HelvellynLake District U.K.
On Tuesday 19th Feb 08 I climbed Helvellyn U.K. It was a fairly easy climb with a well marked out path to the summit. The route to the summit was busy but it was good training for the unclimbed 6000m peaks waiting for me in Ladakh.
The climb took around 4 hours and I think we got the first sunny day of the year, so allow an extra hour if weather is bad! There were a few icy patches as we got higher up and there were a few scary moments slipping into other climbers! The views were amazing and by the time I got back down the river looked very inviting even with the ice floating by.
Whilst testing out my new ice axe upon the icy river banks I tried to hop across the river using my ice axe as an anchor on the other side. After previously testing the strength of the ice, close to river, I took a tentative step closer to the river as I plunged my axe on the other bank the snow from under my feet gave way and I ended up in the freezing river!
'The sea's only made up of drops!'
Keep Climbing
Francis