The ground was frozen in most parts which was a blessing. Had a full thaw happened the conditions would have been pretty boggy. As later posts may show I did actually manage to find the one thawed bit of bog to fall in, much to Ady's amusement.
The initial part of my walk was hampered by a leaking water unit but with that sorted and Malham Cove out of the way we made good progress towards the Tarn. Bits of the Tarn still seemed to be sheets of ice (which perhaps my photo doesn't do justice to).
Ady, Emma and Rob (below) enjoyed a break whilst we tried to compose an award winning wintry scene (this isn't it by the way);
From the Tarn we headed up Fountains Fell and found the worst overhead conditions of the day waiting for us. This was no more than mizzle (Ady I can't take full credit for this term; http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mizzle) but with a bit of a fresh breeze to boot even I had to put my coat on.
I must admit that both Ady and I were in better condition at the bottom of the Fell than this time 2 years ago. The descent from the foot of Pen-y-ghent probably gave us the worst underfoot conditions of the day along with the customary scrambles down limestone, and this is when the legs and feet probably started to feel a little weary.
And so to The Crown in Horton (an hour ahead of plan) for a well earned beer and where we were picked up by Support Crew veteran, "Camouflage Nick". Other teams of walkers may have started training but how many of their support crews have?
It feels great to be properly underway with TT11 training. There's still along way to go and it seems like I'll need to watch a lot of 80s/90s telly and films to get up to speed with Ady; Evil Dead anyone?
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