Back in U.K so time for a climb. It's Spring they said!

To help me get back into the swing of things once I came back into the Northern Hemisphere my brother asked me to join him for a climb in the Lake District. This would be a great chance to catch up after 6 months away and also give me chance to go over to Leeds to pick up my newly ordered Surly Long Haul Disk Trucker touring bicycle. I had said when I was in the USA that I was going to get one someday and now that day had arrived.

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We drove to Ambleside with the camping gear to take on the mountain called Jakes Rake. It had been a long time since I had climbed so I was a bit nervous. The start was just up steps alongside a stream and through some grazing areas for the local cattle but once we reached the lake I saw Jakes Rake across on the far shore. This wasn't going to be easy!

After what seemed like a long time of what climbers call scrambling I turned and looked down. Bad mistake. I was hit with climbers freeze. My feet wouldn't move and my heart beat increased. I could see my brother at the side of a ridge area where a small cliff tree was growing out of the rock. He shouted down that he was at the 3/4 point and I had completed the hard part. I took around 10 minutes to compose myself so I felt in a good state of mind to carry on. Getting to the tree he was at was hard and I didn't feel safe at all but there was no way I was going to try and go down backwards at that seemed like a mistake so I made it to him.

It was here I realised I had been a victim of reverse psychology because we were only a 1/4 of the way to the top. To be fair to him it worked and the the remaining 3/4's was definitely looking like the easier section. Once at the top I said a prayer of thanks to the climbing gods and helped stake out a good wild camping spot. Luckily we set the tent up just before the heavens opened with a massive blizzard. What a welcome home after 5 months in baking hot weather. We didn't mess about outside and just got the sleeping mats and bags all out nicely in the tent and jumped inside.

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It wasn't that late but it strange how the warmth of really good sleeping bags after a hard afternoon climb makes you sleep really quickly. The next morning we awoke to a stunning view back into Ambleside. The clouds were low so I was blown away the sight of my first ever camping cloud inversion. The view of the clouds with the snow on the mountains was breathtaking and well worth the previous days hard climb. Once we packed up and left a nice tent shape in the snow we hiked back down to the warmth of the pub and a good old british breakfast.

Welcome home......