Everest Base Camp ........ AKA Helm Crag

13th Jan 2013

So what to do when you have a really bad cold brewing, are trying to give up smoking and snow threatens...... I know lets climb up this

Helm Crag before the blizzard

Not content with having been up at dawn the day before to photograph some barn owls we thought we'd have another early morning for a short "stroll" in the Lake District.

The day started badly when we found that the Grasmere Gingerbread shop wasn't opening until 10:30 -  once over this bombshell we met up with the Alan and Lisa and started our ascent on Helm Crag.  It looks rather innocent at first glance but many have perished on it's treacherous slopes.

Sherpa Al and his trusty Yak

All was going well until someone ( you know who you are ) said the fatal words ...... "I hope it snows".... he would soon be regretting those badly chosen words as within about half an hour it looked like this and the much touted view wasn't actually viewable.

Being all round heroes we pressed on for the summit only pausing to make the world's smallest snowman and writing semi rude words on the snow covered rocks.

After a final push we reached The Howitzer which is the highest point on the crag where we performed  our victory snow dance ...... think Sioux Indian rain dance but a bit more Gangnam Style.

After all this exertion it was time for lunch  - you could tell who the regular hikers were simply down to the differences in the menus.  Team A had sandwiches, soup, coffee and a comedy banana holder.  Team B just sandwichs and that all round indestructible foodstuff ..... Soreen ( we saved it in case we needed something to make a fire with it later on).

The boys then entertained us with their sculpting skills  - lets just say the finished piece transcended the boundaries of modern sculpture and conveyed the emotions and feelings of the group. Such a work of art could not be left out in the open where it may be mis-interpreted by the local fauna so we struck it down with great vengeance and furious anger ie pelted it with snowballs .

it's exactly the same shape as a thingy

All too soon it was time to leave our snowy mountain paradise so we braved the wind and increasing snowstorm and began the descent back to Grasmere.  After a few rounds of who could fall over in the campest manner ( won by Mr Hill naturally) we made it back down to the relatively safe haven of the shoulder of Helm Crag.

By this time the freaks were definitely out in force as we passed a varieties of amusing characters coming the other way, most notably the try hard with far too much bare chest on show.  Whoever you were .... not a good look for Winter 2013 darling.

After a quick trip to the now open Gingerbread shop to purchase a substantial amount of contraband we journeyed home glowing from our mountain adventures.

Final scores then....

Dogs stroked - some viscious sausage dogs and two dalmations

Wildlife - some strange horse/sheep mutations

Epic walk rating - Full scale epicness.

Going Nuts!

6th January 2013

A trip to the reserve at Freshfields to see if we could spot any red squirrels and also to check out the Ainsdale LNR.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/formby/

The squirrels indulged us by turning up but they had already been fed so turned their noses up at the peanuts and monkey nuts we launched at them ( yup we really did welly them over the fence,  there was even talk of a catapult next time !).

Most of our bounty was eaten by the magpies and crows who obligingly buried them so that the squirrels could dig them up later and re-bury them....

Bad coffee can do this to you

Still we were having more luck than the gentleman trying to photograph further down the path, not only did he have to put up with us distracting his targets he also failed one of the 10 commandments of effective camouflage.

• Though shalt always cover thy head, especially if thou is a baldy.

Animals see outline so one wonders what was the point of wearing camouflage from ankle to neck if your large shiny pink head is on show.

The squirrels rumbled him immediately and dutifully waited until he had given up and left before they came out and continued with their squirrel antics.

After a hearty lunch of Mr Whippy ice-cream we ventured into the Ainsdale LNR along the costal path ending up on the beach where the tide was predictably a half mile away from where it should have been.  

portal to a hell dimension ...... or someone's A level sculpture entry

We finished the day back at the Squirrel Walk but by then even the squirrels had gotton fed up being stared at and took themselves off to do whatever squirrels do in their free time.... who knows maybe a few hands of poker ( playing for nuts presumably).

Final scores then....

Dogs stroked - a rather large bulldog and a whole herd of miniature dulex dogs

Wildlife - red squirrels, magpies, cows and a treecreeper

Epic walk rating - Easing ourselves into 2013