Some Hard Scrambling

A long time (10 months) ago, I'd already dreamed of scrambling in the Langdales, and being club president etc. I already knew that this trip would be perfect for it if the weather held out. Fast-forward to February and, even though I had been getting through injuries that had shafted some great days out with the club, I was finally feeling up to going on a hike/scramble again, without my leg falling off. It was also quite a necessity for me, having not gone on a proper hike since picking up injury, and I wanted to check how much I'd have to do before Skye.

The weekend promised great Saturday weather, which was a rarity. I'd already grabbed the scrambling guidebook and checked out the scrambles in the area on Wednesday, but on Thursday, in a flurry of texts with Paul, plans changed to do some 'hard scrambling' on Middlefell Buttress, in preparation for the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the top of Sgurr Dearg. Hence, the day's plan was decided, and so was the length of my packing list.

Saturday gave us the perfect weather we were promised, and we hiked up from the bunkhouse to the foot of the crag, at the rear of Old Dungeon Ghyll. We took some time to figure out that we were on the correct crag, then Paul took the lead, with me covering him from behind. Being the first time doing hard scrambling outdoors, it was quite the experience, standing on a grassy terrace with sheer drops on each side and knowing that I had come up the face I now could not see beyond the drop. It was also a picturesque day, with the snow-stopped Bow Fell and Crinkle Crags in the background while we moved up the clean, bare rock in the sunshine.

The last section proved to have one tricky move, which Paul, with his experience, eventually surmounted. While waiting for him to top out and make himself safe, I got a really giddy feeling of excitement and amazement. There is a raw feeling of excitement of doing something that I'd never have imagined myself doing when I first entered the club, or when I first matriculated, and this was one of those moments.Soon enough, Paul called for me to head up, and we swiftly topped out and got on the hike back to the rest of the gear we left at the foot of the crag.

A snowy but largely uneventful Sunday (for me) concluded the events of the weekend.