Introduction to Scrambling in the Lakes
Andrew, United Kingdom
Trip in United Kingdom ~ Beginner difficulty
mountaineering and the best chance to teach some friends how to use ice axes and crampons but the weather turned, the sun came out and all the snow melted. So a scrambling weekend it became. Pete and I were to lead as Ed and Vik had not scrambled before, other than last years adventure on Arran. What a weekend it was: the weather was amazing blue skies, cold and frozen under foot yet warm and sunny. We decided our first scramble had to be the famous Jack’s Rake a grade 1 with 3 stars in the guide book. We took the steep path with the masses up to Stickle Tarn before catching our breath and heading round to Pavey Ark on the other side. The route was easy to see and so were the early birds already making progress accross the diagonal line on the face. We tighted bootlaces, sintched in compression straps, closed chest straps and after taking on some of Ed’s Dads Banana cake we moved into the obvious crack that lead up and across Pavey Ark and the Tarn below.
The going was easy to start with but as the team began to tire and the climbers behind began to close then the route seemed to get harder. Pete was doing a stirling job at the front pointing out holds and offering encouragement to Vik and Ed, with me taking up the rear and holding back the floodgates of people behind. Soon we were able to step off to the side and let the hoards through complete with their dogs. We took a moment, the view, a big gulp of Lake District Mountain air and the last big push for the top.
The top was colder and the bog was just as soft under the ice as normal. Vik found this out to her horror so with wet feet she took a break and joined her in wringing out socks and drying insoles on the warm rocks while we shared a hot drink and yet more cake.
The next stage of our adventure was to descend Harrison Stickle picking up the East Ridge (Grade 1/2) and climb again to the summit. Finding the route from above was the hardest part yet the climbing was straight forward if a little more exposed. With the day moving on and despite our early start it was now after noon and we needed to move. Move we did; over Harrison Combe towards to obvious jelly mould shape of Pike of Stickle and the descent and long walk out following Mickleden Beck while spotting Red Deer on the hillside.
Back to the Elterwater YHA and a meal at the Britannia Inn that we all cannot recommend highly enough. The Minted Lamb and local beer was stuff of legends as was the day that got better the more we spoke of it. The route was decided for the next day -
Scafell Pike the long way in from Hardknott Castle
Day two’s weather was even better than Day one with acloudless sky and no wind we took the landrover over the icy Hardknott Pass to the remains of the Roman Fortnamed Hardknott Castle. Parking in the trees we made our way over Damas Dubs and down to Great Moss. The walking was up there with the best there was; clear skies, bright sun yet cool enough to enjoy without over heating. The paths were firm and the navigation almost second nature - we need to come back and wild camp sometime. Soon we passed Sampson’s Stones and stopped at the base of the waterfall for a bite to eat and a liitle rest. The scramble up the waterfall of Cam Spout was as tough as I remembered from a cold Easter Morning many moons ago. The going continued to take it’s toll on our time as we climbed onto the ridge. Ed and Vik
were tiring fast but Pete still insisted on pulling us on and showing us the way. The long 5+ mile walk in had taken us 5 hours mainly as the views were just spectacular and we seemed to record every inch of it. Only one man and his dog had we seen and yet on the ridge and rocky summit of Scafell Pike it was crowded with people in all manmer of gear from shorts and T’s to quilted parkas, an ipod and a fag. The haze of the day now sat in the valleys and the heads of the mountains were all that we saw all arround.
The rescue helecopters buzzed arround over our heads reminding us that time was moving on and we still had 6 miles to descend and only 3 hours of daylight. Just time
for 
a few more pictures and the scree slope descent down and under Rough Crag to River Esk and the long route march out. It was cooler now as the sun began to set and yet the light just improved all the time. Once again we saw no-one on our walk out just four friends taking every opportunity to enjoy every last minute.
When can we come again!
