Another week, another backpacking trip. I’d originally been minded to go out for 2 nights, but if we were going to be in Coniston on Lakeland 100 weekend then I didn’t want to miss all of the goings-on, so I opted for another one-nighter, with the intention of being back in Coniston by the time the first L100 runner crossed the finish line on Saturday afternoon.
I’d also originally intended to try out various different bits of kit on this trip, but having contemplated the options, I stuck with what I’d taken last time, with the exception of the backpack itself. This time I went for the heaviest of my (small) collection: an Osprey Exos. It has been my pack of choice for the last thirteen years, so, I fully expected to find it the most comfortable with the best array of pockets.
With a plan settled (the first 30km of the Lakeland 100 route on Friday, before taking a detour up Mosedale (the near-Wasdale one) to camp, then a backtrack to Wasdale Head to cut over to Langdale to pick up the last 20k of the L100 route), we travelled up to Torver on Thursday, thence to Coniston on Friday morning. It was just before 11am when I set out.
The pull up from Coniston Village to the Walna Scar car park hasn’t got any less steep than it was last year, and I’m sure someone snuck some extra ascent into the rest of the Walna Scar Road (WSR). This wasn’t helped by a temporary loss of ability to read the map, so I thought I was almost at the top 15 minutes prematurely.
WSR wasn’t as busy as one might expect on a Friday in school holidays, and after I crested the top I saw not a single person to speak to until … well, let’s not have a spoiler*.
I’d not before followed the route down into Seathwaite nor the next 3km towards Hardknott Forest, and the last time I did the next section to Boot it was something silly like -4 degrees and frozen solid. Mick had warned me what a bogfest it would be, so I was surprised at how much good path there was. In fact, the bog didn’t start much before the place I’d met Mick when he was recceing the route and I’d walked out from Boot to meet him last spring.
Taking time and care (which the L100 runners, coming through in around 6 hours’ time, wouldn’t have time for) it was possible to keep my feet mainly dry.
Out the other side of the forest, where it was also rather squelchy for the end of July, I managed to get a message out to Mick to let him know my location and that I was having a change of plan. At some point early in the outing I’d tweaked something on the left of my lower back (I’m being vague because I remember thinking ‘oooh, that’s sore’ but have no recollection what I did or exactly where I was when I did it), and whilst it wasn’t too painful to walk, it didn’t want to bend or twist. As it wasn’t easing off, it seemed somewhat imprudent to continue such that I would end the day on the opposite side of the Lake District, possibly wake in an even worse state on the morrow, and have no easy way of getting back to my start point. So, I would cut the route short, camping somewhere near the top of the River Esk, and go via Esk Hause in the morning to rejoin my route.
A brief chat with Mick got cut off when the signal wandered off, and I then had another rethink. Surely, I thought, the most sensible thing to do would be to just turn around, retrace my steps, and find somewhere to camp at the top of the WSR. Then, if I was suffering in the morning, I would only have 5km downhill to get me back to Coniston.
As I started the retracing I did a few calculations. It had taken me 4 hours to do the first 16km (including breaks and faffs). If I could get back in the same timescale then I could attend the evening talk in the L100 marquee. Which would I prefer: to spend the night out or to enjoy the L100 weekend? I decided on the latter, so put a bit of a pace on and took a shortcut around Seathwaite (it took me through some lovely old woodland and involved stepping stones with a wire to hold on to).
By the time I got to the point where the WSR becomes an unsurfaced road, my back wasn’t bothering me at all, making me think I should have continued my outward route per plan. Then I stopped to filter some water. Yep, it still *really* didn’t like bending or twisting. A night in a tent would have been painful.
As I ascended back to Walna Scar, I had an eye on the clock, hoping that I would make it off the WSR before the 600+ runners came stampeding at me. As I crested the pass (which was the first opportunity I had to let Mick know to expect me back), I realised that if I really put a pace on I could make it back in time to see the L100 start.
I made it with 12 minutes to spare and even beat Mick to the pavement outside the petrol station, which was our chosen viewing point.
Looking at the positives, I had a nice 30k outing with a full pack and plenty of ascent, and still had enough energy to walk over to the main event field and stand in a marquee for an hour after inhaling a suitable amount of food and drink.
As for the back, it was still sore this morning (Saturday), then suddenly it was okay again (i.e. no major pain on bending). Let’s hope whatever I did to it isn’t going to become a recurrent problem!
As for the Osprey Exos backpack – I think it was less comfortable than the OMM, and it felt heavier than the extra weight of the pack itself (and everything inside was the same as last week). It may be a while before my next trip, but I’ll have to do some more experiments with those two packs.
(*After leaving Walna Scar on the outward leg, the next people I saw close enough to talk to were at Walna Scar on my way back.)
I’ve just caught up. Sounds like you’ve enjoyed the nice weather and are enjoying the outdoors whilst some of us have been glued to the Olympics. Now it’s the cricket, but on the radio, and jobs are those not involving computers, which are at the shop having emailing sorted out.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, enjoy the Lakes and don’t get too knackered!
We did get to watch quite a bit of the Olympics, although The Hundred cricket was prioritised most days. Indeed, the trip upon which we have just embarked (Europe; the Lakes was only a long weekend) was timed to start as the Olympics ended. Hope your computers are all well, with functional email, soon.
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