Author Topic: American walking the C2C  (Read 23589 times)

Doddy

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #105 on: 12:11:43, 27/03/18 »


Ach, they were too shiny, moss is better in extremis.
In one of my ultralight hiking books a smooth stone is suggested which you throw into the distance.

sussamb

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #106 on: 12:33:58, 27/03/18 »
 :-\
Where there's a will ...

jimbob

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #107 on: 12:59:58, 30/08/18 »
HI Kathy I expect you will be setting off to cross the pond soon.
Hope you're full of calmness and anticipation for your trek.
You may have not that Dave aka Slogger is attempting a fast crossing, his trail is being tracked o it may interest you to have a look at his route.
Anyway hoping you enjoy your crossing which is to be done , as the Camino,  on your own way.
Too little, too late, too bad......

KathyDahm

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #108 on: 16:30:06, 18/10/18 »
Thought I'd give an update, now that I've finished walking the C2C. To be completely honest, if I had known beforehand what it would be like, I might not have gone. But since I survived it, I'm glad that I did. I found it to be a much, much harder walk than either the Camino Frances or the Portuguese Camino.  I went with a Camino friend, 10 years younger than me, and his help got me through countless difficult spots. I can handle steep climbs and descents, up to a point. It was when the steep climb was on a narrow, rocky path, and became so steep that it was hard for me to find a secure foothold that I had problems--vertigo, fear of falling, severe anxiety, etc.  On those spots my walking companion would hold my wrist and walk ahead of me, until it was slightly less steep and I could breathe again and go on my own. The other terrifying spots were when the trail was narrow and there was a drop-off on one side. That didn't happen often, but more than I expected. For those of you who aren't bothered by edges or scrambling or climbing up extremely steep paths, my fears probably sound silly, but they weren't silly for me.


But aside from that, the bogs and mud and countless stiles to climb and sheep dung to avoid and gale force winds one day and rapid streams to ford and even most of the climbs and descents--all that was difficult but, in hindsight, exciting and adventuresome. My son says that "adventure is misery recalled in comfort" and that describes a lot of the C2C for me. But the rest, the glorious views day in and day out, even in the rain, were worth any amount of misery.


I also had the misfortune to have two nasty falls in the last two days of the walk. The first was on a steep gravel hill, when my pole slipped and then my foot and I fell very hard on a knee and elbow. The second fall was on the final day, walking towards the North Sea. We came to a boardwalk and my foot caught on the edge, causing me to fall very hard on the side of my face. I had a bad cut next to my eye which was stitched the following day, as well as a mild concussion, and the aches and pains that a hard fall can give one. All the same, I was able to walk the final 6 or 7 miles along the North Sea, delighting in the view and knowledge that I was close to dipping my boots in the sea and throwing in my rock. It was a heady feeling to do that, and then to go to Wainwright's pub, sign the book, and enjoy a pint of lager. 


Oh, and since I've been home, I've found out that I suffered a fracture in one foot early on in the walk. I thought I'd pulled a ligament in the foot, but the xray revealed the fracture. I'm glad I didn't know it at the time. :)  In spite of everything, I'm so glad that I did the walk and can say that I've walked all the way across England!

sussamb

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #109 on: 17:07:41, 18/10/18 »
Well done on making it despite all those issues, and thanks for the update  O0
Where there's a will ...

April

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #110 on: 20:16:11, 18/10/18 »
Congratulations Kathy  O0 Well done finishing the walk despite all the injuries  :)

For those of you who aren't bothered by edges or scrambling or climbing up extremely steep paths, my fears probably sound silly, but they weren't silly for me.

You are not alone Kathy, there are a few of us on here that are not fond of steep drops.

"adventure is misery recalled in comfort"  :) Can't help but agree with this  :)
Hate will never win

jimbob

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #111 on: 00:37:41, 19/10/18 »
Thanks for keeping in touch. You can feel very proud of yourself given the early injury , falls and fears. You did it. Well done.
Too little, too late, too bad......

Ridge

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #112 on: 09:06:14, 19/10/18 »
Great to hear back from you Kathy and well done on completing the walk  O0

Innominate Man

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #113 on: 00:19:17, 20/10/18 »
Well done Kathy,


I only read your last post today and then back - tracked over the previous pages. You should be very proud of yourself, your adventure is quite inspirational.
Are you intending doing any other long distance walks or was this your last one (or perhaps better answering this after a few weeks to reflect on it)  ?
Only a hill but all of life to me, up there between the sunset and the sea. 
Geoffrey Winthrop Young

rural roamer

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #114 on: 10:18:55, 20/10/18 »
Well done, you definitely got through the mental as well as the physical challenges. The weather sounds similar to our C2C. Crossing the waterfall that was Loft Beck, tail end of hurricane that meant we walked along Ullswater instead of over Kidsty Pike in 60mph winds. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world though! Friends look at me as though I ‘m mad when they realise I actually enjoyed it.

JFK

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #115 on: 18:18:36, 07/03/19 »
Kathy I read your last account, WOW!!!! I am planning on it in summer 2020 and would be ever so grateful to your wisdom. I would love to ask you about the high areas that you managed to get over and where they were. I am not a huge fan of heights and will be taking  the lower path on Striding but I know even that is filled with lots of danger. I will be 56 and doing this on my own as well and I want to take the high routes because I may not be able to do this again. Also, did you find you could get cash on the walk or no? I was thinking if I could pre-paying all of my accommodation which would GREATLY reduce the cash needed.
« Last Edit: 18:22:45, 07/03/19 by JFK »

KathyDahm

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #116 on: 20:08:33, 07/03/19 »
Hi JFK, I don't know your physical capabilities, so it's hard to know how to reply. I'm 76, in pretty good shape, and I have some experience with long-distance walking (the Camino Frances and the Portuguese Camino). The C2C was though very different from those. I first thought I'd walk the C2C by myself, but I know now that that would have been fool-hardy, and I probably wouldn't have made it. A Camino friend, 10 years younger than me, a man in excellent condition, decided to go with me, and he really did get me through the hardest places. The hardest parts are in the Lake District, for sure. There are often alternative routes, but even taking a less arduous route didn't eliminate some difficult sections. On the other hand, most people on this forum don't find the C2C terribly difficult at all. You need to be able to climb some very steep rocky paths, you need not to mind a few "edges", you need to be able to scramble on a few spots. Also, the way-marking can be poor, so you have to have good maps, either paper or digital, and even with those, it helps to have another set of eyes. There are places to get cash, but you need to plan ahead, for sure. I booked all my accommodations myself in advance and often paid in advance. But you do need to carry a fair amount of cash with you. The larger towns have ATM machines. In spite of the difficulties, it is an extraordinarily beautiful walk. It was worth every bit of effort to took. I think for the C2C, the more you plan and read and learn about it, the better off you are.

JFK

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #117 on: 22:01:19, 07/03/19 »
Thanks Kathy!


I am in fairly good shape, besides walking about 5 miles a day (unfortunately it is all flat land but I do it religiously 7 days a week) I either teach or take yoga each day. I have never done a formal long distance walk, however when I was in the UK in November I logged between 7-10 miles a day (17 day trip) in either Malham (part of the Yorkshire Dales, think mountainous steep climbs and the descents were much worse in my opinion) or in Cumbria in the Shap area (been to Shap Abbey loved it). I never hurt and wasn't overly tired so I think I am good. I have bought about 10 books on the C2C and both the OS maps for the C2C (West and East) and the Harvey Maps. The Trailblazer is my bedtime reader. I have watched so many vids and read so many blogs in the months since I returned home that I feel I eat, sleep and dream of the C2C. My serious obsession. I am looking to get a GPS to load the waypoints from the Trailblazer website and now just trying to talk to ANYONE who has done this especially the Helvellyn over Striding portion.


My current route gives me an extra day in Grasmere (got to visit Dove Cottage) and Little Strickland (a hamlet outside of Shap) so I am on the road for 15 walking days. 


Bought a book on compass/map navigation and have already started practicing.


My thought of doing this alone is that it will be June and there will be people on the path ALWAYS. The hours of walking alone don't bother me (I love solitude) but making sure I know what I face definitely is prudent so I am trying to figure out what routes people took and then it will be a case of planning 2-3 routes in the Lakes because of safety due to weather. I know what it is like to be caught on top of Malham Cove in driving rain and how hard it is to walk down those stone steps . Limestone is slick!



I have purchased gaiters and practiced in the bogs of the Wekiva Forest here in Orlando Fl, my 14 mile walk ended up being 4 miles of serious swamp and climbing over fallen trees. I loved it!!


So that gives you a good bit on me. Anything you can impart on me and help me to learn I am here to absorb and that goes for anyone on this forum!

KathyDahm

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #118 on: 23:10:26, 07/03/19 »
You are going to be amazingly prepared!!!  From what you've shared, I don't think you'll have any trouble at all walking the C2C solo.  BYW, I stayed an extra night in Grasmere too to see Dove Cottage. Lovely. Just one other thing though. I purchased a Garmin GPS and loaded it with the C2C route, but when I got there, it was just too tiny to read easily. I never used it. Instead, a friend I met helped me download the ViewRanger app onto my iPhone, and helped me find a one-month subscription to purchase (very inexpensive), which put the C2C map on my phone. That was wonderful! It was easy to read and I always knew where I was and where the route was. I found it infinitely more helpful than the Garmin, which I've since given away. The ViewRanger uses GPS too, not data, so as long as my phone was charged, I was fine. I had a compass which came in handy once, and the Harvey maps. Every aid like that helps.

sussamb

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Re: American walking the C2C
« Reply #119 on: 06:58:49, 08/03/19 »
I purchased a Garmin GPS and loaded it with the C2C route, but when I got there, it was just too tiny to read easily. I never used it. Instead, a friend I met helped me download the ViewRanger app onto my iPhone, and helped me find a one-month subscription to purchase (very inexpensive), which put the C2C map on my phone. That was wonderful! It was easy to read and I always knew where I was and where the route was. I found it infinitely more helpful than the Garmin, which I've since given away. The ViewRanger uses GPS too, not data, so as long as my phone was charged, I was fine.


Guess it depends on numerous factors, including how good your eyesight is.  I've used an Etrex 20 as my primary nav aid for over seven years now, and an Etrex H for years before that.  Never had an issue reading it.  I also have viewranger on my phone as a backup.  I use the phone quite regularly when out with my local SAR team, as we're tracked using the VR buddy beacon app, but I find it far more cumbersome to use than my Etrex, which fits into my hand/pocket far more easily and provides better information as I go along.  I no longer carry paper maps.
Where there's a will ...

 

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