in the Corsican mountains.
starting from Refuge de Bonifatio.

I hiked with MapMyRide+! Distance: 16.88km, time: 14:28:00, pace: 51:25min/km, speed: 1.17km/h.

http://mapmyride.com/workout/2365889798
Anyway, the mountain. Every mountain has a character. This one has tricky scrambling near the summit with a few sides with exposure. The Ridge approach is sharp blocks but secure footing. I tried to find a decent that that cut out a loop as recommended in the walking book. I couldn’t find it. Finally, after some false routes down steep descents, I happened upon a amounts round the south which was much easier. Those explorations cost me an hour.

Mountains provide a mix of extreme beauty, exhilarating views and danger. Travelling solo forces every decision to include safely and risk consideration. The rocks are sometimes sharp, sometimes loose and sometimes shielded by lance like thorns. Every step scattered turquoise tailed lizards.

Once above the tree line, aspen that is, alpine meadows are ready to find. Here, they are bursting with tiny flowers in blue, white and yellow. The granite is green here, and it’s lichen.
It’s a remote mountain sometimes used as a diversion by GR20 walkers.
Although the mountains opposite had patches of snow, my side was very hot in ascent. That was fine until I ran out of water. My voice was dry and I kept a sharp lookout for heat exhaustion. I know this from a child, you get fuzzy and start to shiver despite the heat. I have to admit, I was quite worried. Eventually, the last suspension bridge indicated that Caruzzou is near. That means food and plentiful potable water.
Everybody looked fresh and comfortable at the refuge. Their day was no more than 1/3 of mine, though they carried heavier packs. I could easily manage the whole trail, all fourteen days. That group we met in the supermarket completed in 14 days with no rest days. I’d want to take in excursions like A Murvella.
Supervising, I see groups who want to be first into camp. My aims are not like that. I want to be last in. I want to spend as much time soaking up the mountains. If I get to camp by five, I think I should have spent more time on the hill. As long as I get to camp in twilight, then it’s been a good day.

This route to A Muvrella was the equivalent of nearly three GR20 stages.

A friendly french guy was travelling in the opposite direction to me and he was happy to chat. I was looking for the junction of paths at that point and he was quite helpful. He joked that I would do my climb and catch him over the col. He explained that he was slow.
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For the second time, I arrived at Caruzzou just after six. Up to four hours without adequate water left me desperate; I feared heat exhaustion. The shivers hadn’t begun, but my coordination was failing. I could hardly talk, hours of dust and a dry throat made eating the taboleh a real effort too. It would drink water to wash each mouthful down. I wish I’d ordered soup though.

I drank and drank then filled up the bottles some more. Feeling come back to my legs and the clock ticked by. It was time to go. 2 1/2 hours to the bottom and the sun was eyeing up the horizon with mal-intent. Although good lights were in the pack, it would be nice to get to the car before complete darkness. Off I went. Once moving, the legs worked properly to my relief. The French guy in grey was approaching, wow; he said he was slow! 36282760441_8d619eb5c9_z

The Valley lines up well with the sunset, so the light falling in clearings in the trees was magical. Yet another magical sight, you can’t tire of these.

I reached the car by about 21:45 and only needed to use the lights to find my keys.
A perfect day that I shall never forget.

Scrambling on Tryfan.

Posted on 19th Jul 2017 by essiep

19°C, warm and muggy, then thunderstorms. Very heavy rain all afternoon.
I hiked and scrambled up Tryfan with MapMyRide+! Distance: 4.90km, time: 05:40:00, pace: 69:23min/km, speed: 0.86km/h.

http://mapmyride.com/workout/2341404458

Tryfan’s north ridge was the aim for the day. The route was scrambling all the way with one or two exposed sections (that could be side-stepped). The rocks were all secure for grip and very few moved or sounded insecure. What a fine route.

We also passed the cannon stone about 2/3 the way up. Here was our first photo opportunity. The rock itself has a very coarse grain but was somewhat polished by the numbers of people who’d gone before.

Finally got the standard shot on Adam & Eve, I was the last of three to make the jump, and possibly the most nervous.
We scurried off the peak when the deep booms got louder. Thunder was approaching. The odd flash struck ground miles to the south. A few hundred metres down and large drops of warm water fell around us. It would continue, in waves. Two groups led by Plas-y-Brenin leaders passed by heading down. This point we, decided to abandon Bristly Ridge and the Cantilever. The groups seemed to be mostly girls, none of whom looked cheerful. They were having Type Two fun. Type 2 is the kind of fun you feel after the event. Type 1 is obviously the fun you have at the time. They listened intently.

The day ended at about 5h 50 in heavy but warm rain. We were all soaked with gurgling noises coming from our boots. All the footpaths had turned into small rivers. at least the grip on rocks was still good.

Brecon Beacons (day 2).

Posted on 11th Jul 2017 by essiep

14°C, rain all day. Some heavy.

late start with much to do in the morning. It turned into a QMD. I stopped the clock at 6h 50m.when I got back to the minibus.

late finish but not as bad as last night.
Carl and I dropped the Silver trainers off and I set off to Pen-y-Fan summit to intercept the two Gold groups. Incidentally, I had a fright on the way up when my map blew away. Fortunately, I had the bag off at the time and could set off in rapid pursuit. It hadn’t gone very far, much to my relief.
The summit was easy enough with a sandstone staircase for the last bit. There is a substantial cairn at the top with a plaque.

Other schools were using the ridge for their Gold Practice runs too. Group after group headed east from an independent Girls’ school near London. They seemed so confident and upbeat in the harsh weather. One of their guys on the checkpoint thought he’d seen a group of four go by so after sandwiches, I headed east. I was quite anxious that I’d miss them and it would be a wasted journey when Carl might have appreciated help with the training group.

Behind Cribyn, I found them. They were happy but cold. Only 2 had gloves, 1 a hat and 3 no waterproof trousers. Abi was especially cold in her cotton tee-shirt. Lend out 2 pairs of gloves and a merino base layer to them. I was so pleased to see them and be able to help out.

This gold group thought that the other Gold group can’t be far behind. Two of those had packs weighing in at 20kg which made their likely position beyond the first summit. So, off I went.
The phone rang to say that Gold group 2 weren’t even on access land. They had problems. It was better for me to intercept one of the Silver groups approaching Fan-y-Big. About turn and go east again!

Silver Practice group’s first ever mountain summit.

This silver group were on the Bwlch before Fan-y-big and in good condition. Not far in front, Gold were on the summit so I could catch them. From a distance, they were visible in the hill fog making the correct descent near cliffs in the mist. A very capable group, apart from their kit.

Both groups made good descents once I’d finished the photo shoot.

Once again, I marched west, this time to catch the 2 Silver training groups on Pen-y-Fan. However, they’d returned forcing me to find a route down on the next ridge. there is a fabulous path across the north face of Cribyn.

Rhynogydd walk-out

Posted on 3rd Jun 2017 by essiep

Dense hill fog to start 11°C. Later nice sunshine with a chilly wind.

Woke at 7am, all nice and warm in the bag. I didn’t want t get up, especially now that thick hill fog had set in.
After a failed search for water, the descent near “The Clip” was easy to find. It is named Bwlch Gwynlio which takes you to the path down west to Cwm Bychan. Co-incidentally, I found water here too so turned it onto a coffee stop.

My bed for the night.

Once refreshed, turn right and drop down towards Cwm Bychan, some of the route is overgrown with bracken. Annoyingly, I lost the path and strayed down from the ‘correct’ route.

Back to the familiar Cwm Bychan site. Disappointingly, nobody has taken over the campsite and it remains only a car-park for hikers. The attraction for many casual hikers is the Roman Steps. Small family was starting out as I arrived and asked for directions. they had no map, but really, apart from the first part, they won’t need one if they stick to the slabs.
The excuse for this diversion was to find out whether the campsite has re-opened (it hasn’t). Then up the Roman Steps route which is familiar to me. The new bit is to drop down into the forest directly east. Navigation here was tricky because recent logging work has obliterated paths and their signs. I took a mixture of paths and foresters’ tracks to get to the extensive grasslands north. Every step was a ‘splosh’, hours and hours of welsh steppe. The walkout back to Trawsfynedd is very long; very long. These landscapes are heavenly.

While recovering back at camp something amazing happened. The family I met at Cwm Bychan pulled up in their car. They had my solar-battery pack. It had fallen off my backpack on the Roman steps. They felt that since I was so helpful that it was worth the slight detour to find me. I must have said where I was camping and there are only 2 sites near Trawsfynedd to try out. They had made their hike to the top of the Steps and appreciated the little arch bridge along the way. It’s a charming section which soon splits into two routes, the main path is clear enough all the way. People are good.

Rhinogydd Bivvy night.

Posted on 2nd Jun 2017 by essiep

17°C, fair breeze in fair weather.

It took all morning for the rain to clear so I waited patiently. It doesn’t matter because my plan was not to descend the mountain today. I will stay up there. After some experimentation with packing my 45 litre day bag, I decided to go ahead with the smaller bag.
My expedition pack in in for repair so can’t carry the little tent, even that won’t fit. However, the bivvy will. The sleeping bag and stuff fits inside a 45 litre pack with a tight squeeze. By lunchtime, that rain eased off.

The start was across a waterlogged farmland and onto the hill. My route took a glancing path aside the range and then onto a bwlch (col). Suddenly, the sun shone and two possible routes presented themselves. Since I am by myself, I took the safer looking ascent to the west. Once on the ridge, the unique Rhinogg landscape laid out before me. The Rhinoggydd is part of what geologists call The Harlech Dome. It’s an ancient, Pre-cambrian sedimentary deposit which has pushed up to the surface. The rocks are hard and well consolidated for sedimentary rock types, a product of their very great age. Erosion has left us with rounded terraces, ice shattered rocks and layers of mixed grain beds. It was on one of these terraces that I opened out my bivvy bag. One small bolder overhand slightly, ideal shelter for my boots should it rain (it didn’t)

Back to the sunset

As soon as the sun was down, the sky clouded over. The night was warm inside the bivvy and I carefully unzipped the bag to look out. Above was spread the twinkling universe and a planet that may have been Jupiter.

It took ages to get to sleep, and then ages to wake up in the morning. I was cosey in teh bed and dawn was thick hill-fog. Eventually, hunger for breakfast got me up at about 7 am.

Micycle

Mike thinks b/hikes

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