Walk to Ingleborough, part 2
The sides of the gully gradually fell away and I could (almost) see Ingleborough for the first time. The lower summit, Little Ingleborough, was visible, but the top of Ingleborough was hidden by mist. I could see the path I would follow as it snaked up to the top of Little Ingleborough.
Little Ingleborough
As I left the shelter of the gully and started along the path toward Little Ingleborough there was strong, damp breeze and the air felt cooler. I passed some sheep, who ignored me, and pressed on. The slope became steeper and the breeze stiffer, and I found myself stopping fairly often to turn back and admire the view as I gained height. There was no one else in sight and the loudest sound was my huffing and puffing.
The path gave way to stone blocks that had been arranged into steps to reduce erosion on the hillside. I slogged up--it seemed much longer than the climb to the top of the Minster, which I had done on Sunday. By the time I reached the the top of Little Ingleborough I was out of breath.
The view was underwhelming as the clouds were low and mist was closing in, so I turned and started north along the broad and relatively flat path that led toward the top of Ingleborough, which was still hidden by the mist. The wind picked up sharply and for the first time I felt cold. There were still patches of snow on the ground. The slope increased and the path became very rocky as I headed up--I still could see the top due to the mist. Although I was again puffing as I reached the summit, I felt much warmer. The summit is a flat area of about 15 acres--not that I could see much of it, as visibility was only about 50 yards. The summit is rimmed by the remnants of a stone wall--Ingleborough apparently played a part in a revolt against the Romans in the first century A.D.--and the path entered through a gap in it. I headed south-west, toward the center of the summit. A few minutes later I found the trig point indicating the highest point on the hill. The nearby snowman had a strong resemblance to E.T.
Trig point and E.T.
The mist closed in lower and wind was strong and cold. Ice crystals formed on my jacket as I headed toward the wind-break a few yards away. I quickly ate two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and drank some water. I got chilled while I sat and thought that next time a hot drink would be a better idea. A figure in a yellow coat and a backpack walked out of the mist and looked at the trig point, then at me, then walked back into the mist. Visibility was now about 10 yards, it was cold and windy, and I decided I'd had enough.
I walked back in the direction of the path I wanted to take. There are several openings in the wall--some of which seem to lead to rocky drops--and there are several paths, each leading to a different town. In the poor visibility they all looked similar. I spent a few minutes making sure that I had the right opening and path. I heard voices shouting in the fog, but didn't see anybody. When I was certain I'd found the right track I clambered down and then walked across the flat area to Little Ingleborough, which now was completely misted. The wind at my back didn't find as many nooks and crannies in my jacket, so I started to lose some of my chill. On the way down the stone steps, I met a couple I had exchanged nods with in Clapham. We chatted to a minute and they weren't deterred by the lack of view or the wind at the top. Heading back toward Trow Gill I saw one other walker. On the way down I saw that the clouds were getting lower all over.
View across Seat haw
