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The Fellwalker by Peter John Farnworth
WALK 9 SUNDAY MARCH 2nd 1976 []This would be the first time I have walked the fells when the snow was down, and I was looking forward to it. I have heard that it is best the time of the year, to see the mountains in their full glory. When I arrived at Grasmere all the roads were clear, as the snow which had fallen all week lay on higher ground on the fells. It was feeling a little bit cold as I changed my footwear and put on an extra jumper, and also put another one plus socks into my rucksack. I left the village and walked to the Swan Hotel on the main Keswick road, where the walk would start. I followed a lane at the side of the hotel, which led me to a gate. As I passed though, this brought me onto open fell. Stone Arther - what can one say about this summit which overlooks Grasmere? One thing I can say, when climbing it the summit seemed to be over the next rise and the next and…I thought to myself, "when will I reach the top?" This summit is not very high as summits go, but it was very steep at this point. But when you are new to fell walking, you do not realize how high the smallest mountains can be! When I arrived at Fairfield, after walking over Great Rigg Man in deep snow, I paused a while to take in that breathtaking scenery. This was only one of the many occasions when I have been on the fells in these types of conditions. And what I would have given to be an artist of note, to have put down on canvas that was before my very eyes…
I left the summit of Fairfield and walked towards Cofa Pike, a small outcrop of crags. At this point the walking conditions were getting very bad underfoot, with snow and ice very compact. I passed by and followed the path over the Col to the summit of St Sunday Crag. This is another good summit on which to stay a while if the weather is good, but not on this day as the wind was blowing very cold by now and I was beginning to feel it in my bones! So I retraced my steps and headed back towards the Col. At this point, I decided to make my way down from here to Grisdale Tarn instead of going back to Fairfield, which is the better route to follow. From where I was standing midway across the Col, I could see that it fell away steeply, so I fitted my crampons and made my way carefully down through the hard-packed snow and ice. I was just about a quarter of the way down, and had also just pushed my ice axe deep into the snow, when my feet went from under me. But since my hand was through the strap it saved me from going the quick way down. As I composed myself, I was pleased that I had followed the instructions laid down when walking in these conditions. Another lesson to be learnt – Be prepared for all conditions on the fells!!! When I did arrive at Grisdale Tarn and looked back up the fell side, it made me realize how accidents can happen if precautions are not followed. From here I followed the path round from the far side of the Tarn to the base of Seat Sandal, where I found, I had to replace my crampons. From this point it was hard walking. As I climbed this side of the fell, the snow and ice was very hard-packed indeed and I had to kick-step my way up one foot after another. I was very glad when I reached the summit. From here it was easy walking down to Grasmere. Mountains walked that day: Stone Arthur 173 Great Rigg Man 54 Fairfield 13 St Sunday Crag 23 Seat Sandal 68 [ ] Diagram & Stats
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