phillgreenaway

My friend Ann at Jervaulx Abbey. I will miss her.

Feeling lazy, so I'll just post an image from my last Alps trip. Picture was taken on the way to the summit of Pigne d'Arrolla, the first really big mountain that I've climbed abroad. And so the obsession began.....

Well I've made one positive decision this year. I've booked my Easyjet flight to Geneva, and will be returning to the Alps in September with the intention of climbing Gran Paradiso (the highest mountain in Italy) and, depending on the success or otherwise of that, possibly Mont Blanc (the highest Mountain in France). Wish me luck, I'll probably need it....

I'm currently using a supposedly state of the art Satellite data card to access the internet. It's painfully slow, and as Steve green observed today I've got cutting edge modern technology to achieve 1990's dial up speeds! It's true. Suffice it to say I've placed an order with BT to get a landline installed at my new place. Proper broadband speeds to follow. How do people manage with dial-up accounts these days?

I didn't quite get a proposal of marriage today, quite the opposite. More a dissolution of a long term relationship that has lasted 14 years. For once, there was no animosity involved - just an acceptance by two people that our lives are going in different directions. I'm heading to a place called Garstang, having secured a new job working in Blackpool. I'm hoping it will provide me with a new start because I've barely been existing for the past year - just doing things by the numbers and trying not to think too deeply about anything. Wish me luck.

I was co-opted into taking this young person out for her 18th birthday to Thorpe Park. She tried her level best to get me to go on rides designed to take years off my own life. I must confess that Stealth was the one ride that terrified her. Fortunately, I resorted to Zen meditation to get me through the day.

I contacted my Union regarding the withdrawn contract of employment on my return from annual leave. The good news is that Powys County Council have now offered me a months salary as compensation for the termination of the contract. Result!

Some of the people I know think I need sectioning because of my escapades in the hills and the assumption (quite correct)that there are certain inherent dangers that can apply to the activity. Shortly after taking this photograph I would have been hard-pressed to disagree as I narrowly escaped colliding with a descending paraglider pilot.

The mountain in the background is Blencathra - one of my favourites in the Lake District. The two prominent ridges to the left and right of the paraglider are my usual routes to the summit.

Just returned from 10 days in the Lakes - some photos and reports will be forthcoming when I get my act together. However, the weather was fantastic and I managed to walk in the hills on most days. One more visit this year will probably mean that I will have stood on top of every mountain in the area above 2000 feet in height.

I was offered a job on my 45th (March 9th) that was the icing on my non-existent birthday cake. Time passed, and about three weeks ago I made enquiries about why I hadn't received any confirmation in writing. I was informed that there had been several resignations within the team and consequently the job offer was being withdrawn. I couldn't understand the logic of this decision at the time and, in keeping with my new found persona of Mr Angry I penned a letter to the organisation concerned pointing out that they either needed to terminate the oral contract I had entered into with them and provide some financial compensation, or let me know when I could start in the new post.

I had a letter today from the manager concerned stating that she would be giving me a fuller response in due course and in which she deeply apologised for any inconvenience or disappointment caused. It would have been more convincing if she had bothered to sign the letter herself. I guess I'm probably going to burn my bridges with this employer but, given the shoddy way I feel I've been treated this is no great loss.

I'm going to the Lake District for a week in the near future. I thought I'd share one of the images I took during a previous visit. Hope you like it.

I just thought I'd include a view of the local treadmill I used in preparation for my Mulhacen ascent.

I bought the DVD box set of BSG second series the other day as it was on offer for a fairly low price in Smiths.  In typical Greenaway fashion I'm taking the arse backward approach to continuity.  I saw the pilot episode years ago at Steve Green's place and remember enjoying it immensely.  For some reason lost to the ravages of time, I didn't watch any more of the first season when it eventually emerged on the TV screen.  I watched the occasional story from the second series, but kept missing episodes because I'm constantly on my travels and was too lazy to master the intricacies of programme recording with the VCR.  I recently started subscribing to SKY+ and, as the advertising would have the consumer believe, it's transformed a small part of my life.  Consequently, I've managed to watch every episode of the third series at my convenience.  Fantastic!  Now all I've got to do is find the first series on DVD and I feel a marathon slob out fest is in order to watch this superb show in the order that the programmers originally intended.  In my view, it was the best TV series on the idiot box at the time it was being aired, and certainly the best SF series since Chris Ecclestone hung up his leather jacket on Dr Who.

So I spend my last evening in Trevelez at the campsite and of the 4 people in the bar, one shares the same birthday as me.  What are the chances? Bought me a drink at least.

We set out from the mountain hut at about 9.30am the following morning.  Weather conditions looked reasonably promising in that visibility was good.  I was quite dismayed that the route we had chosen involved further descent before the climb proper could be commenced.  The Liverpool 4 were taking a longer approach to the summit that did not involve tackling steep, icy ground that required use of ice-axe and crampons.  It didn't take us too long to start ascending, initially via a stream before emerging on a plateau surrounded by high peaks. The actual ascent seemed straightforward enough although the weather conditions gave some cause for concern, having fluctuated from sunshine to poor visibility throughout the morning.  I think we reached the summit about 1.30pm and for once I was only a few minutes behind Andy - the increasing altitude had reduced our walk to a measured plod. 

The plan was to descend into a plateau called Siete Lagunas and camp for the night.  Our rucksacks were laden down with food, cooking equipment and camping gear - probably the heaviest weight I've ever carried on any walking jolly.  However, when we arrived at this spot, visibility had deteriorated significantly, the wind chill was definitely in minus figures and the area we intended to make camp in was covered with snow.  Both of us were still willing to wild-camp at this spot but a non-functioning cooker probably put paid to our good intentions.

We decided to descend to the creature comforts of Trevelez and I remember cursing the weight on my back when I eventually staggered in to the campsite just as it was getting dark (about 9pm).  3000 feet of ascent at altitude, 6000 feet of descent, one tired but content hiker.  Great stuff.

I look quite serious after summiting Mulhacen, but I think it's fatigue more than anything that accounts for the way I look.  The last few hundred metres of ascent were quite a struggle; but this is understandable given we hadn't really allowed ourselves much time to acclimatise to the altitude.

I arrived at Malaga airport the previous day and met up with my friend Andy Mayall.  After picking up what we thought was an exceptionally cheap hire car, we departed unhappy bunnies when the additional insurance and extra driver costs had been levied. 

Our base of operations was a campsite in the mountain village of Trevelez and we soon discovered that not a great deal happens in this area.  It was probably my bright idea to make up our own walk to the summit of Mulhacen and not follow the suggested routes in the guidebooks.  Mulhacen is the highest peak, at just under 3500 metres, on the Spanish mainland.  I had spent the previous six weeks trudging up Pen-y-fan - the highest hill in my neighbourhood - in the hope of being reasonably fit to tackle this beast.  In the latter stages I also carried a 35lb rucksack on my back and increased the length of my walks.

The decision to find our own way to the summit appeared fatally flawed from the start as we had great difficulty finding our way out from the campsite - local landowners love their barbed wire fences and pay scant regard to paths marked on the map.  However, after battling through  - at various stages - thick vegetation and negotiating a brief scramble that was enlivened by loose rocks, we managed to get up high and actually walked through a bit of snow at 2500 metres.  I trudged into the mountain hut that was our first destination a good 15 minutes behind Andy.  Apart from a group of 4 from Liverpool and the hut warden, we were the only people at this 80 bedded sanctuary in the hills.  As a result, Andy and I had a dorm to ourselves, allowing us to spread out across 4 beds each.  Bliss.  If I ever return to this area, I'm tempted to visit at the same time of the year, a few days before the Bank Holiday, as these huts are normally packed to the gunnels with walkers and climbers.

3000 feet climbed, another 3000 to go.