I returned to Mt. Tam on July 2nd with Matt Stanton to hike Steep Ravine and Matt Davis. We took the descent on Steep Ravine at a slow pace, since I was still feeling the effect of the long ride the day before. The vegetation looked a bit sorry, and the water was definitely at a low. The view to Stintson Beach was gorgeous, though, once we were out of the woods, and the clearing made the beach visible and pretty.
We got to the beach, however, and the temperature dropped 10 degrees, and it was too cold to stay and eat more than a power bar, so we made our way to the Matt Davis trail and started climbing it. Something over took us, and we started cranking up our pace and over-taking everyone we saw. Soon enough, we burst out of the woods into the open space with the clouds below us. We walked along the hillside, ignoring the Coastal trail turn-off, and soon found ourselves on top of the knoll overlooking San Francisco. A group of 4 on a double-date were having lunch there. I pointed out most of the interesting features to Matt, and we headed down the knoll to the West to see the lone tree and to see if we could see Point Bonitas Lighthouse (we couldn't).
We then headed back to the car, arriving there at 12:30pm, meaning that we had hiked 7.3 miles in 3 hours, despite a leisurely stop. The walk across England's made me a weaker cyclist, but I can definitely still walk.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Superman Returns
I went to Superman Returns because of Bryan Singer, who proved that he could make comic books into good movies in both X-Men 1 and 2. What I got was a good movie, but disappointing considering what I had expected. The plot was shallow, and the interaction between characters more than a little stiff. There was a lot of homage to the first Superman movie, so much so that I think it hurt the movie quite a bit.
The high point was Kevin Spacey as Luthor, and the lovely special effects that provided lots of beautiful stills for the movie. The look is definitely intriguing and the images linger long after you've seen the movie. Lisa thought Brandon Routh was very cute, maybe even cuter than Christopher Reeve. I thought Kate Bosworth looked better in the publicity stills than in the movies.
Maybe we can get Sam Raimi to make the next Superman movie.
The high point was Kevin Spacey as Luthor, and the lovely special effects that provided lots of beautiful stills for the movie. The look is definitely intriguing and the images linger long after you've seen the movie. Lisa thought Brandon Routh was very cute, maybe even cuter than Christopher Reeve. I thought Kate Bosworth looked better in the publicity stills than in the movies.
Maybe we can get Sam Raimi to make the next Superman movie.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Princeton University - Link between income and happiness is mainly an illusion
Despite the weak relationship between income and global life satisfaction or experienced happiness, many people are highly motivated to increase their income," the study said. "In some cases, this focusing illusion may lead to a misallocation of time, from accepting lengthy commutes (which are among the worst moments of the day) to sacrificing time spent socializing (which are among the best moments of the day).
This study shows what I've always suspected: that Americans have been doped into accepting ridiculous work conditions (60-80 hour weeks) in exchange for a marginally higher income than the rest of the industrialized countries, all of whom get at least 5 weeks a year to spend with their friends and family. Even with the meager vacation time they get, Americans don't usually take them. I've had former colleagues brag that they took their sabbatical and started a job at another company so they got 2 salaries at once for 5 or 6 weeks.
I remember at a gathering of friends who asked me how much I would think I'd need to not worry about work again. I answered with a figure well in excess of what most Americans would see in their lifetime, but my friends expressed amazement that I would be satisfied with so little! Granted these were Google old-timers who would turn out to be incredibly wealthy, but all it showed me was that no matter how much money you have, all that does is to raise your standards and tell you that you don't have enough.
But happiness can't be bought, and this study definitely illustrates that the impact of extra money on happiness is highly exaggerated.
This study shows what I've always suspected: that Americans have been doped into accepting ridiculous work conditions (60-80 hour weeks) in exchange for a marginally higher income than the rest of the industrialized countries, all of whom get at least 5 weeks a year to spend with their friends and family. Even with the meager vacation time they get, Americans don't usually take them. I've had former colleagues brag that they took their sabbatical and started a job at another company so they got 2 salaries at once for 5 or 6 weeks.
I remember at a gathering of friends who asked me how much I would think I'd need to not worry about work again. I answered with a figure well in excess of what most Americans would see in their lifetime, but my friends expressed amazement that I would be satisfied with so little! Granted these were Google old-timers who would turn out to be incredibly wealthy, but all it showed me was that no matter how much money you have, all that does is to raise your standards and tell you that you don't have enough.
But happiness can't be bought, and this study definitely illustrates that the impact of extra money on happiness is highly exaggerated.
The Lonely American Just Got a Bit Lonelier - New York Times
I find this story simply sad. To a large extent it rings true because American friendships tend to be shallow. It's hard to call someone a friend if they won't reply to your e-mail, or simply don't have time to go cycling, sailing, or even simply shoot the breeze. All of which makes me all the more grateful to the close friends and confidants that I have.
The real problem, however, is in the public realm. People who have no friends or close confidants are much less likely to be willing to invest in public infrastructure, in social security, in public education (why educate other people's kids?) or see the world in a broader realm outside that of their limited social circles. This breakdown of social circles cannot help but become a tragedy.
A recent study by sociologists at Duke and the University of Arizona found that, on average, most adults only have two people they can talk to about the most important subjects in their lives — serious health problems, for example, or issues like who will care for their children should they die. And about one-quarter have no close confidants at all.
The real problem, however, is in the public realm. People who have no friends or close confidants are much less likely to be willing to invest in public infrastructure, in social security, in public education (why educate other people's kids?) or see the world in a broader realm outside that of their limited social circles. This breakdown of social circles cannot help but become a tragedy.
A recent study by sociologists at Duke and the University of Arizona found that, on average, most adults only have two people they can talk to about the most important subjects in their lives — serious health problems, for example, or issues like who will care for their children should they die. And about one-quarter have no close confidants at all.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Mt. Tam Ride
74 miles, 6840' of climb, with Roberto, Marius, Brian Wickman and Dana Levine. Lovely views of the fog on the coast and in the inland valleys, and pleasant temperatures, but no pictures!
We met at 8:30 at the Tamalpais High School Parking lot. Dana asked if I had a first aid kit in the car, since he had crashed into a seagull while riding over to meet us! After he cleaned up and I moved the car so it wouldn't be at risk of being towed, we started off. This was my first ride with Marius Eriksen, and it soon became apparently why other riders held him in awe. He sped away on the flats and up the hills quickly. When we got to Panaromic, we turned left and then descended Panaromic to Highway 1 in the fog.
I saw Dana fish-tail in front of me, which was a signal to pare back on my descent (not fast by anybody's standards). Brian later told me that he fish-tailed behind me as well, so evidently there was a spot of oil on that section of the road that I was just lucky to miss. Highway 1 curves around Muir Woods, normally providing a lovely ocean view that was enshrouded in fog.
A few climbs later, I was climbing alone, having given up on chasing any of the faster riders. When we stopped at the bottom of Panaromic Highway Roberto asked if I could look at his bike, since he felt like it wasn't as fast as it normally was. I looked at both front and rear wheels, and they were true and in good condition, so I couldn't help him. We tweaked Dana's front deraileur, which had been pushed out of alignment with his crash, and then began climbing Panaromic. I started climbing next to Roberto, and to verify that his bike was truly OK, we pedaled to about the same speed and started coasting, and when we slowed down at the same rate, concluded that his bike was no more broken than mine was.
We climbed through the fog, but after a few switchbacks Roberto concluded that it was in fact, something wrong with the way he felt today, so he announced that he would just ride back to the car and wait. He was indeed uncharacteristically slow on both the climbs and the flats, so when we regrouped at the Pan Toll Ranger Station I gave him my car keys and he rode back. We had burst through the fog while under the shade of the Redwood Trees along Pan Toll, and now rode strongly above the clouds. The temperature had warmed to about 80 degrees once we were above the fog, and below us we could see a spread of cloud cover spreading through the trees all the way to the horizon. It was a magical view, and I regretted not having a camera, mine being on loan to my mom who was travelling through China.
Past Ridgecrest drive, we continued to the summit, where the road wound around the mountain enough to show us that San Francisco and the Bay too, was enshrouded in fog, with only the top of Coit Tower peeking out through the fog. I was again, last up the mountain, and got there to see Mt. Diablo across the Bay, with its massive base in fog.
We made a rapid descent to Ridgecrest and headed North towards Fairfax Bolinas road. This is my favorite part of the ride, where you feel like you're riding on top of the world, clouds below you. Large groups of cyclists were coming at us the other way, so there was a club ride going on, but I did not stop to inquire as to what the ride was.
The descent on Fairfax Bolinas road was rough and bumpy, with just enough traffic to keep us from taking any risks around the blind corners. Once we linked up again with Highway 1, we headed North, over a series of sharp rolling hills, down the back of which we managed 38-40mph into Olema. We pacelined our way into Point Reyes Station, where we shared a pizza at the cafe.
Past Point Reyes Station, we turned right onto Point Reyes Petaluma Road, a long flat road along gentle terrain. I found a good position behind Marius and we all hung on as best as we could and begged him to ease up a bit on the gentle inclines so we could all stay together. Past the reservoir, we turned right onto Nicasio Valley Road, where we stopped at the Old Ranchiera turnoff to relieve ourselves and take a break. Soon after that, Nicasio Valley Road entered a shaded climb whose descent would drop us onto Sir Francis Drake. Ignoring the wide road, we took San Geronimo Valley road to by pass the traffic until the pass into Fairfax. We rode the pass into Fairfax separately, agreeing to meet at the turn off to the bike path.
I survived a rude driver and the fast descent into Fairfax, and then gathered with Dana and Marius to wait for Brian. He showed up a few minutes later, having fallen due to his chain dropping off as he shifted at the top of the hill. Fortunately, the traffic was in front of him, so other than a few scrapes he was OK. We then wound our way through San Anselmo and Larkspur through bike paths and backroads before making it to Mill Valley, where we split up, Marius and I heading back to the car while Dana and Brian riding home to San Francisco. We got back to the car at 3:45pm. Brian would get an excess of 105 miles and 10,000' of climbing by the time he got home.
Roberto was waiting for us when we got to the car (fortunately, he had brought a book with him). We would find out later that he had been dehydrated prior to the ride.
We met at 8:30 at the Tamalpais High School Parking lot. Dana asked if I had a first aid kit in the car, since he had crashed into a seagull while riding over to meet us! After he cleaned up and I moved the car so it wouldn't be at risk of being towed, we started off. This was my first ride with Marius Eriksen, and it soon became apparently why other riders held him in awe. He sped away on the flats and up the hills quickly. When we got to Panaromic, we turned left and then descended Panaromic to Highway 1 in the fog.
I saw Dana fish-tail in front of me, which was a signal to pare back on my descent (not fast by anybody's standards). Brian later told me that he fish-tailed behind me as well, so evidently there was a spot of oil on that section of the road that I was just lucky to miss. Highway 1 curves around Muir Woods, normally providing a lovely ocean view that was enshrouded in fog.
A few climbs later, I was climbing alone, having given up on chasing any of the faster riders. When we stopped at the bottom of Panaromic Highway Roberto asked if I could look at his bike, since he felt like it wasn't as fast as it normally was. I looked at both front and rear wheels, and they were true and in good condition, so I couldn't help him. We tweaked Dana's front deraileur, which had been pushed out of alignment with his crash, and then began climbing Panaromic. I started climbing next to Roberto, and to verify that his bike was truly OK, we pedaled to about the same speed and started coasting, and when we slowed down at the same rate, concluded that his bike was no more broken than mine was.
We climbed through the fog, but after a few switchbacks Roberto concluded that it was in fact, something wrong with the way he felt today, so he announced that he would just ride back to the car and wait. He was indeed uncharacteristically slow on both the climbs and the flats, so when we regrouped at the Pan Toll Ranger Station I gave him my car keys and he rode back. We had burst through the fog while under the shade of the Redwood Trees along Pan Toll, and now rode strongly above the clouds. The temperature had warmed to about 80 degrees once we were above the fog, and below us we could see a spread of cloud cover spreading through the trees all the way to the horizon. It was a magical view, and I regretted not having a camera, mine being on loan to my mom who was travelling through China.
Past Ridgecrest drive, we continued to the summit, where the road wound around the mountain enough to show us that San Francisco and the Bay too, was enshrouded in fog, with only the top of Coit Tower peeking out through the fog. I was again, last up the mountain, and got there to see Mt. Diablo across the Bay, with its massive base in fog.
We made a rapid descent to Ridgecrest and headed North towards Fairfax Bolinas road. This is my favorite part of the ride, where you feel like you're riding on top of the world, clouds below you. Large groups of cyclists were coming at us the other way, so there was a club ride going on, but I did not stop to inquire as to what the ride was.
The descent on Fairfax Bolinas road was rough and bumpy, with just enough traffic to keep us from taking any risks around the blind corners. Once we linked up again with Highway 1, we headed North, over a series of sharp rolling hills, down the back of which we managed 38-40mph into Olema. We pacelined our way into Point Reyes Station, where we shared a pizza at the cafe.
Past Point Reyes Station, we turned right onto Point Reyes Petaluma Road, a long flat road along gentle terrain. I found a good position behind Marius and we all hung on as best as we could and begged him to ease up a bit on the gentle inclines so we could all stay together. Past the reservoir, we turned right onto Nicasio Valley Road, where we stopped at the Old Ranchiera turnoff to relieve ourselves and take a break. Soon after that, Nicasio Valley Road entered a shaded climb whose descent would drop us onto Sir Francis Drake. Ignoring the wide road, we took San Geronimo Valley road to by pass the traffic until the pass into Fairfax. We rode the pass into Fairfax separately, agreeing to meet at the turn off to the bike path.
I survived a rude driver and the fast descent into Fairfax, and then gathered with Dana and Marius to wait for Brian. He showed up a few minutes later, having fallen due to his chain dropping off as he shifted at the top of the hill. Fortunately, the traffic was in front of him, so other than a few scrapes he was OK. We then wound our way through San Anselmo and Larkspur through bike paths and backroads before making it to Mill Valley, where we split up, Marius and I heading back to the car while Dana and Brian riding home to San Francisco. We got back to the car at 3:45pm. Brian would get an excess of 105 miles and 10,000' of climbing by the time he got home.
Roberto was waiting for us when we got to the car (fortunately, he had brought a book with him). We would find out later that he had been dehydrated prior to the ride.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Manchester Public Urinal
This got rolled out in front of our eyes as we were headed to the shopping area. Would you use this? What would the equivalent version for women look like? 
Manchester Mounted Police
It's so unfair. Not just a bike response unit, but real mounted police too! And he wasn't a loner for tourists (Manchester not being really much of a tourist town), but had 2 or 3 compatriots!
Cycle Response Unit
Perhaps it should not be surprising that a country where 30% of trips are done by bicycle (this was in Manchester, England) would have a cycle response unit for emergency response in the pedestrain only part of town. She was wearing an NHS logo, so this was the official government unit. Her panniers has room for most first aid gear, as well as an AEB.I'm still kicking myself for being in too much of a hurry to stop and interview her.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Packhorse versus SherpaVan
For those who have questions about Packhorse versus SherpaVan, as far as we could tell both services were equivalent in price and service. For the first 2/3rds of the walk, the SherpaVan usually beat the Packhorse in the delivery of the lugguage. The last 2 days of the walk, the Packhorse van was faster (we actually arrived before the lugguage on the last 2 days of the walk).
Packhorse advertises that you can ride the van for free with your lugguage if you can't walk the day. SherpaVan doesn't. However, our experience was that SherpaVan would happily take you along with the lugguage without a fee as well, so in practice this is not a distinguishing feature worth choosing one service or another over. Lisa can vouch for the fact that the two services enjoy a friendly rivalry and both companies work hard for your business.
We went with SherpaVan mostly because their web-site for accomodations booking is fantastic. (I've left comments with regards to various B&Bs there) Note that they have two accomodation services. You can prepay your accomodations, or you can have them book it and pay as you go. In retrospect, I should have opted for the former to hedge against the dollar taking a dive (which it did) before I arrived in England.
Packhorse advertises that you can ride the van for free with your lugguage if you can't walk the day. SherpaVan doesn't. However, our experience was that SherpaVan would happily take you along with the lugguage without a fee as well, so in practice this is not a distinguishing feature worth choosing one service or another over. Lisa can vouch for the fact that the two services enjoy a friendly rivalry and both companies work hard for your business.
We went with SherpaVan mostly because their web-site for accomodations booking is fantastic. (I've left comments with regards to various B&Bs there) Note that they have two accomodation services. You can prepay your accomodations, or you can have them book it and pay as you go. In retrospect, I should have opted for the former to hedge against the dollar taking a dive (which it did) before I arrived in England.
Patterdale Rest Day
We woke up and had a lazy, late breakfast before packing our bags and limping out down to Glenridding, which was where Ullswater was. The lake and its environments was almost certainly the inspiration for Wordsworth's most well-known poem, Daffodils. The reason we scheduled a rest day on this otherwise tiny town was that the lake had plenty to do! You could ride on the Steamers, rent a rowboat, or as we did, rent a sailing dinghy.
It had been about 5 years since I last sailed a dinghy, in South Africa, also with Lisa as the crew. But once we got on the boat and got going, it was as though I had never forgotten how. It was a windy day with lovely sunshine, and we had a lot of fun exploring the huge lake along with its little islands. The wind was even strong enough that we had to hike out and lean against the wind, along with all the thrills that that entailed. I had hoped that I would be able to rent a sailboat like this on the trip, but didn't not dare to imagine that the conditions would be so ideal.
Two hours of sailing cost us 40 pounds, a hefty sum, but on the other hand, life is measured by the experiences you have, and the experience was worth vastly more than that.
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the shops of Glenridding, where Lisa did a bit of souvernir shopping, and I bought a compass. (A tip, the visitor center has much cheaper compasses than the outdoor store!) The compass would be a good buy, since I ended up using it a lot for the rest of the trip.
We had an early dinner at a bar in Glenridding, and then walked leisurely back to the Greenbank Farm in the beautiful sunset.
It had been about 5 years since I last sailed a dinghy, in South Africa, also with Lisa as the crew. But once we got on the boat and got going, it was as though I had never forgotten how. It was a windy day with lovely sunshine, and we had a lot of fun exploring the huge lake along with its little islands. The wind was even strong enough that we had to hike out and lean against the wind, along with all the thrills that that entailed. I had hoped that I would be able to rent a sailboat like this on the trip, but didn't not dare to imagine that the conditions would be so ideal.
Two hours of sailing cost us 40 pounds, a hefty sum, but on the other hand, life is measured by the experiences you have, and the experience was worth vastly more than that.
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the shops of Glenridding, where Lisa did a bit of souvernir shopping, and I bought a compass. (A tip, the visitor center has much cheaper compasses than the outdoor store!) The compass would be a good buy, since I ended up using it a lot for the rest of the trip.
We had an early dinner at a bar in Glenridding, and then walked leisurely back to the Greenbank Farm in the beautiful sunset.
Grasmere Rest Day
We woke up to our first rest day knowing that we had to do laundry. We walked down to town and found that a bus arrived right as we did, so we got onto the open top double-decker bus. We arrived in Ambleside after a lovely experience of enjoying the wind in our hair (though a number of tree branches had a lovely habit of hitting the windshield of the bus with a loud THWACK!) to find that the laundromat was closed on Thursdays! The tourist information center told us there was a laundromat at Windermere that was open all week.
There were plenty of outdoor shops and bookstores, however, so we bought a trail map, a can of wax for my boots, and gaitors for each of us. Interestingly enough, once we bought them, we only had one occasion where there was a need to even have them, but that's the price you pay for good weather.
The trip to Windermere did not take too long, and we found the laundromat with little trouble, but had to buy laundry tablets. We took the opportunity to have lunch, and replenish our cash supplies at the ATM. We also visited the local library to use the internet connection.
On the way back from Windermere, we stopped off at the Dove Cottage, which was where Wordsworth spent his most productive years. The visit was educational and the self-guided audio tour of the museum very much worth visiting. (Plus, they give a discount to bus riders if you save the ticket and show it to them!) We ended the day at the Jumble Room with a fine dinner to fuel the next day's journey up to Helvellyn.
There were plenty of outdoor shops and bookstores, however, so we bought a trail map, a can of wax for my boots, and gaitors for each of us. Interestingly enough, once we bought them, we only had one occasion where there was a need to even have them, but that's the price you pay for good weather.
The trip to Windermere did not take too long, and we found the laundromat with little trouble, but had to buy laundry tablets. We took the opportunity to have lunch, and replenish our cash supplies at the ATM. We also visited the local library to use the internet connection.
On the way back from Windermere, we stopped off at the Dove Cottage, which was where Wordsworth spent his most productive years. The visit was educational and the self-guided audio tour of the museum very much worth visiting. (Plus, they give a discount to bus riders if you save the ticket and show it to them!) We ended the day at the Jumble Room with a fine dinner to fuel the next day's journey up to Helvellyn.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Coast to Coast nominated 2nd best walk in the World
It is indeed a very good walk. Challenging both in physical (walking) and mental (route finding, planning, and navigation) aspects. Being my first long walk, I can't compare it to others of similar stature (note that the Milford Sound walk that won first place is only a 4 day walk!). All I can say is that we chose this walk because:
- Lugguage service is available. It's not available on any of America's thru-hikes, for instance, or in America's National Parks.
- The luxury accomodations en-route makes the daily walk easier to bear. We stayed at many fabulous places and met many friendly people.
- It's in an English speaking country. The comraderie of the people you meet will encourage you, and give you friendly faces to see all through your journey. The fact that everyone speaks English means that you'll have meaningful, deep conversations should you desire it.
- It does provide a lovely cross-section of the country. At the end of the trip, our impressions were of beautiful mountains, lovely lakes, quiet forests, farmlands, fields, and lonely wind-swept moors that were truly wind-swept and lonely. It was a shock to come back to Manchester and discover that England had people, not just sheep and cows.
- Unpredictable weather. We hit lovely weather, so we're not complaining, though I did get caught in a downpour.
- Trails overlaid with loose stones. It made for lots of sore feet.
- Expensive. It cost us about $4000 in total to do the trip (including plane tickets), making it by far the most expensive trip I've ever done.
- Lack of navigational aids. This is truly a trip to test your ability to navigate (or use a GPS).
Confusing places in Stedman's book
Here are the places I got lost or confused because I was using the Stedman's 1st edition trail guide. There are two other guidebooks that I know of, Terry Marsh's and Paul Hannon's . I've seen Terry Marhs's, which has color maps interior, but didn't get a chance to evaluate it. Paul Hannon's book came highly recommended by someone who was doing the trip for the second time, so it is worth buying a copy and comparing. Overall, I found the Stedman book very well marked and quite usable, and it's the only book I have, so don't ask me about the others.
- Dent Hill (Map 5, pg. 76). The tree felling on Dent Hill has really messed up the directions in the first edition of the book. There's a left turn near the top, and the marked stone fences are now wire fences. The solution is to just keep going up until you see the cairn at the top!
- Raven Crag (Map 6, pg. 77) The clear cutting also affected this area. Make sure you read the trail map very carefully. Fortunately, this area seems to have enough recreational walkers and hikers that you can just ask a local for directions.
- Loft Beck (Map 12, pg. 85). This is not a confusion in the book. This is a marker to tell you to follow the book and ignore anybody else's advice! I tried to follow someone else's advice and would have been better off staying with the book right here.
- Kidsty Pike (Map 27, pg. 113). We lost the track past Kidsty Pike. So did Peter & Margaret. This is one of those places where a GPS would have been handy. In any case, just head down towards the reservoir and you will be OK. Ignore ALL signs to "High Street!" Have a trail map and compass handy here.
- Shap Abbey (Map 32, pg. 118). Head UP the hill on the Tarmac. (The book does not provide arrows pointing uphill here like it should have)
- Blades (Map 51d, pg. 152) We got lost here as well. My guess is that the right thing to do here would be to walk to the closest tarmac road and just follow it along. Ignore all the stupid footpath signs that will give you more ups and downs than you want and give you panic attacks.
- Colburn (Map 63, pg. 168) We got lost at Hagg Farm, which is unmarked. I have no idea what the correct way to negotiate this is. In any case, we ended up all the way in Walkerville. GPS would be helpful here.
- Urra Moor (Map 78, pg. 187) Every marker on this map I just walked past without noticing!
- Bloworth Crossing (Map 79, pg. 188) The path narrows and then widens again. You are at this point walking on the dismantled Rosedale Railway track, which is black! Stay on the black stuff going East past the two "gates" (which are green), and do not deviate onto the crossing dirt road. I did not get lost here but two others did. The Cleveland Way also deviates at this point and you should not follow it.
- Sleights Moor to Little Beck (Map 89, pg. 203) This is the only true bug (as opposed to ommission or unclear directions) in the book. After crossing A169, turn left (North) and go a few hundred yards to get to a gate (not a stile!) that turns right onto a dirt track under the electricity cables that will lead you to Little Beck. The track is well signed, just follow it.
Egton Bridge to Robin Hood's Bay
The day started at 6:00am for us, packing, eating breakfast, and preparing for Lisa's longest day of the trip. Being experienced packers by now, we were on the road by 7:30am. The flat walk to Grosmont was easy and straightforward, and we arrived by 8:15, before the trains were moving, so we were denied the same spectacle we could have seen by going to the movie screens.
As the crow flies, from Grosmont to Robin Hood's Bay is only 8 miles or so. But Wainwright (who was clearly my kind of guy) was determined to put as much additional elevation gain as possible on the last day of the trip as a farewell present to those who came after him, so the route meanders South first to pick up the steep climbs and then Little Beck Woods before double-backing and heading North East. Those who are tired of all the climbing can choose to do what the Friedmans were to do today, which is to take the flat Bridleway to Whitby and then pick up the Cleveland Way down to Robin Hood's Bay.
The road past Grosmont was signed for a 33% grade, and in fact it really was steep --- for the first time on the trip, Lisa needed both hiking sticks. Fortunately, it was foggy and cool, so we made good time, stopping only for pictures of the sign. After a good mile or so, the road flattened out near the cattle guard and we followed the sign across the parking lot onto Sleights Moor.
At the end of Sleights Moor, however, on A169, we found a bug in the Henry Stedman book: instead of turning left after crossing the road, the book indicated a right turn. After a bit of futile walking back and forth, I checked it against the Harvey Map and found the correct directions. A couple that we had met in Patterdale who were done with the trip yesterday and were driving home also stopped and confirmed my assessment of the situation.
Once we were on our way, we made reasonable time and reached LittleBeck a little after 10:15am. We were later to find out the Peter and Margaret had left about 10 minutes before we did. LittleBeck woods is a climb, but it's gentle and beautiful, so we did not mind visiting such wonders as the Hermitage, Falling Foss (which was flowing quite well despite 2 weeks of dry weather!). We emerged about an hour and a half later into the car park at the top end where we had lunch and I got my last sting from the stinging nettles.
After lunch, we followed the road to the turn-off to Sneatow Low Moor, which was very dry and an easy traverse in the now sunny day. It was here that we got our first views of the North Sea in the distance, though the digital camera failed to capture the delight we felt when we saw it. Our pace quickened and soon we were over the stile and onto B1416, a tiny road which led off into the Graystone Hills.
Here the book's directions and the trails failed us, as the Moors are criss-crossed by both human and sheep trails, all of which peter'd out after the second signpost. I did my best guess with compass and map (under pressure, as we could now see Whitby on the coast), and we soon hit a fence, but it was quite obviously the wrong fence. We decided to follow the fence North and East, following more sheep trails, and after a few adventures hopping over very boggy sections that had not dried out, found the correct stile and were back onto the coast to coast trail.
The walk through Low Hawsker and High Hawsker was a long slog, and Lisa needed a break, so we stopped at the Woodland Tearoom for a cup of tea and to finish what was left of our food from the morning. Following that, a descent past the Caravans and we finally saw the North Sea! At this point, we ran into Peter and Margaret, who were glad to take pictures of us. The walk along the cliffs were breath-taking and very much reminiscent of our first day of walking so long ago at St. Bees. We took it easy to savor every moment, but even so, arrived quickly at Robin Hood's Bay at 4:00pm.
Robin Hood's Bay is exactly the kind of village that inspired Miyazaki's view of Europe in Kiki's Delivery Service or Howl's Moving Castle. The houses are stacked and jumbled up all the way down the cliffs, and afar all you see is a chain of chimneys down to the Bay. It was a picture perfect ending to the walk.
There, we checked into our Bed and Breakfast, walked down to the Bay Hotel, and had our picture taken at the end. We were not alone, however, as we soon found our compatriots and had a great drink, signing the guest book at Wainwright's Bar, and then a filling dinner.
As the crow flies, from Grosmont to Robin Hood's Bay is only 8 miles or so. But Wainwright (who was clearly my kind of guy) was determined to put as much additional elevation gain as possible on the last day of the trip as a farewell present to those who came after him, so the route meanders South first to pick up the steep climbs and then Little Beck Woods before double-backing and heading North East. Those who are tired of all the climbing can choose to do what the Friedmans were to do today, which is to take the flat Bridleway to Whitby and then pick up the Cleveland Way down to Robin Hood's Bay.
The road past Grosmont was signed for a 33% grade, and in fact it really was steep --- for the first time on the trip, Lisa needed both hiking sticks. Fortunately, it was foggy and cool, so we made good time, stopping only for pictures of the sign. After a good mile or so, the road flattened out near the cattle guard and we followed the sign across the parking lot onto Sleights Moor.
At the end of Sleights Moor, however, on A169, we found a bug in the Henry Stedman book: instead of turning left after crossing the road, the book indicated a right turn. After a bit of futile walking back and forth, I checked it against the Harvey Map and found the correct directions. A couple that we had met in Patterdale who were done with the trip yesterday and were driving home also stopped and confirmed my assessment of the situation.
Once we were on our way, we made reasonable time and reached LittleBeck a little after 10:15am. We were later to find out the Peter and Margaret had left about 10 minutes before we did. LittleBeck woods is a climb, but it's gentle and beautiful, so we did not mind visiting such wonders as the Hermitage, Falling Foss (which was flowing quite well despite 2 weeks of dry weather!). We emerged about an hour and a half later into the car park at the top end where we had lunch and I got my last sting from the stinging nettles.
After lunch, we followed the road to the turn-off to Sneatow Low Moor, which was very dry and an easy traverse in the now sunny day. It was here that we got our first views of the North Sea in the distance, though the digital camera failed to capture the delight we felt when we saw it. Our pace quickened and soon we were over the stile and onto B1416, a tiny road which led off into the Graystone Hills.
Here the book's directions and the trails failed us, as the Moors are criss-crossed by both human and sheep trails, all of which peter'd out after the second signpost. I did my best guess with compass and map (under pressure, as we could now see Whitby on the coast), and we soon hit a fence, but it was quite obviously the wrong fence. We decided to follow the fence North and East, following more sheep trails, and after a few adventures hopping over very boggy sections that had not dried out, found the correct stile and were back onto the coast to coast trail.
The walk through Low Hawsker and High Hawsker was a long slog, and Lisa needed a break, so we stopped at the Woodland Tearoom for a cup of tea and to finish what was left of our food from the morning. Following that, a descent past the Caravans and we finally saw the North Sea! At this point, we ran into Peter and Margaret, who were glad to take pictures of us. The walk along the cliffs were breath-taking and very much reminiscent of our first day of walking so long ago at St. Bees. We took it easy to savor every moment, but even so, arrived quickly at Robin Hood's Bay at 4:00pm.
Robin Hood's Bay is exactly the kind of village that inspired Miyazaki's view of Europe in Kiki's Delivery Service or Howl's Moving Castle. The houses are stacked and jumbled up all the way down the cliffs, and afar all you see is a chain of chimneys down to the Bay. It was a picture perfect ending to the walk.
There, we checked into our Bed and Breakfast, walked down to the Bay Hotel, and had our picture taken at the end. We were not alone, however, as we soon found our compatriots and had a great drink, signing the guest book at Wainwright's Bar, and then a filling dinner.
Blakey Ridge to Egton Bridge
As we were about to leave this morning, Peter told me that he had walked all the way back to the Rosedale junction this morning, starting at 3am. He said he couldn't sleep the night before, and resolved to complete the loop. It took him 4 hours, and it would turn today into a 30 mile day for him.
The day started with a significant bit of road walking. After not less than 5 minutes, Ray showed up and joined us. He explained that he too had gotten lost at the Rosedale junction yesterday, and followed the Cleveland Way instead of along the old dismantled Rosedale railroad track. That cost him 4 hours, and he only made it to the Lion Inn after 8. I had made a note of the departure from the Cleveway Way the day before, but even so was also confused at the junction, so there but for the fortunate happenstance of meeting other walkers would have also gotten lost.
We walked along the road atop the ridge, and slowly meandered around. Along the way, we saw the light change and grant us lovely highlights of the Lion Inn and the High Blakey House from whence we came. Once off the road, we got beautiful views of Fryupdale, a lovely valley with a strange name, a fryup being a cooked English breakfast. Peter and Margaret, having a long day today, went ahead, while Lisa, Ray and I walked slowly together.
The day was pretty flat until we got to Glaisdale, whose roads descended steeply into town. Ray left us to visit the pub, while Lisa and I pressed into the woods near Beggar's Bridge and into Egton Bridge. There, we found the Horseshoe Inn and discovered that we had beaten our lugguage into town for the first time. After checking in, we met Peter and Margaret and crossed the stepping stones in town with them.
The lady running the Inn, however, was very accomodating and did laundry for us, and left us a breakfast setting for the next day's 17 mile walk into Robin Hood's Bay. Knowing what I know now, however, I would have opted to push even further ahead into Grosmont, which has a bit more to do and save a bit of walking the next day. I was strangely untired from the previous day's efforts, so it would have been entirely feasible.
The day started with a significant bit of road walking. After not less than 5 minutes, Ray showed up and joined us. He explained that he too had gotten lost at the Rosedale junction yesterday, and followed the Cleveland Way instead of along the old dismantled Rosedale railroad track. That cost him 4 hours, and he only made it to the Lion Inn after 8. I had made a note of the departure from the Cleveway Way the day before, but even so was also confused at the junction, so there but for the fortunate happenstance of meeting other walkers would have also gotten lost.
We walked along the road atop the ridge, and slowly meandered around. Along the way, we saw the light change and grant us lovely highlights of the Lion Inn and the High Blakey House from whence we came. Once off the road, we got beautiful views of Fryupdale, a lovely valley with a strange name, a fryup being a cooked English breakfast. Peter and Margaret, having a long day today, went ahead, while Lisa, Ray and I walked slowly together.
The day was pretty flat until we got to Glaisdale, whose roads descended steeply into town. Ray left us to visit the pub, while Lisa and I pressed into the woods near Beggar's Bridge and into Egton Bridge. There, we found the Horseshoe Inn and discovered that we had beaten our lugguage into town for the first time. After checking in, we met Peter and Margaret and crossed the stepping stones in town with them.
The lady running the Inn, however, was very accomodating and did laundry for us, and left us a breakfast setting for the next day's 17 mile walk into Robin Hood's Bay. Knowing what I know now, however, I would have opted to push even further ahead into Grosmont, which has a bit more to do and save a bit of walking the next day. I was strangely untired from the previous day's efforts, so it would have been entirely feasible.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Orton to Kirby Stephen
We started by walking over to see the stone circle by Knott Lane, which turned out to be not nearly as interesting as I'd hoped it would be. The stones were not very tall, even though they were broad, and clearly the work of men with intention to build the circle. But I estimate that three or four strong men could have done the work if they were so motivated, or perhaps less if they had horses and harnesses. Since nobody knows what the stone circle is there for, we went on and walked into Tarn Moor.
There were maps for Tarn Moor spaced at irregular intervals along the obvious trails, and with the help of my compass we made it over Sunbriggin Tarn. At this point, the weather had heated up, and we deployed our umbrellas for the first time as sunshade, something that would make us the subject of conversation for many a walker for the rest of our trip.
The long road walk wasn't very interesting, but soon enough, we came to the 3rd cattle guard, and turned off the road to walk through some farmland. Having gotten off the road, we quickly found a place to roll out our ground sheet and eat the one packed lunch we bought for both of us. The heat was unrelenting, however, so we ate as quickly as possible and moved on. After a steep descent alongside a farm, we got to Smardale Bridge and went up the steep incline afterwards, where there was supposed to be the Giant's Graves, another pre-historic monument that I missed. A few farms, a road, and then a railroad tunnel which in normal English weather would have been completely muddy but was indeed quite dry, and we were in Kirby Stephen.
A question about the Redmayne House at the first people we met yielded excellent directions. We arrived at the house, which looked rather ramshackle on the outside, but when we were brought in were delighted to find bright airy rooms with enormous bathrooms and lovely furnishings.
Laundry, grocery shopping, cash extraction from the nearest ATM later, we were found an excellent Fish and Chips place that served incredibly fresh fish. Satisfied, we went back to the Redmayne House and had a footbath before going to bed.
There were maps for Tarn Moor spaced at irregular intervals along the obvious trails, and with the help of my compass we made it over Sunbriggin Tarn. At this point, the weather had heated up, and we deployed our umbrellas for the first time as sunshade, something that would make us the subject of conversation for many a walker for the rest of our trip.
The long road walk wasn't very interesting, but soon enough, we came to the 3rd cattle guard, and turned off the road to walk through some farmland. Having gotten off the road, we quickly found a place to roll out our ground sheet and eat the one packed lunch we bought for both of us. The heat was unrelenting, however, so we ate as quickly as possible and moved on. After a steep descent alongside a farm, we got to Smardale Bridge and went up the steep incline afterwards, where there was supposed to be the Giant's Graves, another pre-historic monument that I missed. A few farms, a road, and then a railroad tunnel which in normal English weather would have been completely muddy but was indeed quite dry, and we were in Kirby Stephen.
A question about the Redmayne House at the first people we met yielded excellent directions. We arrived at the house, which looked rather ramshackle on the outside, but when we were brought in were delighted to find bright airy rooms with enormous bathrooms and lovely furnishings.
Laundry, grocery shopping, cash extraction from the nearest ATM later, we were found an excellent Fish and Chips place that served incredibly fresh fish. Satisfied, we went back to the Redmayne House and had a footbath before going to bed.
Tales of the Slayers
A comic book written mostly by the creator (Joss Whedon) and various writers (Jane Espenson, Doug Petrie, and David Fury) and even an actress (Amber Benson) from the TV show, about various different slayers across history and the lives they chose to lead or were forced to lead.
One of the interesting highlights is Whedon's story, not because it is anything special, but because it also highlights the fact that Whedon is probably not a Christian. If you look at the entire Buffy series in retrospect, you'll see that the show deliberately shys away from any discussion of the theological, even though you might consider that this would be the most important facet of being a slayer. (After all, why do crosses and holy water work against vampires?) Instead, Whedon chose to focus on the arcane books and research as presented by Giles the librarian (played by Anthony Stewart Head), who comes across as non-Christian as anybody could be.
In any case, it must have provided a major dilemna for Whedon, and it's a testament to his talent that I watched the entire show without realizing the central problem he tiptoed around. (Note that he happily gave the name "Faith" to a slayer who went awry) In any case, Whedon's story in this book depicts a Slayer who believed in God, who was then abandoned by God at her time of need. It's an entertaining read, and given that I paid 3 pound sterling for the book, worth the money.
One of the interesting highlights is Whedon's story, not because it is anything special, but because it also highlights the fact that Whedon is probably not a Christian. If you look at the entire Buffy series in retrospect, you'll see that the show deliberately shys away from any discussion of the theological, even though you might consider that this would be the most important facet of being a slayer. (After all, why do crosses and holy water work against vampires?) Instead, Whedon chose to focus on the arcane books and research as presented by Giles the librarian (played by Anthony Stewart Head), who comes across as non-Christian as anybody could be.
In any case, it must have provided a major dilemna for Whedon, and it's a testament to his talent that I watched the entire show without realizing the central problem he tiptoed around. (Note that he happily gave the name "Faith" to a slayer who went awry) In any case, Whedon's story in this book depicts a Slayer who believed in God, who was then abandoned by God at her time of need. It's an entertaining read, and given that I paid 3 pound sterling for the book, worth the money.
Pictures from today's Ride
Despite the heat, Matt & I managed 53 miles and 1370m (4500ft) of climb, up Moody, Page Mill, down West Alpine, and back up over Old La Honda road and 84. Check out the pictures (click on the title) --- fog in the valley in Silicon Valley made for a dreamy morning.
Shap to Orton
This was meant to be a recovery day after the massively difficult previous day. In the morning, Margaret asked us if we would like her to do our laundry. We were happy to do so, and left her our laundry before leaving. A footpath right behind her house led us past a farm and then a public footpath to the overhead pedestrain bridge over M6. Once there, we followed along some paths and then walked across a quarry road to skirt the walled village of Oddendale.
There was supposedly a stone circle in the area, but it wasn't obvious how to find it, and we passed it by while wandering through the Moor. The day was overcast, and we moved along slowly, since we were still weary from the day before, and the terrain was not exactly flat --- the Moors roll up and down, and while the going was not exactly strenous, it wasn't smooth, either.
After a few false sightings, we found Robin Hood's Grave, a cairn that didn't seem to be anybody's grave, let alone Robin Hood's. We were later informed that there are about 8 of his graves scattered all over England, so it was a good thing that all we did was to take pictures and moved on.
The highlight of the day's walk was the stroll from Brodfell farm into the village of Orton (it looked like a pretty big village to me, but the denizens insisted that it was one). We passed through delightful fields, across multiple gates and was accompannied by a babbling brook. Once in Orton, we discovered that we had arrived before the Kennedy's chocolate factory had closed. We had tea and chocolate cake there, and bought a couple of day's worth of chocolate for the next days' walks.
We arrived while the Mostyn House B&B owner was out, but we didn't have to wait too long before she returned, and we had a good shower and helped check in the other guests, Eric & Katie Bryant from Colorado, and Andy & Bey Friedman from Canada.
Margaret delivered the laundry to the house while we were showering, and we had a good and restful rest of the evening and night.
There was supposedly a stone circle in the area, but it wasn't obvious how to find it, and we passed it by while wandering through the Moor. The day was overcast, and we moved along slowly, since we were still weary from the day before, and the terrain was not exactly flat --- the Moors roll up and down, and while the going was not exactly strenous, it wasn't smooth, either.
After a few false sightings, we found Robin Hood's Grave, a cairn that didn't seem to be anybody's grave, let alone Robin Hood's. We were later informed that there are about 8 of his graves scattered all over England, so it was a good thing that all we did was to take pictures and moved on.
The highlight of the day's walk was the stroll from Brodfell farm into the village of Orton (it looked like a pretty big village to me, but the denizens insisted that it was one). We passed through delightful fields, across multiple gates and was accompannied by a babbling brook. Once in Orton, we discovered that we had arrived before the Kennedy's chocolate factory had closed. We had tea and chocolate cake there, and bought a couple of day's worth of chocolate for the next days' walks.
We arrived while the Mostyn House B&B owner was out, but we didn't have to wait too long before she returned, and we had a good shower and helped check in the other guests, Eric & Katie Bryant from Colorado, and Andy & Bey Friedman from Canada.
Margaret delivered the laundry to the house while we were showering, and we had a good and restful rest of the evening and night.
Grasmere to Patterdale
We started off after breakfast to walk the highest point (for us) on the coast to coast, Helvellyn and Striding Edge. The walk up to Grisdale Tarn happened while it was still cool, and we ran into a British couple on the way there, who gave us an explanation of what the various terms were:
We walked up Dollywagon trail, passing workers who were there to spread stones on the trail to prevent more erosion. Near the top, however, we walked past the start of Striding Edge without noticing. Fortunately, we stopped to eat, and were soon corrected.
For the last couple of days, we'd been warn that Striding Edge was a difficult and scary traverse along the ridge. The descent certainly required a fair amount of scrambling, but once on Striding Edge proper, Lisa simply walked along the ridge easily. It didn't seem that hard at all. We were later to learn, however, that a person had fallen off Striding Edge and sustained severe injuries.
From Striding Edge, we walked to the hole in the wall and descended steeply along Birkhouse Moor and then to a tarmac road where directions once again confused us, but we fortunately were able to ask someone and made it down to the bottom of the valley with no problems. There, I called the Greenbank Farm which gave us directions, which we followed. The Farm was quite a distance from where the trail bottomed out, so we hobbled along, once again footsore from our exertions, but the knowledge of a rest day ahead helped us.
We arrived at the Greenbank Farm, where Peter and a dozen dogs greeted us. Peter told us that he actually owned all the Farmland all the way up to Helvellyn and we had walked past his sheep on the way down. After a shower, he was gracious enough to give us a ride down to the restaurant in Glenriding, where his daughter worked. She gave us a ride home after a much needed meal and we slept well that evening.
- fell: between a mountain and a hill
- tarn: mountain lake
- beck: mountain stream
We walked up Dollywagon trail, passing workers who were there to spread stones on the trail to prevent more erosion. Near the top, however, we walked past the start of Striding Edge without noticing. Fortunately, we stopped to eat, and were soon corrected.
For the last couple of days, we'd been warn that Striding Edge was a difficult and scary traverse along the ridge. The descent certainly required a fair amount of scrambling, but once on Striding Edge proper, Lisa simply walked along the ridge easily. It didn't seem that hard at all. We were later to learn, however, that a person had fallen off Striding Edge and sustained severe injuries.
From Striding Edge, we walked to the hole in the wall and descended steeply along Birkhouse Moor and then to a tarmac road where directions once again confused us, but we fortunately were able to ask someone and made it down to the bottom of the valley with no problems. There, I called the Greenbank Farm which gave us directions, which we followed. The Farm was quite a distance from where the trail bottomed out, so we hobbled along, once again footsore from our exertions, but the knowledge of a rest day ahead helped us.
We arrived at the Greenbank Farm, where Peter and a dozen dogs greeted us. Peter told us that he actually owned all the Farmland all the way up to Helvellyn and we had walked past his sheep on the way down. After a shower, he was gracious enough to give us a ride down to the restaurant in Glenriding, where his daughter worked. She gave us a ride home after a much needed meal and we slept well that evening.
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