Local Wildlife

When I arrived at my lodgings last evening, I was directed to remove my boots before entering the building. That seems to be standard procedure and it makes sense. There were trays for all the boots lined up outside the front door.

Many lodgings have what they call a "dry room" over here. The function is self-explanatory. It's achieved by cranking up the heat in an enclosed area, along with the use of a dehumidifier. The place I stayed last night did not have one.

Fortunately, one of my extra equipment purchases before leaving home was a boot dryer.  It emits a very low heat so it doesn't damage the material of the boot. When I woke up this morning my shoes were bone dry – A joy, since it’s annoying to be forced to put on wet footwear in the morning.

The place I'm staying this evening has a dry room. They just don't really have a room for me. More on that later.

There were cloudy skies this morning but they burned off quickly. After a great breakfast that included vegetarian sausage, I strapped on my pack and headed for the trail. I did my best to repair my trekking poles with limited resources. Initially it seemed to work. I just couldn't be sure if the fix would hold up if I really needed to put pressure on the individual pole. I hoped I wouldn't need to find out.

I was 4/10 of a mile away from returning to the trail, and the big news today is that I found it without any issues. I ditched the OS GPS and paid $10 for another app called Far Out. It works great and gives me a real sense of security.

I hardly needed directions today. Most of the route was easy to discern and I had done enough research to know I wanted to avoid certain options. At one point there were actually three directions to go. Two of the three ascended very steep hills, just to descend again on the other side. I chose the one that did not involve going up any higher than necessary. It was the most popular route.

In fact, there were people visible most of the day today. Partially because it was clear weather and partially because it was easy to see people far up ahead or behind. It wasn't a steady stream of hikers – There could be maybe 50 yards or half a mile between groups or individuals. But it was reassuring to see everyone there, and to know that I was in the right place.

About 20 minutes in. I actually caught up with Dawn and Julie who I had met the day before. We were all in good spirits, enjoying our time in the sun.

There’s a strange communication phenomenon that happens on the hiking trails. It might be compared to jungle drums. Word passes up and down the line. We discussed others and how they were doing after the tough day before. It turns out most people did the same exact thing we did. They got to a point of such saturation that walking across the streams was the only option. Once everything is soaked it can't get any wetter.

The elevation today was slightly higher than the day before. The surface was much better and there was little opportunity to get lost as you made the climb out of Grassmere. Stones were placed in the earth to simulate a staircase in places. In other spots it was mud or just random outcroppings of rock. It was still important to find proper footing, but not nearly as difficult as it was when everything was wet.

It turns out I wasn't the only one who had taken a fall the day before.  One gentleman believes he might have torn his rotator cuff. His name is Craig and he does contract work for the performers unions out in Hollywood. He was traveling with his wife, Kiki, an Emmy award-winning costume designer, along with her ex-husband, and her ex-husband's wife.

I walked with Kiki and asked her many questions about the work she did. It was very interesting to get that peek behind the scenes.  I asked her who the nicest actor she dealt with was, and she said Judith Light, from the sitcom Who’s the Boss.

It seemed everybody was in better spirits. Why not? The sun was shining, the views were spectacular, and everyone was dry.

Compared to yesterday, today was fairly uneventful. The scenery continues to impress me.  It is called the Lakes Region for a reason. There are several ways the British describe waterways, including streams, gills, and flows. I guess each refers to a particular character of the moving water. I haven't figured it out, but I do know that it's all wet.

I also learned what "elevenses" are, when Dawn suggested that we pause for elevenses. In the British workplace people will often take a small break for tea and a snack, right around 11 a.m., before the lunch hour. I'm not sure if it's a matter of tradition or a function of keeping the workforce sharper and more engaged. Regardless, we found some very comfortable and dry stones and took a short break before we reached the summit.

It was probably 40 minutes later that we reached the summit and actually had lunch. It's amazing how time moves almost in elastic fashion. When you're out hiking, you become so focused on finding the proper footfall, or you become so distracted because you fall into a cadence in a conversation, that the time and the miles pass quickly.

The way down was fairly simple, with a few slippery parts and some rocks to navigate. It was much easier than the day before. The initial slope down was fairly pronounced. After about a half mile, the grade lessened.

The highlights of the day included conversations with the people that I met, the views afforded on the route, and the absence of anxiety about possibly suffering an injury. Certainly, a misstep or tripping could result in getting hurt, but the surfaces were dry and the visibility was good so it was not the same threat as yesterday.

Descending into the valley, the first signs of civilization were the stone fences that contained sheep and then a field containing an unusual breed of cows.  I came to learn that in Texas they are called "Oreo cows" because of their striped coloring with a white center. In England they are called “Belties,” but they are officially Belted Galloways.

Most of the livestock were sheep. Several different breeds were in the fields that the trail either passed by or transited. That is why it's important to always close the gates as you pass through these farmers' properties. There was new life all over. Newborn lambs were shakily learning to use their legs as the ewes kept a watchful eye on the hikers who passed.

It was a leisurely stroll for the last couple of miles toward the town of Patterdale. Not so much a town or a village as a clustering of some hotels, B&Bs and farm houses. I arrived at my bed and breakfast and was assigned my quarters for the night. I'm actually staying in a shepherd's hut. There's electricity but no running water. I have a dedicated bathroom inside the main house.  My hope is that I don't have to make a trip in the middle of the night to use the facilities. 

This area is also home to the red squirrel. It is a particular variety that is confined only to the island of Great Britain. They put rings of barbed wire around electrical poles to keep the squirrels from chewing on wires, and then celebrate them by creating wind vanes in their image.

Except for the occasional bleating of a sheep in the field below, it is deathly quiet here. Time for me to get to sleep.  Tomorrow is a little over 15 miles long and it begins with a pretty steep climb. After tomorrow the road begins to flatten.