A drop of Snow....
 

Just for those who are looking forward to a drop of snow, I took these photographs on and around the summit of Blencathra and Scales Fell in the Lake Districts Northern Fells between 10.00 am and 11.30 am this morning. The photo of the summit was taken in the extremes of a minor blizzard with gust of 40 mph. Despite the conditions I had a brilliant day.

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WOW! What fantastic pictures Doug ......... really beautiful!

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Stunning pics, Doug.

Chris is getting really cross about the lack of snow. He was hoping to take the kids sledging this weekend - not even a drop of the white stuff.

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Now I am very jealous. That is a cracking set of pics Doug. :)

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nice pics doug

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I don’t mind admitting that I was a little dubious when I crossed the snow line. It was a little extreme at time with blizzard condition and 40 mph gusts, my hydro pack froze solid at about 1500 ft, for those interested the summit of Blencathra is 2847 ft. I am one of those idiots that once out and on the way I won’t turn back. I’m equipped to survive up to 48 hours but I was a little worried at one point. Put what a day. Sorry Spuggie but you did miss a good one, Gayle get him kitted up I’ll show him some snow. Thanks Tinks.

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Cheers to the nice person who put this right for me, I am grateful. :)

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:( Theres snow on the Campsies and snow on the Ochils and it looks stunning. Nearest I will get for a while. :(

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nice pics Doug what camera you using ?

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Hi Mick, It’s the one I wanted to replace some time back. An old Sony DSC-S85 Cyber shot rated at 4.1 Mega pixels. It’s bulky but easy to use especially in bad weather when I’ve got gloves on. A lot of the pictures taken during the bad weather on Sunday were a little to blue due to the normal exposure problems and the fact that I was trying to stay on my feet.

A 16MB Memory Stick gives me 94 shots at 100 ISO on a fine setting or 236 shots on a standard setting. It’s only failed me twice when I’ve put on the ground on summit of Helvellyn when the cold at ground level drained the battery completely. It’s been a good piece of kit that’s had a few knocks and been dropped in snow, water and sheep droppings and still works perfectly in anything from rain and gale force winds, to scorching sun down to a blizzard on Sunday….

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I thought that the nearest I was going to get to snow was being able to see the Lake District from the M55 on the way back home this afternoon. I was as surprised as hell to find that Huncoat has two inches of lying snow!

Where did that come from? Well, Obviously I do know where it came from, it came from the sky, but you know what I mean. There was no word of it either on the met office site, nor on any other forecast site when I checked at 5:00 this morning.

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Lovely pictures Doug but it looks cold

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I should get over this evening if I were you mate, according to the forecasts the weather is set to take a turn for wet and windy after the middle of the week with the prevailing wind swinging round to the south. Of course, as has been proved over the last few days, they could be wrong!

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I was alone Park, I love it. I’ve only walked with another person once this year which was last week when she wanted to see what it was like up Helvellyn. Needless to say she only wants to do low level walks from now on…..lol.

It was very cold above the snow line, like I said earlier the hose of my hydro pack froze but I was snug as a bunny in a fox’s tummy…..The only thing I didn’t like is the fact that my spec’s would steam up every time I tied my hood up tight.

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:) I certainly do Park. I carry a survival kit that allows me to overnight and walk off a Mountain the next day if necessary, everybody who needs to know where I am as a copy of my route in detail” written details plus a memory map print off” and what emergency profile I’ll take in the event of an incident.

Standing orders for me not returning after 12 hours is to inform Mountain Rescue where I’ve gone, what kit, Fluids and food supplies I have with me and after an emergency which route I’ll make my decent from. By prior arrangement people will only come looking for me if I have not made contact after 24 hours. In the event of injury I have the means to summon help if I need it. I carry enough kit to do what’s needed for 48 hours but most of the kit I carry is intended for other people who might need assistance in an emergency rather than for me, hopefully it will never get used.

Emergency Kit includes: Map of the area and compass, mobile phone, one head lamp, one hand torch, two whistles, two Plastic survival Bags, two foil blankets, and one “Vango” Bothy bag for two persons. Sleeping mat, Comprehensive first aid kid, high energy food reserves, “Kendal Mint Cake and Galaxy Chocolate” multiple packs of hand warmers, two knives, spare hat, gloves and a full set of water proofs, hydro pack, flask of hot drink and general food supplies, all of which is wrapped up in a 35 liter pack. This excludes what kit I’m wearing on the day. Winter kit include's boot spikes and a raven pro Ice Axe.

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Perfect preperations pity some dont do the same at this time of year.

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You are right spuggie; I hate to see people dragging their kids up the side of a mountain wearing their school coats and Wellingtons with no sign of a map or fluids or even well intentioned people who seem to have the right idea then go up with little more than a doggy bag of kit. They don’t seem to appreciate that the temperature and weather conditions can change within a few yards. I think that the only problem with having perfect preparations is that in the event of a real injury you can be as vulnerable as you would have been if you went without anything. My kit is only really for helping me survive if I get lost or become closed down by the weather and have to sit it out and perhaps sustaining myself or another after a minor injury that prevents a walk off. I wouldn’t want to put to the test for longer than a few hours though; I don’t mind the thought of over nighting if I had too, but a real emergency usually means a serious threat and sometimes the best of preparations won’t help, but it’s better than sleeping off an hangover on a Sunday morning…

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When hiking as a teen we were going up Ben Nevis with full kit even though it was a fine day and the number of ill prepared people was shocking. Sad though it sounds we had the last laugh when the weather closed in. Commen sense aint on the list with some people. They forget the weather can change in an instant. I did a lot of walking back then and was always told its better to be a little over prepared than under. As for maps most of those who wander the wilds ill equiped proberly cant use a compass or map properly. Mention 8 digit cor-ordinents and they think you are from Mars.

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That’s a good point spuggie; I don’t think people appreciate how important basic map reading and navigational skill are. There’s too much reliance on GPS systems these days that can fail in extreme weather conditions and even under thick low laying cloud cover, some don’t even carry spare batteries etc. A lot of folk are misled in to believing that there’s an abundance of clear paths out there but don’t seem to appreciate that the weather can obscure the best of them, ten minutes walking in the wrong direction or wandering off the path altogether in bad weather can be enough to result in the Mountain Rescue Teams being scrambled. All too often it’s the misuse of brain power that results in even the best equipped walkers ending up in trouble or dead because they tried to carry on in bad conditions instead of digging in and sitting it out.

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I take my hat of to you doug (a thermal one) the map and compass would be for your own use on the hills ? the mobile can be a little suspect in certain areas, however I normally text home from the top of where ever if I am out on the hills, just to let them know, I have got to where I wanted.
Normally carry a gps unit as well, good for co-ords if needed
and spare batteries

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We always tried to make sure we had alternitve sites to "weather the storm" especially when we did the west highland way. One thing the always stuck with me is that it is better to be safe than sorry. Only once did we fall back on an emegency site and that was after coming of Rannoch moor in dreadful weather. To carry on would have been stupid as this was before mobile phones. I am of the opinion that anyone out for a walk in the hills needs basic map and compass skills it can be the difference between life and death. Its the basics that save your life not technology.

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Just to emphasise how fickle mobiles can be, this is a shot on Long Side Edge on a day that started out wet at ground level, deteriorating to 40 mph gales and driving rain along the Edge itself, then again on the summit of Skiddaw and then turning to bright warming sunshine on Carl Side, all with an hour or so. My mobile got soaked in an unprotected pouch on my waist strap, at the time I was most at risk it was useless, hence the whistles and torches.

Yeah Park, the map and compass is for my own use. I carry a normal OS 1:25 000 of the area I'm walking in and selective area maps made with memory map software for quick view use and close up bug out routes.

I went mad with the kit list because I wanted my son and girl friend to walk with me and I didn't want anything going wrong for them, my son did the Yorkshire Three Peaks individually then jack it in, the girl friend likes to do the odd walk now and again but isn't committed. I was also well taught about being prepared by the Lossimouth MRT back in the late 70s.

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I don’t think that any discussion about the risks of fell and mountain walking can be complete without a mention of one of the most dangerous situations you can face on the hills. An attack of a high altitude fell rat; these terribly aggressive beasts cleverly disguised as sheep will attack without warning when confronted with an exposed goodie bag of sandwiches or anything else known to be edible.

These beasts can carry off an unsuspecting fat bloke for over a mile in any direction; this usually results from a confrontation over the contents of you lunch box and ends in a full frontal charge by the beast, you the victim with legs akimbo are propelled backwards without any other option but to hold on for grim death and pray that the bloody thing doesn’t have any homicidal lemming like tendencies.

In situations where the hapless walker as no option to overnight on the fells these beast have been known to drive the bravest men white with fear, they creep silently up on you and bang!, there on you, rummaging in every orifice and exposure that can be exploited. These aren’t mythical beasts, no; I’ve known them to eat…..Meat! Chicken, ham, even lamb although I must admit unwittingly on their part. Have you never wondered why some people go out there and are never seen again?

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To Dougs point about High Alltitude Fell Rats cant be worse than being chased by a hungry haggis. ;)

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There was no need for you to worry Doug, if you look closely at picture number 4 that you posted you can just make out Roys Land Rover in the distance he would have given you a lift back!

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/28/28_4_8.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_12_19.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/28/28_4_6.gif

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:o Believe me I nearly did take a look at the photo. Idiot or what…..lol. :rolleyes: Less, what I want to know is why I couldn’t have had a lift up to the top in the first place…..Cheers for the new avatar by the why.....:)

Spuggie, haggis are smaller and can’t jump all that high. :p If you go and stand at the side of a fell rat you’ll see that the head is strategically place to cause the maximum pain and discomfort from a frontal impact, believe me I know. I was once mown down by one of their cousins, “the Woolly Suffolk”. :eek: People don’t realise how demented and aggressive these beasts can be.

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Its not playing..............:mad:

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Doug think your survival kit should include body armour. :)

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:) Joking apart these beasts can be used as a survival shelter in extreme conditions; sheep make excellent self insulating barriers against the worst winter weather, preferably alive for extracting body warmth, the biggest problem is getting them to lie down but it gets easier once you’ve got there feet tied off…..What you do is get two of them side by side and string a ground sheet between them and climb in between them. :p But don’t be misled by these muggers they can be very clever and have been known to chew through Para cord and sneak off with your food stash in the night…..leaving you exposed to the elements and starving.

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You silly man it won't be there now it'll be miles away!!!!


Nowt to do with me.