For newcomers

At the bottom of each post there is the word "comments". If you click on it you will see comments made by followers, and if you follow the instructions you may also comment and I always welcome that. I have found many people overlook this part of the blog which is often more interesting than the original post!

My blog nick-name is SIR HUGH. I'm not from the aristocracy - my middle name is Hugh which relates to the list of 282 hills in Scotland compiled by Sir Hugh Munro in 1891. I climbed my last one (Sgurr Mor) on 28th June 2009

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Monday 27 August 2012

Gurnal Dubs and Potter Tarn

I have been asked about the knee, so let's get that out of the way first.

I have been doing local walks of 5 to 6 miles. It is not painful whilst walking, but that distance is enough - swelling and stiffening  are the signs. If I move the leg in a sort of sideways direction, for example when getting over stiles, there is specific intense pain in a particular area about the size of a 50p piece - perhaps where a tendon attaches. There are other minor niggly internal pains and clicking and clunking sensations. The muscle on top of the thigh still feels weak. Despite ongoing exercises I can't get the leg to go completely straight. I am using the exercise bike once or twice a day for 20 min sessions. For the first few turns of the pedals the pain is intense causing me to break into a forehead sweat, but then it settles down and I pedal away. I have had several sessions with a local masseuse which have been particularly beneficial, and for anybody else with similar problems this is something I highly recommend.

On the 4th September it will be four months since the op, and I hoped for a better outcome than this after that amount of time. I cannot see me doing any full day walks this year. Yes, I am frustrated, and I guess perhaps too impatient. The thought of possibly having to go through all this again with the other knee doesn't bear thinking about. For the moment I am thankful that I can do decent little walks in uplifting environments which is more than I could do before the op, but that is nothing like the day to day unfolding of a multi-day backpacking trip with all its happenings,  surprises and problem solving combined with the overall sensations and enjoyment of merging through one region into another.

Two recent local walks

Kentmere: from Kentmere village up the eastern side of The Kent to Kentmere Reservoir and back down the western side.

Looking north up the Kent valley

Yoke, Ill Bell and Froswick - the western side of the Kentmere Horseshoe which is a celebrated fell
race
Kentmere reservoir - Lingmell End is the pointy one - Thornthwaite Crag and Beacon in background


Gurnal Dubs and Potter Tarn: From Garnett Bridge via paths and track to Gurnal Dubs and Potter Tarn. Return via Burneside to Garnett Bridge road.



Distant Kendal


Gurnal Dubs...

...trout were rising in abundance, and swallows were skimming the water

Arrow points to a rare moment - a swallow resting - I was trying to snap them but was hampered by no viewfinder on the camera - this pic is a 12 x zoom shot...

...and this is a crop from the pic above - goodness knows how many times it is magnified.



Potter Tarn


Thursday 16 August 2012

Bearly believable

Mick and Gayle my friends originally met whilst we were all  LEJOGing, and who are well known to most visitors to this blog recently completed 500 miles or so  on the Pacific Coast Trail.
http://gayleybird.blogspot.co.uk

Following M & G's posts during their epic journey I queried the absence of bear sightings or incidents, but I have now found they had their own secret weapon: a pet bear to frighten away the intruders.