May 26, 2005
Climbing Helvellyn
Today was wonderful. Scattered white clouds lazed across an otherwise blue sky, giving us perfect conditions for the hike to Helvellyn, at 890 meters one of the highest points in England. The walk was beautiful the entire way, and especially dramatic nearing the summit where the trail follows the ridge of razor-sharp Striding Edge. It's an exciting stretch, with about a half mile of scrambling around and over boulders, with sharp drops on either side. The broad, naked summit is crowned by a cross-shaped shelter with benches around offering wind shelter on some face regardless of wind direction. Today, a strong wind roared in from the west, leaving us huddled on the east face and staring into the Yorkshire Dales and southern Lake District. We shared the bench with a family of 4 plus yellow lab from Oxford, and a lone Kiwi.
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