A successful but breezy day climbing Scafell Pike today!
I met James at Seathwaite Farm, already wearing more layers than usual! It was quite chilly. We got on our way and immedietly fell into a great conversation about Nepal, as James is off to Everest Base Camp in March and was climbing Scafell Pike with us today as a means of training for his trek. This conversation stuck with us for most of the first bit of the walk, and before we knew it we were past the stockley bridge, up past Taylorgill Force and at Styhead Pass. Here the wind was whipping up from the Wasdale Valley so we made quick movements towards the far more sheltered corridor route. We made great progress up the Corridor route, getting caught in a couple of light showers along the way. Just before Lingmell col we ascended into the mist, and took this moment to take a brief rest bite. Now on the final push we made our way up the steep ascent to the summit of the Pike. As we hit the zig zags we were also hit by a strong wind but we pressed on. Very strangely as we made our way onto the flat summit plateau, the wind disappeared! It was very strange! We walked with ease onto the summit, where there was evidence of ice starting to build up. As we reached the cairn we were then smacked in the face by more wind coming from the south. It was on the summit that we saw our first fellow hillwalkers of the day! We had already made the decision due to the wind strength and direction that we would be better off going back the way we came and not taking the exposed ridge line route back along the tops. We descended off Scafell Pike and re-joined the corridor route. We had a pleasant descent, apart from the ball bearing type hail that hit us at about 50mph, ouch! haha. A great day out!
