The last date for publication is very early this month because our printers have two weeks holiday. Please bear with us and get your information to me by this date, so that we can have the magazine in time for the New Year. 2009 is the 60th year of the Oread Mountaineering Club, it doesn't seem five mins since we were having the 50th dinner at the Queen Victoria in Llanberis! Your editor is now back in the rush to Christmas after a successful climbing trip to Mexico. Nick Moyes and I managed to climb Orizaba which is the third highest in North America after Denali and Mount Logan. Hardly anyone's ever heard of it, so it's a bit like the Corbett's!!! Details later. Merry Christmas to everyone.
As I cycled past the other day, the late afternoon sun was just catching the N face of the rocks making them look especially seductive. But I know that there is a lot of litter above, below and in amongst the rocks. I had a clean up before the meet a couple of years ago and easily managed to fill three sacks. I'm looking for some help this year so please come along. Old gloves, old rucksack useful. I will provide the bin liners. I expect to be at the rocks at about 1040. There is a Trent 6.3 bus leaves Derby Full St (X6) at 0935. Change to 6.1 in Belper bus station. Alternatively catch the TransPeak which leaves Derby Derwent Street (Y1) at 0955. Alight at Cromford, drag the President out of bed, then make your way to the rocks via the High Peak Trail. This is hardly going to take all day so consider driving on into the Peak or climbing with me on Black Rocks.
This years Bullstones meet route is inspired by the Derwent watershed in the Dark Peak. In my opinion this is the best area of the country for walking and bog trotting. Traditionalists will also be pleased that the route passes the site of the original Bullstones cabin. We'll be meeting on Friday night at the Ladybower Inn, near Bamford (GR205865), from around 8pm onwards. Cars can be left for the weekend at the car park over the road from the pub, or just along the A6013 Bamford road. When the time is right (probably about 11pm) we'll head off onto Derwent edge. The likely bivvy spot is Back Tor, but I have identified another suitable location place a couple of miles further North if we feel like making more progress. If we are really keen we could get all the way to the remains of the Bullstones cabin, but most likely the pilgrimage will be on Saturday morning. Saturdays walk will be a long one, so a prompt start will help. We'll head up to Margery Hill then take in Howden Edge & Bleaklow, picking up the Pennine Way at Bleaklow Head. We'll then follow the Pennine Way to Kinder Scout, with numerous route options to finish in Edale. The peat bogs provide excellent opportunities for bog jumping, getting muddy and taking spectacular photos of Oreads in mid-air. The Fieldhead campsite at the Edale visitor centre provides somewhere to pitch tents and wash. More importantly, the Rambler Inn will supply food & drink. If for some reason you don't wish to camp for a second night, alternative accommodation is available in Edale but please make your own arrangements. Sundays route is much shorter and will take in Hollins Cross, Lose Hill & Win Hill on the way back to the Ladybower Inn and the cars. There are many options for shortening and lengthening the walk, which I'm sure we will discuss on the Friday night. I need to reserve places at the campsite and the Rambler Inn, so please let me know if you are coming (& whether sharing a tent) so I can ensure we all have a pitch and seat at the table on Saturday night. Also please let me know your transport arrangements and I'll try to co-ordinate lift sharing where needed so we can minimise the number of cars to leave. The best way to contact me is by email:
The Oread's second longest running meet! The rocks will be pristine after the clean-up on Sunday7th so come and enjoy the peculiar delights of Derrick's favourite crag. The super competent will doubtless surge up Birch Tree Wall while traditionalists will get stuck in Queen's Parlour Chimney.Folk usually get there soon after work. Some are still there at 9! Afterwards, proceedings continue at The Rising Sun in Middleton. Mine host promises pie and pea suppers roughly between 7 and 9. Price approx £3. A good opportunity to share photos from the Bullstones epic.
There is usually a good gathering of Oreads plus others (Derwent etc) at the Miners Arms at Brassington Boxing Day lunchtime. Make you own way there walk cycle watch the Raft Race etc.
This will be an informal meet. So come to the hut for a night or a full week, after the Christmas festivities. We shall have an informal buffet on New Year's Eve provided by those attending. Activities will include walking and scrambling, eating, drinking, perhaps even a slide show. I shall be abroad until December 8th so book through Colin Hobday before, or await my return.
The date and destination of this walk, the George at Alstonfield, are bound by tradition, but the route and starting point have been varied over the years, so having used most of the permutations from Ilam aver the past few walks, I propose to meet instead at Alsop Car Park on the Tissington Trail, off A515 Ashbourne-Buxton Road, at map ref. SK 156548. We shall not use the trail, which is boring, but instead will traverse Cross Low N. of Alsop village, and then descend the steep little Tor beside Iron Torrs before taking one of the several available paths from the main Dovedale path up to Alstonfield. The route is non-strenuous, since this is a social occasion, so those with the symptoms of age and decadence need not be deterred. I hope however to visit some little corners of the Peak District which may not be familiar to those accustomed to more exotic destinations. Please meet at 10.45am. and be ready to move off a few minutes after this time.
Robin Beadle is a professional guide and will be talking about his recent ascent of Everest and other aspects of guiding. Mike Mowbray is an anaesthetist with professional as well as sporting interests in his subject. This should be an informative and entertaining talk bristling with good humour. Gordon Gadsby is known to most, if not all of you, as is the quality of his photographs. His talk 'Magic of the Mountains' will be real eye candy! Last but certainly not least we have Richard & Steve who will be talking about there climbing trip to the Picos last year. I look forward to seeing you at each lecture.
.. and now for something completely different: 'The new date for Tony's Curry Meet meant that less people than usual were clipping bolts in sunny climes, so a healthy contingent of Oreads hacked over to Wales to enjoy the Indian Summer. Friday was a beautiful starry night but moonless, so head torches were in order for the stroll to the pub. The landlord went out of his way to welcome us as usual, even asking about some who chose not to walk down. We all enjoyed our round of free drinks and it was a struggle to get out of the door.
We woke refreshed to a dry day. Mid way through a leisurely breakfast the Indian summer ended. Various plans were hatched, before putting the kettle back on. Eventually various teams headed out. The walk in the Beddgelert Forest was, as usual, led by a Chris with his GPS. They kept their feet dry until they sank into the mud that went over the top of their boots. Other walkers had marginally drier feet, but no one stayed very dry that day. Another team headed off to Coed-y-Brenin for some mountain biking. The prepared tracks here provide a pretty stern challenge and we've got the bruises to prove it. Parking costs £3 for the whole day, the showers are hot and the carrot cake comes highly recommended. The newly developed "Yorkshire dismount" came of age during this trip. It consists of a Yorkshireman going horizontally left at an altitude of about five feet, while his bike exits stage right. The ensuing grumbling is similar to that encountered at the bar of the Cwellyn Arms.
Enough enthusiasm was left in battered bodies for a brief bouldering session at the ever-dry Carreg Hyll Drem. All of the moves were done, just not necessarily in the right order. The carpet of sheep droppings provided a soft landing when the arms packed up. Saturday night provided a varied feast of Indo-Thai fusion cuisine (apparently). The gin and tonics were a civilised starter and the various curries and superb rice (!) satisfied everyone. Sunday dawned much drier outside, but several Oread noses were damp and eyes were bleary. The dreaded lurgy had struck overnight! Teams headed off in various directions for walking and climbing. A civilised walk around Cwm Buchan and Aberglaslyn ended in back tracking when the path was found to be flooded. The bright sunshine tempted another pair to plan a walk along the coast to absorb as much sunshine as possible, and cure any ailments (cold? Wine?). As the drive through Beddgelert and out alongside the river was so spectacular and sunny they hatched plan B. If they parked at the NT car park and walked back to Beddgelert they could take the high path back (if energy levels permitted) or have a namby pamby walk back along the river. Angela takes up the story:
"A really high river meant lots of noisy water crashing about and it all looked very dramatic but after only 15 minutes of walking we lost the path under a foot of fast flowing water. Damn it. Didn't want to bail out as had just handed over £3 to park. Didn't fancy boots off and wading through the water, it looked too fast and nothing to hold onto. We'd just have to try and go around it. It looked quite hard, but not very far, so we scrambled up the bank and across an easy we scrambled up the bank and across an easy hour and half later we emerged triumphant back onto the path quite a long way further on, having been forced to move higher to avoid a steep gully that appeared as we headed around the corner. Back on easy ground but realised that we were now the wrong side of the railway. Fine view of a steam train coming out of a little tunnel below us so took a couple of photos for my trainspotter's album. Have no idea what it was, other than being green but there was a crowd of people on the road getting very excited about it and taking lots of pictures so guess it was a very important, if very small, engine. Having too much fun to admit defeat we picked our way across to the grassy/ heathery rake that ran over said tunnel and onto the path (including another stop for photos). Nice gentle stroll finally achieved, followed by tea and buns in Beddgelert. Marvellous."
The climbers were never going to be able to match that level of excitement, but nevertheless the 'A' team headed for the sunny but cold Moelwyns, for an ascent of Block (S). They reported hordes of instructed parties well established on arrival, and in broadly the same position on departure. Meanwhile the 'B' team ticked some classics at Tremadog. An attempt at Meshach was started by a pair who could not be described as young men. After dodging some wet streaks and avoiding the frantic sketching feet of a leader on Grim Wall, an escape up Grim Wall Direct (E1) seemed in order as the safest option. After a half dozen pitches between showers, and suitably refreshed in Eric's Café, we headed for home. Thanks to Tony for organising a super weekend and thanks to all the chefs for a fine spread. Roger Gibb with Angela Smith' Thanks, Tony Howard
18 Oreads overcame the late night and hangovers to join the walk, and were rewarded with a superb day of late Autumn colours and views. We left the Bear and took a southerly arc to Kirk Ireton via Idridgehay, crossing the "paddy" fields of the Ecclesbourne Valley via rarely used footpaths. We ate our lunch and enjoyed a superb pint sat outside the Barley Mow bathed in sunshine, before a more direct route back to the Bear was followed. Head torches were not required and the day was rounded off with a civilised pot of tea in the Bear. Richard Hopkinson.
Was this the thinnest ever Oread field? Well they all looked pretty fit! Some slipping down the field and others moving up. But where were the Radcliffes, Hopkinson, Tubby, the President (!) and all the other muddy stalwarts? Back next year, I hope. Results below are from a field of about 1100.
Some good support from Mike and Gill Keeling - thanks. But only for the runners they could recognise. Maybe easier next time if they are all wearing the club T-shirt. Rob Tresidder.
Did anyone pick up either my fleece or hat which I lost on the recent curry meet? I put them in the drying room on Saturday night, but I couldn't find them on Sunday morning. They may have been brought back by someone who is looking for their owner or picked up by mistake from the drying room on Sunday morning. The fleece is extra large, black, with a short zip & (I think) it says 'Stormlite' or something similar on the label. The hat is black with an R and/or Rossignol written on it. If you have either of these items please let me know & we'll arrange how to get it back to me. Cheers, Tony Howard
Dry rot fungus - The cause of all our troubles.
During the Curry Meet (25/26 October) a fruiting body (sporophore) that was believed to be dry rot Serpula lacrymans was found by the landing window at the front of the building. There has been a previous occurrence of dry rot, in 1991, but this was towards the rear of the property. Surveys with quotations for remedial works have being provided by specialist companies (Kimberley Gulf and Dampmasters). The hut sub committee and the main committee are giving this the priority it deserves to best look after our most important asset.
You are eligible for senior membership if you will have reached "state pension age", which is 60 for ladies and 65 for gents, on 1 January 2009. My records of members' ages are very incomplete, so I will assume you are "forever young" unless you tell me otherwise! The rates quoted above are per person, so for example the amount due from a couple both aged 62 will be £43.50. If your permanent address is outside the UK you will not be a BMC club member, and so your rate will be reduced by £11.75 per person for all membership classes.
Annegret Siebert has applied for membership of the Oread. Would anyone who has views as to her suitability, please get in touch with a member of the committee.
Please note that hut fees should always be paid to me and no one else. Colin Hobday.
No doubt many of you will have heard that we have an outbreak of Dry Rot at Tan-yr-Wyddfa, at the time of writing we are awaiting Quotes from specialised contractors as to the amount of work involved. We understand that the work will take in the region of 2/3 weeks to complete. When we have a firm date from the contractor to carry out the work ,the hut will have to be closed, which most likely will be during January 2009.
About every 4 years I manage to save enough to go on a trip to more remote parts of the world, so it was that an approach from Nick for "special" trip to celebrate his 50 years, brought about the decision to travel to Mexico and climb a peak called Orizaba, or Citlaltepetl 5611m. We needed to acclimatise first of course, and this was done by climbs of two other peaks. The first, Nevada de Toluca, was a tough introduction to volcano scree paths. The summit, which arrived after a superb walk around lakes in the old crater, involved climbing a loose scree slope with our full packs. Not easy! A moderate scramble over rocks soon brought us the summit, called Pico Fraile, at 4680m. A quick descent and an overnight in an empty hutte had us walking the 8klm back to the main road for a bus into Mexico City again.
Our second peak was in a National Park, and we had to get our permits from a little town called Amecameca where we met a great character called Miguel. We took a taxi up to the Paso de Cortez and carried on to Altzomoni lodge where we stayed overnight at 4020m. Miguel was the hut warden and made us very welcome. We took pictures of Popcatepetl at sunrise. No climbing is allowed on this famous peak due to volcanic activity. The following day we set off along a very reasonable track to the Grupo de los Cien hut at 4780m. We had great fun with the mice that lived there, but they were lively showmice and kept us busy saving our food supplies. In the end we fed them and all was well. At 06.45 we set out for the summit by climbing an interesting rocky ridge, followed by some snow and glacier work to the top at 5218m. Iztaccihuatl is known as the White Woman due to its five peaks visible from the village below, with El Pecho (the breast) the highest point. A really interesting mountain.
Now it was decided that we should go for the big one. Orizaba lies to the west of Mexico City in Veracruz state. We had prearranged to stay with a family in Tlachichua. Signor Limon would drive us up to the Piedra Grande Hutte in his four wheel drive, 1983 vehicle, the following day. What a drive! It has to be experienced to be believed. I never thought that it was possible to take a motorised vehicle on such tracks. He left us to flog up to the top of the labyrinth and camp overnight at 4940m. I did not sleep at all!!. At 06.00, on the 12th November, we left for the summit. During the whole trip we were blessed with good weather and today was no exception. The snow conditions were perfect. Excellent cramponning all the way to the summit. Not technical but quite steep at the top. After the usual summit photos we decided to climb around the volcano rim. This was easy at first but then became more difficult with the ascent of a pinnacle and a grade 3 snow climb down to the col. We were very glad we took a rope and it was put to full use, as we tottered down a snow runnel to better security on the glacier below. The descent was completed right back to the Piedra Grande Hut where we found Senor Lemon and his trusty vehicle waiting. It was dark when we arrived back at Tlachichuca, but after a couple of beers it was all worthwhile.
The rest of the trip consisted of white water rafting down grade 4 rapids, and a memorable trip down a zip wire over the River Pescados. Mexico was veritable surprise to both of us, as we had expected robbery, disease, and many other distressing events. None happened, the people were very friendly and helpful, and the scenery was majestic, what more could we ask.