We had already reached the summit of Sca Fell and had been hiking for a good six hours. The day was hot and the sky free of cloud. It was magnificent.
My mate Simon led the way down a gully called The Lords Drake. It was a hazardous descent we had to make in order to commence the final hike upto the summit of Scafell Pike itself. The rocks were sharp and loose and we took our time. I hadn't prepared properly for this hike that was to last over ten hours. Salt drenched sweat would seep into my eyes causing a fair amount of pain. The legs felt heavy. But upwards was the only way if the day's objective was to be met.
And with great joy we reached the top half an hour later. There were many other hikers there also, and this you would expect on such a glorious day on the highest mountain peak in England.
At only 978 meters high this is hardly a difficult mountain to hike up, if you take the tourist route that is. We took the Eskdale route which is considerably more difficult but the advantage is that you will be free from the hordes stumbling up to the summit.
But while this was only a minnow of a mountain on the world's scale, for me it was particularly satisfying. My passion had been hiking. Eighteen months ago I had a skiing accident and had pretty much given up on doing this sort of hiking again since I had broken my knee. You can see the rocks in the photo and hiking hour after hour over this terrain is extremely hard on the knees and ankles. I had no idea if my knee had healed enough to partake in this hiking and scrambling. Thankfully the knee gave me no issue. And this hike was one of the most testing hikes I have ever done. So I was back in the hiking game - great stuff. Also, it was the meeting of a goal I had set myself a few years ago. To climb the three highest mountains in the United Kingdom - Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike.
My mate Simon led the way down a gully called The Lords Drake. It was a hazardous descent we had to make in order to commence the final hike upto the summit of Scafell Pike itself. The rocks were sharp and loose and we took our time. I hadn't prepared properly for this hike that was to last over ten hours. Salt drenched sweat would seep into my eyes causing a fair amount of pain. The legs felt heavy. But upwards was the only way if the day's objective was to be met.
And with great joy we reached the top half an hour later. There were many other hikers there also, and this you would expect on such a glorious day on the highest mountain peak in England.
At only 978 meters high this is hardly a difficult mountain to hike up, if you take the tourist route that is. We took the Eskdale route which is considerably more difficult but the advantage is that you will be free from the hordes stumbling up to the summit.
But while this was only a minnow of a mountain on the world's scale, for me it was particularly satisfying. My passion had been hiking. Eighteen months ago I had a skiing accident and had pretty much given up on doing this sort of hiking again since I had broken my knee. You can see the rocks in the photo and hiking hour after hour over this terrain is extremely hard on the knees and ankles. I had no idea if my knee had healed enough to partake in this hiking and scrambling. Thankfully the knee gave me no issue. And this hike was one of the most testing hikes I have ever done. So I was back in the hiking game - great stuff. Also, it was the meeting of a goal I had set myself a few years ago. To climb the three highest mountains in the United Kingdom - Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike.
Good on you - what a great achievement, especially with a previously damaged knee. Great photos too!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes from jenny and Robin, camping over Queen's Birthday Weekend in little old New Zealand.
Thanks for you kind comments. It's all union jacks here with this jubilee celebration.
ReplyDeleteJust to correct a possible misunderstanding in the blog. Ben Nevis is the highest peak in the Scotland. Snowdon the highest peak in Wales. Scafell Pike the highest peak in England. So they are not the three highest peaks in order. The three highest peaks in order are Ben Nevis, Carn Eige, and Snowdon.
ReplyDeleteYou look great my gorgeous brother <3
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