After a bothy weekend with the family and a lazy day yesterday the computer beckoned for an office day today.
Not with that forecast!
I'm cack at training these days. Excuses abound: my knees have been diagnosed as "fu@*ed"(the specialists words), the roads round here make biking like riding through a shooting gallery (to the tw@t who overtook me at speed in the 30 zone today- if I can touch your door you are too close!) etc. etc. and I'd rather climb than train for climbing (hmm but is the right kind of climbing training for climbing anyway? Cue articles, books etc.).
But today I decided a bit of a leg stretch was in order. So I pushed the bike up the new N Face Track to the top car park and forced the pace to the hut. There I had a chat (good excuse for a break) with
Rebecca and Mike B and a litre of water before hitting Tower Ridge. I could see a fast moving pair (turned out to be local stalwarts Steve and Kevin) well ahead so the target was to overtake them. The weather was… confused… one minute I was baking the next a strong breeze was chilling me. I also spotted a little ice melting on a ditch on the push up to the top car park AND a little verglassey ice weep across the path on the first traverse right on the Ridge. A nice light jacket from
Rab did the job and it was a chance to try out my new sack from
Lowe. I was a sweaty keep as I overtook the guys and sank half a litre of water on top of the Great Tower. I hit the top and ploughed on round to Ledge Route where there was more chat with friends working (phew- another break) and then it just remained to nip down that scramble and the path back to my waiting bike and onwards down to Torlundy (the fun bit) and home.
A banana and a pint of milk and I really decided to overdo it and hit the dungeon- AKA the pain cave- for a little dry tooling.
Now was it a one off or will there be more prep like this on the run up to winter….?
Oh and I've found that chasing a small girl round a trampoline on a slope from a position seated in the middle of it is AMAZING for your core- who knew?
Just wanted to add a big up to
Robbie Phillips (there's someone who likes to train) for his ascent of Dalriada… started in the mist… with damp holds. Anyone who has climbed on the Cobbler in even slightly damp conditions can join me in being well impressed. Nutter.
Hike a bike up to the top car park
Ledge Route- the way down
Some pilgrims heading up
Steve and Kev
Sweaty selfie
The Great Tower
Tower Gap- looking down Glover's Chimney
A relatively quiet summit
Looking back up at Ledge Route
New sack
The pain cave- I did not last long!!