Helvellyn
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| This image is climbing up Helvellyn. |
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This image is climbing up Easy Gully on Pavey
Arch on the opposite face to Jack's rake. |
On 21st August 2018, 8:30 am, I set off from Helvellyn Youth Hostel to climb up Helvellyn. We decided to go around the horse shoe in anticlockwise direction meaning we ascended up Squirrel edge and descended down Striding Edge. Helvellyn is the 3rd tallest peak in England. Striding Edge and Squirrel Edge are both grade 1 scrambles meaning you spend a lot of times using your arms and legs as is becomes more of a climb compared to a walk. There was low visibility as the clouds were low. When descending we could not see a clear path coming from the peak so began to climb down lose rock along a path we thought must have been the way. As we got lower and lower, it became clear that this was no path, just a few lose rocks scattered amongst a very steep grassy mountain face. We climbed back up along rocks that seemed more stable and joined Striding edge. The view down on the red tarn was beautiful and the lake helped to navigate us.
Scafell pike
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| This is on Scafell Pike. |
We attempted Scafell pike the following day. The drive here involved going over Wrynose Pass and Hardknott Pass which are narrow undulating roads travelling through the centre of vast majestic valley. Arriving at Scafell we were advised not to go walking, I was determined however to attempt it – there is nothing worse than a ‘did not start’. We began walking up the side of a river using a picture of the route on my phone as guidance. We travelled up the mountains going via Hollow Stones. I was very eager to attempt Sca fell too however the weather was making the walking unenjoyable and the fog preventing you from seeing any of the views. The river running alongside the path made the walk very pretty with frequent waterfalls and stepping stones across it. We reached a fork in the path and chose to turn right (the shorter but steeper way to the summit). Eventually, the route became incredibly unclear and it turned into lots of tiny lose rocks. We actually turned back at this point as we did not believe the clear stepping stones would have changed into this path given how popular the route is. On our way back down, we met a couple who had followed us up, we agreed to go back to the blind spot and work our way through it. We managed it thanks to locating a rescue point on the map which we had just passed giving us confidence that we were on the correct route. Along the ridge, the path was not well marked however man made stacks of stones provided some guidance. We took the longer slope down the rocks as the rain had made the slippy.
Jack’s Rake and Easy Gully
Jack’s Rake and Easy Gully form a ‘v’ shape in Pavey Arch. The walk up to Pavey Arch is relatively simple and short. Stickle Tarn is at the bottom and the walk forms a horse shoe around it. Harrison Stickle is the heighest point at the summit. We attempted Jack’s rake but did not complete it. The continuous rain fall over the past week meant the rocks were leather like and made the route too dangerous for us. We had been advised to watch videos about the route and that you cannot turn back once you have passed the small tree growing out of the rock. We headed back down as we approached the tree… wearing cycling helmets for added protection, we looked rather silly attempting to climb down the steepest faces on the peak. We reached the bottom and decided to attempt Easy Gully. This forms the right hand side of the ‘v’. This scramble was by no means easy. It was made from lots of lose rock and it felt like a rock slide could occur at any moment. We traversed up the rocks making sure we called for any large falling rocks. When we reached the top, a large overhanging rock blocked the path. The walk and scramble was great but I will have to return in order to complete Jack’s Rake!
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