High and Hot

Day 5: Grasmere to Glen Ridding (another high route laborious ascent, VERY steep descent from St Sunday -- note the books all warn of the winds on St Sunday and it was fierce this day)

O.K., so the title of today's post actually sounds a tad more intriguing (depending on how your thoughts run) than the reality of the day.  With the last high-route alternative selected and complete (although not the highest by ~300 ft as we agreed upon St Sunday Crag over Helvellyn to spare my screaming knees), in temps that reached 96F, we're settled into Glen Ridding for the night. Glen Ridding is a tiny village -- mostly a series of small cottages sprung up around the picturesque Ullswater.

Sweating in our room right now, it's hard to believe that there was a time in our walk planning when we became slightly preoccupied about drying rooms and cozy fireplaces in pubs (ha!).  Now it's: "Pass the sunscreen," and, "Why don't these rooms have ceiling fans?"  Knowing the weather likely will change at some point over the next 13 days, for now we're quite happy with clear skies.

By now we figure you've got to be bored reading about us. We're bored writing about us!  To liven things up, we've decided to introduce some of the people we're meeting along the way.  Really, I wish we'd done this earlier so you could get a sense of the proud sheep farmer and his dog, Lad, on Dent Fell; or of Rachael, the chatty innkeeper with her 20-year-old Cockatoo, Pip, in Longwaithe.  As luck would have it, we set this intent today, then had the trail mostly to ourselves.  Note that for many walkers this is a 17-mile day.  Given the distance, most elect to walk the valley paths and appear much later in the day.  For us, this was our shortest leg at just under eight miles.  Still, we did meet three people (and MANY sheep) along the way:

At the top of The Cape (the high point on St Sunday Crag with the best panoramic view on the C2C), we met John and Ken, two hiking buddies out for a day trip.  Both of these charming Englishmen proclaimed their love for the Lake District, enthusing over the views, the challenge and (today at least) the weather.  So smitten are they that each recently has taken up residence in the District.  They were interested to learn we were walking the C2C.  John told us he has completed the trek several times.  Lamenting  that we would soon be leaving the beauty of the lakes, he quickly added that Yorkshire would be a real treat.  Cliff took their photo; and John was nice enough to snap a shot of us before we headed down hill (oh the knees!).

As I channeled my best inner fiddler crab -- dodging drops and testing rocks in a slow downhill zigzag, Cliff continued his sure-footed mountain goat descent ahead.  At some point I became aware of a rapid, light-footed descent behind me.  Mark, from Stirling, Scotland (think BraveHeart) was on mile 12 of a loop that included not only St Sunday, but also Helvellyn -- all at a full-out run mind you!  Mark was nice enough to allow us to take his photo, and to stop and chat about Scotland and our recent visit there (and to act suitably impressed with our five munros).  He was enjoying the sun and warmth of England -- having left one of the coldest and wettest summers on record at home (don't we know!).  Within minutes (ok, maybe a minute) of bidding us farewell, Mark sprang effortlessly out of sight.  And my crab walk continued . . .

Mostly though today, we were surrounded by our near constant companions in the Lake District, the distinctive Herdwick ewes with their adorable black lambs.