Wednesday 21 April 2021

Freedom...At Last

 Well thankfully we can all go further afield now & stay out overnight, so without fail I took myself out this last weekend just to press the reset button in my head which I did but I never made it easy for myself by walking with a full pack weight of 45lbs up the 3rd highest peak in the Yorkshire Dales, then just kept going dropping down 100m in elevation along the ridge to another peak which I had to ascend almost the 100m back up again before calling it a night & pitching the tent.





Looking up at my 1st way-point on the route from where I was  leaving the car, I was not looking forward to this part. 







It was going to be painful & I can confirm it was! But well worth the effort of getting up.










And this wasnt the summit this was simply a beacon at the first Plateau but I made the summit & was still smiling so all good.


After the descent & cross country bog hopping which tired me somewhat the ascent back up to a place I had earmarked to set up for the night was a welcome sight. Finally got set up & time to hit the reset button.


Fed & watered it was time to kick back with the slippers & good scotch,(I do have standards to uphold)  & let the world go by.



With Kestrels hunting overhead, black grouse calling to each other from afar & the sound of nothing else it was great for the soul & apart from 2 people where I had left the car I never seen another person for the full hike.


Night set in and it was time to practise some light painting & night photography before finally calling it a night. The next day after a late rise & a good breakfast the kit was packed up & I started my way back to reality & the hustle & bustle of normal day life but not without a detour to a waterfall first.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Albeit not a lot of water flowing down the beck it was still nice to see & photograph before finally making my way back to the car & making some new friends along the way in this case 4 red squirrels playing around in the small hamlet that I had left the car at. 



















I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the trip out, just to get away and forget about the last year and everything that has gone on & get back to some normal things again. The rivers are very low in the Dales at the moment but am really looking forward to picking up the rod again but unless there is some rain soon it will be the walking boots that will be getting picked up again until the weather changes things.

3 comments:

  1. Haven't seen wild reds for ages, they are quite lovely to look at. I suppose the greys are too but I look at them through prejudiced eyes.

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  2. I knew they were around in this hamlet but have never seen them before & it was by pure chance I happened to look up and saw the 1st one on the tree, then they all started appearing, I was a bit hasty as my camera was still set up for the previous waterfall shot in my bag & so as not to miss them started snapping but all the wrong settings but some came good.

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  3. NICE TO SEE YOU OUT AND ABOUT AGAIN, LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING SOME FISHING PIC'S

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