Nine Outa' Thirteen Ain't Bad...

...it's terrible, but at least we didn't need the headtorches!

A small, select group set off on this expedition, with TK (Tungsten Knees), KLM and Jim having declared that they were not planning to stay the full course and TM saying she'd see how it went. KLM left us after Two Lads, saving himself for a night-time orienteering event

All was going well until the approach to Whimberry Hill, when the support team showed their inexperience by allowing me to choose my own route - you need to understand, folks, that the first rule of an EtU support is that you don't let me loose on my own, I need close supervision at all times - ask YJ.  Anyway, some time was lost, but not so much as to constitute a disaster.

We managed not to get lost between Whimberry Hill and Egg Hillock and thence we chose the Shaly Dingle route to Counting Hill.  A messy climb back up to the ridge took us some distance to the south of the top. When I'm out and about again I'll try it following a bearing of 260 degs from the bottom and see if that keeps me clear of the bracken. I'll also try it in reverse, from our 'cairn' down to the Dingle. Approaching the ridge, Jim and TK disappeared into the mist whilst TM held back and kept me company. There was no sign of the leading pair at the trig point, so we assumed they had headed for home. We descended to Hordern Stoops, reached in 2 hours 59 minutes to find that some small animal had interfered with the 'stash', leaving it mostly, however undamaged.

As soon as we set off again I suggested to TM that we abandon the Darwen Tower plan and she agreed. This was soon followed, as the weather got wetter, windier and colder, by my proposal to omit Old Adam Hill, also agreed by my companion. Conditions worsened further as we approached Great Hill, so we grabbed the stash and headed down without sampling it. The decision then was to head directly for home via White Coppice without passing go or collecting £200 or anything.

Conditions subsequently improved and we had a pleasant run in, finishing in 5 hours 34 minutes and clocking up all but a whisker of 16 1/2 miles.

What went wrong? Mostly a combination of poor conditions, both atmospheric and underfoot coupled with a lack of vigour on my part.

Thanks go to all my companions, especially to TM for staying the distance and seeing me safely back to the barn.