|
January 2004 Meet Reports
8th/9th March Braemar Telemark Festival Meet David Lygate
Members Present: David K. Lygate.
This meet did not take place. A decision was taken at committee to
cancel it and as most people had alternative plans that was not seen as
a problem. None of the alternative venues were really any better to
justify the distance and expense. This was due to a lack of snow in
what has been a very poor season. The festival still took place on
very limited snow cover as the ski area had only stayed open to
prevent the festival being cancelled. What skiing there was was
extremely crowded and therefore not the best environment to be
introduced to such a wonderful sport. Two weekends later at the Muir
of Inverey meet there wasn't a patch of snow to be seen at Glen Shee.
However, we may attempt the telemark festival next year as I'm sure
that it would be a highly enjoyable meet.
So for the want of a meet report, here's what I did that weekend.
What did take place, well a weekend of sport. Train to Glasgow on the
Friday night to stay with my parents, my father and I having an evening
of whisky tasting. Saturday morning trip into Glasgow to see the
first ever indoor real ice climbing wall. My father and I then watched
the Old firm game (Rangers / Celtic), while my mother cooked us
lunch. Then we both went to the football with my Uncle Kenny to see
Renfrew play a team from Kilmarnock. 4 - 4 result with 5 players
getting sent off, strangest game that I've ever seen. Back into
Glasgow and the world famous Horseshoe Bar to see Scotland beat Wales
in the Rugby, before meeting up with the lads for a friends stag doo.
A very late and drunken night, where everything you would expect to
happen did. Then next day it was a trip to the climbing wall,
followed by a pub lunch and onto the train for what felt like the
quickest journey ever, as I slept just about the whole way.
6th April - Yorkshire climbing, Brimham Rocks - John Evans
(Apologies to Lewis Carroll).
Present: The Mad Hatter, Humpty Dumpty, Alice, The Cheshire Cat +
possible sighting of the Bandersnatch. Lots of the King's (KMC's) men
and women (fortunately they didn't need to put him back together
again), sorry your names were not recorded.
A day greyer than most dawned... Spring was not interested in a KMC
meet, but the Mad Hatter certainly was! "why not have a tea party"
Stove, water, tea, date slice and fruitcake were dutifully dragged to
the foot of Birch Tree Wall and a steady stream of KMC'ers strolled
around the rocks waiting for the rain to start, but the rain may have
been in Gloucester (ask Dr Foster!). Contenders:
Humpty: The meet leader, falling off Right Hand Crack as a result of
laughing too vigorously at Joe (dangling) and Lester trying to remove a
well-placed camming device. A second before this I had clipped a
well-placed hex, and Mr Wylie was paying attention, so I merely
dangled as well!
Mad Hatter: Probably Al Metelko for making the effort to lead
Hatter's Groove, I was informed of dampness.
Cheshire Cat: Dan O'Brien "I've just soloed an E3!"
Quite a grin it was too!
Alice: Difficult to say, but could be Mauriane, a parka-wearing
Belgian who hasn't been sighted since. Claimed inexperience but
seemed to cruise up various VS's!
Bandersnatch: A greyish, gorilla like creature swinging around the
Cubic Block, very peculiar. When pursued it fled at high speed (in a
green campervan!).
Humpty said Brimham's a fine crag, well worth another visit. Tea?
Yes, the party will hopefully become a regular feature! Thank you
kindly, all who attended; plenty of climbing was done in spite of the
initial chilly dankness, good effort folks!
31st May/1st June - Blackrock Cottage, Glencoe - Sheena Hendrie
Members Present: Sabina Cosulich, Duncan Lee, Dave Whittingham, Fiona
Roy, Sheena Hendrie, Dave Lygate
Guests:
Graham and Brenda Roy
Passing through and don't get a tick: Al Metelko, Scott Sadler, James
Richardson, Anna, Anya
The star of this show was Fiona, who had an eventful weekend...
Duncan and Sabina headed north first to try to get some climbing done
on the Friday. I never did quite work out which route they tried on
the Buchaille but green slime seemed to feature prominently and they
retreated for an early visit to the hut. Something like 6 hours and
one fire later the inside of the hut was just beginning to match the
external temperature (at 1030 at night). It was nice of them to warm
the place up for the rest of us.
Saturday morning was dry but overcast and after much faffing teams
headed off in different directions. Those passing through headed for
Skye, The Dave's headed for Tower Ridge, Graham and Brenda went
walking, and the rest of us went to Etive Slabs.
On arrival at the foot of Spartan Slab, Duncan did his bit for world
peace by commenting on the sedentary pace of the team on Pitch 1. I
cannot remember the actual words used but they were not quite as
polite as that - and the team sitting at the bottom of the route
turned out to be friends of the snails. And the snails themselves
probably heard as well...
Having eyed up Hammer Fiona and I decided to play safe and wait for
the queue on Spartan to diminish. Duncan and Sabina started on The
Pause. All went well for a bit. Fiona dropped my sunglasses down the
crag but they were old ones, she did the crux quite nicely and then
made sure that she was well protected by welding a piece of gear into
the crack that proved impossible for anyone to remove. (Top tip:
the crux pitch of Spartan now has two pieces of in situ gear. I
managed to remove Fiona's attempt to place a third.)
By this time Duncan and Sabina had abbed off The Pause which was
running with water and made more friends by queue jumping part way up
Spartan Pitch 1 - although to be fair the team leapfrogged were
themselves candidates for the Snails of the Year Award. We all ended
up Spartan having restored at least a semblance of amicable relations
with the team ahead. They had been hoping for a quiet day on the
crag but one poor soul ended up on a belay with me, Fiona and Duncan
and the decibel level must have broken H&S regs. We then headed
back down only to bump into the snails who were about to depart - if
looks could have killed Duncan would now be buried under the aptly
named Coffinstone.
And there endeth the first day - oh apart from me locking Fiona in
the outside loo and she had to phone Graham to come and let her out.
On the Sunday it was deemed that since this was a Glencoe meet, we
had to actually set foot in the glen. Dave L went for a walk, Graham
and Brenda set their sights on Stob Coire nan Lochan, Dave W rested
his blisters, and the rest of us headed for Aonach Dubh East Face at
the fastest pace we could manage to get out of earshot of the
strangled cats pretending to be pipers at the side of the A82. I led
Spider while Duncan led Quietude. He then started on Solitude (E3),
and in due course received assistance by me sending down all my
microwires to supplement his own - when the guide says it needs two
sets, it means it!
Fiona had been eyeing up Quietude and decided to go for it. Briefed
by Duncan on the gear required to protect the crux (which is low down
and just off a ledge) she set off. Having eyed up the crux (steep
and overhanging) she backed off but decided to have another go. Then
it went wrong - still with no gear in she could not make upward
progress nor reverse the moves she had done. The inevitable then
happened and ankles met ledge with the full impact of a Factor 2 fall.
There then followed a process of establishing damage, assessing
whether we needed help etc. In the end we went for the sensible
course of action and sent Duncan down to call out the MRT. In due
course they arrived and were absolutely brilliant - very
professional, relaxed and totally non judgemental. Fi was
helicoptered off to Fort William and the rest of us made our way
there in slower time.
The final event of the day was for Sabina to phone John Evans to
report on the accident and state of Fiona's health. Not wanting to
worry him, she went for the positive approach, all communicated in a
cheery tone "I've got some news, its not exactly good news, in fact
its bad news. Fiona had an accident but its only her ankle, well
she's actually broken it and needs an op, and the other foot is
broken as well, oh and she's hurt her back." The response from John
seemed to centre on "what colour was the helicopter".
Top marks to the Glencoe MRT (to whom I'd like the Club to give a
donation), the climber from Sheffield who provided a bivvy bag, the
police who chauffered Sabina and myself to the Clachaig, and hospital
staff in Fort William and Raigmore. Regrettably the same praise does
not apply to the Clachaig, who seemed more concerned about us not
upsetting their guests than helping Duncan call out the MRT.
And Fiona is on the mend.
31st May - 7th June - Isle of Skye (Glenbrittle Hut) - Dave Wylie
Members in Glenbrittle: Mark Ashley, John and Midge Castick, Roger
Dyke, Sheena Hendrie, David Lygate, Al Metelko, James Richardson,
Scott Sadler, Dave Wylie.
Members elsewhere on Skye: Jim and Sandy Gregson.
Guests: Trish Cranston, Anna Neubert, Anja Wermeling.
Once again, the Glenbrittle Hut on Skye paid host to a troop of
Karabiner Mountaineers for a week at the start of June. Reasonable
weather, good company and a variety of exploits (remember that there
is far more to Skye than just the Black Cuillin!) resulted in yet
another excellent meet.
Saturday
After travelling up through Scotland in extremely warm weather, the
highlight of the journey was the Glen Elg to Kylerhea ferry. Superb
value at £6, you really feel you've got your money's worth. It adds a
genuine sense of travelling to an Island, unlike using the infamous
Bridge. Arriving at the Hut, we found that ex-KMC'ers Angus and Hope
Morris were staying there that night and knew some of our team.
Sunday
First thing in the morning, Al was up bright and early for a quick
ascent of Sgurr nan Gobhar before breakfast! He then teamed up with
James, Anja, Anna and Scott to head up into Ciore na Banachdich,
followed by an evening swim in Loch Brittle. John and Midge went for
a coastal walk at Talisker Bay.
The rest of the team spent the day on a walk up towards Coir' a'
Ghrunnda. However, as this looked rather wet, we headed down to the
coast to visit the point, taking in the ruined croft, cave and
chambered cairn. Coming back along the track proved interesting as
the rivers we had to cross were in spate!
In the evening we were expecting Sheena and David L. to arrive,
following the weekend meet in Glencoe, but there was no sign of them.
We were left to wonder what had held them up...
Monday
The weather proved to be better than the previous day, fine on most
of the Island and clearing later on in the Cuillin. A trip round to
Harlosh was decided upon, to explore some of the sea-caves. Trish,
Roger, John, Midge, Jim, Sandy and Dave W. had a great time
spelunking and scrambling. We also saw a tall Ship in Loch Harport -
later research proved it to be the
Jubilee Sailing Trust ship "TENACIOUS".
A second team, Scott and Al, climbed Window Buttress then the In Pin.
James, Anna, Anja, also did Window Buttress (including going through
the window). This was Anja's first taste of climbing - What a great
introduction! Mark went up into Coire Banachdich to do some
scrambling, coming down over Sgurr nan Gobhar.
Arriving back at the Hut, the warden told us that Sheena and David L.
had finally arrived. The reason that they were late was because
"Fiona Roy took a fall in Glencoe, was very badly hurt and was in
hospital...". As Sheena and David had gone out again, we had half an
hour of panicked worrying before they reappeared to add the vital
"...but she's going to be OK" to the report.
Tuesday
It was a bit of a cloudy start, but the clag soon lifted from the
Cuillin. Trish, Roger, Midge, John, David L., Mark and Dave W. did a
Clockwise circuit of Coire na Banachdich, but didn't climb the In Pin
due to an in-situ guided party.
Sheena, James, Al, Anna went up to Sron na Ciche and did "Cioch
West". Scott and Anja did a walk to the headland South of Glenbrittle
- where Anja got right to the point.
In the evening, Trish, Anja and David L. went swimming in Loch
Brittle. Roger provided transport plus a tape of "seaside" Wurlitzer
Organ music in the car on the way back to the Hut.
Wednesday
With pretty fine weather all day, Trish, Midge, John, Roger, Jim,
Sandy and Dave W. walked up to Bealach a' Mhaim, where John spent the
rest of the day. The rest of this team continued up Bruach na Frithe,
along past the Bhastier Tooth, over Sgurr a Bhasteir and down the
North Ridge to meet John back at the Bealach.
Sheena, Al, David L., Scott and James did one of the Skye Classics:
Pinnacle Ridge onto Sgurr na Gillean. Al and Scott continued South
along the Ridge to the In Pin while the others came down over Bruach
na Frithe. Anna and Anja went up to the In Pin, though they didn't
climb it.
Mark went on an ornithological walk on the coast up near McCloud's
Maidens. He reported seeing two Sea Eagles, two Golden Eagles,
Peregrine Falcons and Buzzards!
Thursday
With low cloud and light rain in the Black Cuillin, plus a strong
wind, a team set off to explore the Red Cuillin. Trish, David L.,
Sheena, Dave W. and Mark headed up from the "Slig" onto Sron a
Bheakain. Along Druim na Ruaige, up to Beinn Dearg Mheadhonach, over
Beinn Dearg and down the the bealach. There was a major slog up onto
the Sgurr Mhairi end of Glamaig, then easier walking along to the An
Coileach end and down the flank of Glamaig to the road. There was
also, of course, the mandatory couple of pints in the pub.
John, Midge and Roger spent the day exploring another sea-cave, this
time near Greep. Jim and Sandy went up to Trotternish and paid a
visit to the Quiraing - definitely worth a trip for the amazing rock
scenery.
Scott, James, Al, Anna, Anja went climbing at Flodigarry. Scott put
up a new route, near the existing route "Spantastic". He has called
it "Sea Slaters Crack" and reckons that it goes at about E1 5b.
Friday
The low cloud and mist that started the day gradually cleared, though
not soon enough to avoid some "interesting" navigation in the hills!
Trish, Dave W. Mark, Roger, David L., Sheena headed up into Coir' a'
Ghrunnda and scrambled up the left hand side into the upper coire. We
had lunch by the Lochan, with David L. feeding Bombay Mix to a
seagull... Thanks to the mist, we took the wrong way out of the coire
and ended up bagging Sgurr Dubh na Da Bhein by mistake! We were, by
this time, on the wrong (South) side of the TD Gap so we headed back
down to the Lochan and found the correct way up this time. We carried
on to Sgurr Sgumain, then David L. and Sheena scared themselves
getting lost going up Sgurr Alasdair. The others came down (the wrong
way!) to below the Cioch then did some bouldering on the rocks below
Coire Lagan. Trish, forgetting that it's OK to let go when you're
only two feet from the ground, trashed her fingertips trying to hang
on to the razor sharp gabbro when her feet slipped.
The visit to the Quiraing was by Midge and John this time. Al, Anja,
Anna, Scott and James explored Talisker Bay.
Al and Anja headed back for home in the evening, leaving the rest of
us to enjoy a glass or two of whisky in the Hut (aided and abetted by
our new friend Barry Imeson) and reflect on what a superb week it had
been.
Saturday
Bidding a fond farewell to the Island, everyone headed for home. Not
all of us took the most direct route, however, as there was a
diversion to be made to the Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. Sheena,
David L. and James (in one car) then Dave W. and Trish (in another)
visited Fiona Roy who was proudly showing off her newly gained scars
and bondage gear.
Next Year
I have booked the hut again for next year, from June 5th to Friday
June 11th 2004 (i.e. leaving the Hut on Saturday June 12th). This
time I've got the whole hut (18 places) so there should be plenty of
room for everybody! Let me know if you want to come along, but please
DON'T leave it till the last minute as I already have names of
interested people against most of the available places. Those already
on my list confirm their place by slipping me £21 to cover the Hut
fees for the week.
Sun 13th July - Scrambling Meet, Ill Crags - Martin Heaton
Members: Roger Dyke, Martin Heaton, Neville McMillan, Lester Payne,
Dave Wylie.
Guests: Trish Cranston, Roger Daley, David Moon.
Well, I said it would be a long day, and it certainly was. On a
bright, sunny morning, Roger and Neville arrived at my house at 8:00,
and we set off. It didn't help when my car hit a roadside rock on the
Wrynose pass and punctured a tyre. Fortunately, Roger and Neville
combined their hundreds of years of experience, and had the wheel
changed very quickly.
All the same I was half an hour late when I was met by a small,
patient and enthusiastic group at Brotherilkeld. At 10:30 we started
walking up the Esk valley, trying to ignore the deep pools that
invited us to jump in, and eventually reached Great Moss, where the
views opened up spectacularly. From the foot of Ill Crags, the
scrambling was soon underway, and we swarmed up a series of slabs.
We came to a stop at the foot of a large imposing slab halfway up the
crag. I had soloed this on the trial run, but volunteered to take a
rope up. It was not needed, however, as the rest of the party,
obviously inspired by my stylish ascent, decided to solo. A very fine
pitch !
There was plenty more scrambling up to the top and enough scope for
people to pick their own path, with Dave Moon being particularly
adventurous. We reached the summit of Ill Crags at around 14:45. We
were on top of Scafell about an hour and a half later, having had
afternoon tea, scaled Scafell Pike and then Broad Stand, which, to my
shame, I had never done before.
At this point I thought it would be an easy stroll down the south
ridge to the road. The route looked straight-forward on the map, but
this proved to be deceptive and it was a foot-sore party that reached
the cars at 19:15 !
A long, but very memorable, day.
Sun 19th October - North Pennines walking - Iain McCallum
Members: Andy Croughton, Mike Graves, Jim Gregson, Sandy Gregson,
Alan (H) Jones, Alan(L) Jones, Iain McCallum, Lorna Marsland, Lester
Payne, Alan Peck, Brian Taylor, Jim Taylor, Frank Williams, Margaret
Williams, Keith Williams, Dave Wylie (16).
Guests: Ruth Flanagan, James Hartley, Geraldine O'Keeffe, Antonio
Osuna (4).
Contrary to the weather forecast the sky was already overcast before
we left the cars at Cote Gill Bridge. Prior to the start Jim G.
pacified a passing farmer, by advising him that we were going to
ascend Swarth Fell via the path from the nearby cottages and not by
climbing over the fence running alongside the road.
Following the path we made our way up the east flank of Swarth Fell.
Once on the ridge we headed north towards the summit. By the time we
reached the top of the Fell the party was well spread out along the
ridge. Soon it divided into two groups, the A group led by Jim
Gregson headed off for Wild Boar Fell while the B group led by me had
a pit stop out of the wind in a hole below the summit. By this time a
thick mist had enveloped the top of Wild Boar Fell and it had started
to rain.
Passing the little tarn on the col we climbed slowly up the fellside
in the teeth of strong cold wet north east wind to the top of Wild
Boar Fell. Its name reflects the story that the last wild boar in
England was killed here in the fifteenth century by Sir Richard
Musgrave. However, the same claim is made for several other places in
England.
Continuing north we headed for Little Fell before dropping into the
valley where we stopped for lunch under some trees at Low Cocklake
near Pendragon Castle, an old stronghold of the Clifford family. By
this time the rain had stopped and some patches of blue began to
appear in the sky. As we headed south following the River Eden
towards Shoregill we were joined by Jim's party. Crossing the river
we made our way via Lund's church to Outhgill where we viewed the
Jew's Stone . Here we divided into two parties, one party led by
Andy, Frank and Margaret returned to Cotegill Bridge along the valley
while the other led by Iain and Jim G. made their way back, aided by
a very strongwind, over High Seat and Hugh Seat. It is said that Hugh
Seat is named after Sir Hugh de Morville of Pendragon Castle, one of
the four knights who murdered St Thomas a Becket in Canterbury
Cathedral in 1170. By now the tops were clear and to the south we
could see Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent and to the north Cross Fell.
Below, in the valley, the hamlet of Hanging Lund was once the scene
of bloody reprisals, nine men being executed by Henry VIII's troops
following the ill-fated Pilgrimage of Grace in 1537.
On our way back we passed Hell Gill Force but the lack of rain had
reduced the waterfall to a mere trickle. We finished the day in style
at Moorcock Inn.
Distance about 13 miles.
Thanks for your support.
25th - 26th October - Fell Race, Duddon Valley Area - Neville McMillan
Members: Bob Anderson, John Castick, Virginia Castick, Sabina
Cosulich, Trish Cranston, Andrew Croughton, Dave Dillon, Roger Dyke,
Joe Flynn, Mark Garrod, Jim Gregson, Sandy Gregson, Mike Hall, Graham
Harkness, Sue Harkness, Sheena Hendrie, Alan (L) Jones, Duncan Lee,
Neville McMillan, Al Metelko, Julie O'Regan, Lester Payne, Jenny
Varley, Mark Williams, Dave Wylie
Guests: Kate Ayres, Paul Ayres, Steve Bowker, Anne Haslam, David
Wilson, Michael Wilson, Peter Wilson
(32 in total)
Eight members turned up on Friday night to start warming the hut up.
Saturday morning was dry and bright, despite the forecast of rain.
This arrived soon after mid-day as several groups all converged on
Wallowbarrow farm from different directions. Most continued upwards
into the rain, convinced that they had sussed out where the route was
going. Meanwhile, Duncan, Sabina and Neville disappeared into the
Newfield Inn for the afternoon whilst it pee'd down. By evening, many
more members had turned up, and the hut was full to the maximum
allowed number (22) plus two camping.
On Sunday the weather was just perfect for the runners, dry, sunny
and very little wind. It made navigation too easy! The numbers in the
race were increased by two running friends of Mike Hall, four friends
of mine (family Wilson), the arrival of Bob Anderson (but without the
little joker), and the unexpected arrival of Mark Williams, which
dashed the hopes of all who knew him. Total field 22.
Course: High Moss - Brock How (SD 2640/9944) - Blind Tarn (SD
2628/9671) - White Pike (SD 2490/9556) - High Moss
The steadily rising track to Seathwaite Tarn separated the runners
out into an order very similar to the finishing order. But this
conceals some dramatic differences in times, particularly between
Mark Williams and Steve Bowker. Mark was just 1½ minutes ahead of
Steve at the first checkpoint, but put up a blistering time on the
seriously uphill second leg, to be 8 minutes clear at Blind Tarn.
Then Mark got the line wrong on the last two legs, and Steve came
back with great determination to finish only 9 seconds behind him.
David Wilson was consistently in third position all the way round,
but also slowed significantly on the last two legs. Mike Hall and
Kate ran a double act, finishing together in fourth place looking not
only as though they had enjoyed it, but as though they could have
done it all again. Our "fast" men of recent years, Mark Garrod and Al
Metelko struggled to end up 7th and 8th overall, and not in the KMC
first three. Duncan, back to fitness, should feel pretty pleased with
himself; if he had only had the usual KMC contestants to contend
with, he would have won.
And what about the KMC Ladies? Hmm, what can I say? The fastest,
Sheena, was one hour behind the overall winner, and three-quarters of
an hour behind Kate. Come back Michelle, we need you!! Having said
that, I should commend the performance of Julie O'Regan, a first-time
entrant who was nearly the fastest KMC Lady. It was her bad luck that
Mike Hall made his first appearance in the event this year. Had Mike
not entered, Julie would have been a worthy winner of the Concordia
Trophy. I could also draw attention to the commendable performance by
Bob Anderson, who obviously enjoyed the final leg, and ended up
beating several people over 25 years his junior.
Trophy Winners
| Fastest time: | Mark Williams | 1:27:36 |
|---|
| Fastest KMC female: | Sheena Hendrie | 2:27:28 |
|---|
| Fastest handicap time: | Mike Hall | 1:29:33 |
|---|
| Concordia Trophy: | Mike Hall | |
|---|
Detailed Results
All Runners (incl. Guests)
| Name | Actual
Place | Actual Time
h:m:s | KMC
Place | KMC
Ladies |
| Mark WILLIAMS | 1 | 01:27:36 | 1 | |
| Steve BOWKER | 2 | 01:27:45 | | |
| David WILSON | 3 | 01:38:48 | | |
| Mike HALL | 4= | 01:40:33 | 2 | |
| Kate AYRES | 4= | 01:40:33 | | |
| Duncan LEE | 6 | 01:41:25 | 3 | |
| Mark GARROD | 7 | 01:42:04 | 4 | |
| Al METELKO | 8 | 01:46:17 | 5 | |
| Paul AYRES | 9 | 02:02:33 | | |
| Sheena HENDRIE | 10 | 02:27:28 | 6 | 1 |
| Graham HARKNESS | 11 | 02:29:01 | 7 | |
| Julie O'REGAN | 12 | 02:29:32 | 8 | 2 |
| Virginia CASTICK | 13 | 02:47:04 | 9 | 3 |
| Bob ANDERSON | 14 | 02:54:16 | 10 | |
| Joe FLYNN | 15 | 02:57:06 | 11 | |
| Anne HASLAM | 16 | 03:01:05 | | |
| Michael WILSON | 17 | 03:01:13 | | |
| Alan (L) JONES | 18 | 03:01:36 | 12 | |
| Dave DILLON | 19 | 03:14:07 | 13 | |
| Trish CRANSTON | 20 | 03:20:35 | 14 | 4 |
| Roger DYKE | 21 | 03:26:49 | 15 | |
| Peter WILSON | Did Not Finish | |
KMC Handicap Event
| Name | Handicap
(mins) | Handicap Time
(h:m:s) | Handicap
Place |
| Mike HALL | 11 | 01:29:33 | 1 |
| Duncan LEE | 5 | 01:36:25 | 2 |
| Graham HARKNESS | 52 | 01:37:01 | 3 |
| Bob ANDERSON | 69 | 01:45:16 | 4 |
| Mark WILLIAMS | -20 | 01:47:36 | 5 |
| Sheena HENDRIE | 36 | 01:51:28 | 6 |
| Joe FLYNN | 61 | 01:56:06 | 7 |
| Virginia CASTICK | 48 | 01:59:04 | 8 |
| Alan (L) JONES | 60 | 02:01:36 | 9 |
| Mark GARROD | -36 | 02:18:04 | 10 |
| Dave DILLON | 51 | 02:23:07 | 11 |
| Julie O'REGAN | 0 | 02:29:32 | 12 |
| Roger DYKE | 56 | 02:30:49 | 13 |
| Al METELKO | -51 | 02:37:17 | 14 |
| Trish CRANSTON | 11 | 03:09:35 | 15 |
Commiserations to Kate, who does not get a trophy, just the
self-satisfaction of knowing who she has beaten.
My thanks to all the checkers, and to the kitchen department,
especially to Sabina for producing such a vast quantity of excellent
soup.
Start training for next year; it was clearly not long enough or hard
enough this year!
Sun 2nd November - Bala Walking - Dave Bone
Present: Ian McCallum, Lorna Marsland, Alan (L) Jones, Pete Walker,
Trish Cranston, Brian Taylor and Christine Beeston.
A round of the hills from Arenig Fawr was the plan, but the forecast
was poor and PW had reported days of torrential rain in Wales. A
blast of sun at Queensferry was tempting, but wasn't to last. The dry
summer had really drawn down Llyn Celyn, and it was now been refilled
by the white water in the rarely seen watercourse at its head, as
well as the rain lashing down. The only question was how long to wait
at the start of the walk for cars before heading for Bala! Most
inhospitable with a wet gale blowing and the hills all but
invisible, but we had a total of 8 sitting in cars. Signs of unrest
in the ranks prompted a hurried scan of the map for Plan B whilst
depositing car transport at the end of the walk. With no argument in
the ranks, plan B was executed - a circumnavigation of Arenig Fawr
over largely trackless terrain (despite the marking of paths on the
map). Once committed to the open ground East of Llyn Arenig, a
horizontal hailstorm and rumbles of thunder from the big Arenig
confirmed the decision to keep off the hill!
There then followed some interesting navigation through moor and
farmland over forgotten paths, even though there were plenty of
footpath signs. Some delicate bog hopping got us onto the bridleway
through the Coed Gorderw Forest, though no horse had been this way
for some time! The troops battled their way through the 'trenches',
with PW fighting off Trench Foot while continuing a Welsh survey of
mobile phone reception. The company pushed their way into the pines
for some relative shelter for lunch. After lunch an impassable river
crossing triggered an off path diversion (also a short cut) - as most
of the company had not done the long jump in a while. Up the Afon
Erwent, we went, Lorna graciously offering Ian assistance over the
ramshackle fences. After some extremely soft going over the col to
the West of Arenig Fawr, we picked up a good honest track and made
good time. Unfortunately at an old farmhouse, the leader had to force
a disbelieving party back into the deep untracked rushes to pick up
the old railway track that led back to the deposited car.
Actually, it did not turn out to be that bad a day, the lowest point
being the exit from the car, as there were only a few short showers
in the rest of the day. Even a glimpse of Sun. Look out for Wild
Wales Walk part 2 next year - hoping there won't be another 'W'!
8th - 9th November - Ty-Powder bonfire - KMC
Members: Christine Beeston, Andrew Croughton, James Ricardson, John
Evans, Fiona Roy, John Castick, Virginia Castick, Joanna Castick,
Scott Sadler, Ian Crook, Dave Wylie, Julie O Regan, Susan Brooke,
John Dobson, Joe Flynn, Dave Dillon, Jenny Varley, Al Metelko, Robert
Clark, Sabina Cosulich, Duncan Lee, Mark Ashley, Michelle Harvie,
Mark Garrod, Dave Bone, Sheena Hendrie, Trish Cranston, Steve Taylor,
Kevin Anderson.
Guests: Anja Wemeling, Alex Dobson, Graham, Cath Sanders, Shaun
Thompson, Steve, J. Harley, Steve Powell, Darra Jones, Liz Taylor and
Jonathan Taylor, Chris Varley.
There was a great crowd on a dry but very windy weekend. There were
climbing parties on Tremadog, Gogarth and Betws-y-Coed. Walkers all
over the place including Elidr Fawr, Moel Eilio and even some
ventured up Snowdon pretending to be Shepas carrying strange loads.
Perhaps they were only training for Greenland next year!
The fire was brilliant. Thanks to Andrew, Dave, Norman, John C, John
D (who worked so hard cutting branches) Joanne and Midge and to Steve
for ensuring the best bar- b-cue for years. And all who helped.
Special mention for Mark A who introduced ancient Celtic bonfire
rituals, Kevin for the suggestion and Julie and team that produced
the mulled wine that fortified him.
The regular firework master (and health and safety officer) was
missed and shouts of "incoming fire" were heard as one rocket went
delinquent!
As we drove home in the dark the sky was illuminated by a moorland
fire above Penmaenmawr and I was wondering if someone's delinquent
rocket had been responsible.
A very enjoyable week end.
Sun 16th November - Peak bouldering, Newstones/Baldstones - Duncan Lee
Members: Sabina Cosulich, Joanne Castick, Virginia Castick, Lester
Payne, Mark Ashley, Roger Dyke, Colin Maddison, Robert Clark, Joe
Flynn, Sheena Hendrie, Mike Hall, Andrew Croughton, Dave Dillon, Ian
Crook, Dan O'Brien, Frank Williams, Margaret Williams, Kevin
Anderson, Al Metelko, Scott Sadler and Duncan Lee.
Guests: Roisin Maddison, Dave Moon, Emily, Rob Embrey, Gregory Nunn,
Antonio and friend, Howard McGlashan, Nigel, Chris Rivers and Steve
Bowker.
Despite the allure of the rugby on TV and the only cloud in the Peak
hovering overhead, the early arrivals were on the rock before the
final whistle and the weather was kind to us. The team's
photographers, who watched the game, arrived somewhat later by which
time we were all warmed up and striking some good poses. A few hardy
soles led the odd climb, others top roped some of the taller problems
and the bouncy play area was a winner. At Newstones Hazel Brow Crack,
Rosehip and Scratch Crack provided lots of entertainment for the
spectators whose ranks swelled at lunchtime with Frank and Margaret's
arrival. As they continued their walk after a suitable break the
caravan moved on across the moor to Baldstones for the afternoon
shift. This change of venue provided certain people with an
opportunity to sneak off. El Presedente and his entourage sidled off
in the direction of a local hostelry whilst Sheena and Sabina, being
of a healthier disposition, went for a run.
The bouncy play area was set up below the excellent Baldstones
traverse which provided lots of amusement as did Ian's cunning plan
of setting a top rope up on Ray's Roof. Despite the best efforts of
the youngsters no one managed to get established in the crack but
lots of fun was had swinging around cursing and bleeding. Those who
were older and lazier looked on with wry smiles. Kevin's end of day
grin was well deserved seeing as he was the only one to complete the
traverse. The meet leader managed to fall off the last move, twice!
Bugger! Finally the deepening gloom caused a retreat to be made to
the Whaley café for a warming chili.
Cheers to everyone who turned up.
23rd November - West Pennine Walking - Mike Graves
Members: Dave Wylie, Lorna Marsland, Linda Crossley, Alan (L) Jones,
Bob Haynes, Keith Williams, Alan Peck, Sue Brook, John Dobson,
Alan(H) Jones, Christine Jones, Margaret and Frank Williams, Iain
McCallum, Lester Payne,
Guests: Rebecca Hunter, Alan's two dogs.
When I heard the weather forecast and it said fog, I wondered how
many walkers I would lose. On arrival at the car park, it was clear
and a little chilly and I thought we might have a good day. The walk
set off at a brisk pace and after half an hour the group was down to
six, some comments were made about having the coffee break at the
lunch stop. We arrived at Solomon's Temple at 11.00 and had our
planned stop, the sun was now shining and the sky was blue as far as
you could see and it was now shirtsleeve order. It was hard to
imagine that it was only four weeks to Christmas, the lunch stop was
taken at White Coppice, sitting on the grass it was just like summer,
indeed Frank thought it was, as his eye's started to close and head
nodding. Our route continued up Black Dean Brook keeping to the rocks
for a short distance, and then on to Great Hill with some great
views, and two Micro-Lights that passed by, in the distance we
spotted a hot air balloon, it was just like summers day. On the way
to the car park Iain suggested that we extend the walk and carry on
to Darwen Tower, and at 16.00 we finished our coffee still in
shirtsleeves then carried on back to the car park. The day finished
in the Royal Arms with rather good pint of Felix bitter.
Sun 7th December - Winter Warmer MK3 - Craig Marsden
Runners: Ivy Limbrick, Kevin Robinson, Mark Garrod, Michelle Harvie,
Duncan Lee, Al Metelko, Julie O'Regan, Roy Lee, Peter Gilligan, Sue
Brooke, Kevin Anderson, Dave Wylie, Alan (Liv) Jones, Sabina
Cosulich, James Hartley, John Cox, Thomas Marsden, Roger Mapleson,
Lorna Marsland.
Walkers: Frank Williams, Margaret Williams, Peter Walker, Colin
Maddison,
Other activities: Dave Dillon, Ivy Lee, Sue Marsden, Ken Beetham,
Joan Beetham, Bridget Mapleson, Carys Mapleson, Owen Mapleson, Roisin
Maddison, Lester Payne, Mark Ashley
The Whaley Cafe, duly advertised, saw the hordes descend on a bright
but cool Sunday morning, with a surprisingly large turnout for a
running meet, perhaps it was the potential shame of a 9 year old
completing the run and adult KMC'ers not that did it! The runners
gathered eager to be off and stormed through the park before the
first hill steadied the rising enthusiam. Both the short and not so
short circuit shared the first 4Km, a nice jaunt up through Taxal and
along the Goyt valley as a pre-warmer. A stunning pace was set by the
two shortest, for a change this wasn't Michelle and Sabina. I have
threatened that if Thomas (age 9 and setting the pace oh my god!)
Marsden keeps that kind of pace up he might have to have an accident,
but on with the meet report. The run progressed along Fernilee
reservoir where the short (11Km, they lengthened it out of choice?!)
and longer run parted company. The Long run having a nice little
'warmer' section as advertised , up to White Hall towards Castle Naze
and then nicely down hill to Combs, before a gentle jaunt back
(although the noise of Mr Greekbody would have you think otherwise!)
to the Whaley Cafe to partake of Sue's marvelous soups and the
assorted other goodies.
My Thanks to all that attended, especially Sue and Sabina for all
their hard work in food preparation that made this such a well fed
and sociable meet.
Notable Comments: Prizes were awarded for the two youngest finishers,
Thomas for completing 10Km at the scarey age of 9 and Alan
(Liverpool) Jones for completing at the grand old age of 8 (at least
thats what I was told!!) James Hartley for cycling from Whalley Range
(?) to Whaleybridge for a 14 Km fell run and luckily getting a lift
back. Colin playing Indian tracker following some rather large walsh
prints around, 14 stone Arnold of course!! Lester for smelling the
warmed bread rolls and soup from 10 miles away! The younger members
therein, Phoebe, Carys, Owen and Roisin stormed the park before
making a good attempt in restyling the Whaley cafe. One new attendee,
Kevin, struggled with traffic from Huddersfield and arriving late
tried to catch up with the short run, but was outwitted by the
lengthening of the run by the over keen KMC runners!!
Again thanks to all that came to make this such an enjoyable meet.
January Newsletter Index.
Copyright © 2003 Karabiner Mountaineering Club
|
