[13th october 2025]

So this trip changed so last minute it was a little stressful. Originally, I was bound for Wales but the conditions drastically worsened and a new plan had to be made. I scrolled up and down the country and if it wasn't the forecast that put me off, it was the sheer distance after working long shifts driving the truck that did. After a few hours i'd given up and went to bed. As I lay there I thought about areas i'd visited in the past and one that jumped out was the Langdales. The area by the Old Dungeon Ghyll hotel was one I visited years ago and overnight was doused with a huge amount of snow. It was absolutely stunning! I've also pitched up on Esk Pike having summited Bow Fell and had a stunning night there too SO, why not head back and summit something else. The forecast looked good, the wind speeds were manageable and the route up to High Rise proved a nice challenge... FINALLY I can sleep with this plan. The following morning the pack was loaded into the car and I began my journey into the wild.

After an unnecessary sat nav zig down a tight road just to rejoin a road I was already on, I was back in the beautiful valley I remembered so fondly. I parked up with the National Trust, strapped my weighty winter pack to my back and began my initial ascent up to Stickle Tarn. One thing to note here is just how different the forecast was to how things actually were. It was foggy, raining and still whereas it was meant to be clear, dry and 20mph+ winds so i'm unsure what went wrong at the Met Office but this didn't matter in the slightest. I just love being out on an adventure so take it as it comes. The Ghyll waterfalls are truly breathtaking and if you use the main footpath, they will be with you for the entire way... however given how unexpectedly busy it was I decided to detour away from the flock and ascend part of Tarn Crag before rejoining the main track to Stickle Tarn. There were so many people up here but thankfully, given the clag I couldn't actually see the majority. A couple of blokes ask me for directions to Pavey Ark summit which I helped them with. One of them questioned what I was doing with such a big pack to which I told him and he asked to try my pack on. Immediately he exclaimed at the weight saying "Nope, you can keep that" before swiftly handing it back and when I said I actually had a steak in there he laughed but continued to say it wasn't for him. This, plus the insane weight I was already very aware I was carrying, was just further confirmed I need to make some major adjustments to my gear. Still, I didn't have the option to hand my pack over to SO back on it went and I left what little view of Stickle Tarn and disappeared into the fog.

After about 10 minutes everything went deafly silent. It was clear the conditions had put off the masses and finally I was on my own... just how I like it! While challenging in points this thankfully wasn't all slog. There were areas where it levelled off giving some respite before presenting the next challenge. Again, I navigated my way mostly without GPS but given how dense this fog was I did check in a couple of times to ensure I was on the right track. On one occasion I truly was thankful I did as I had somehow managed to veer off in the wrong direction. Doing this also presented a surprise as I was suddenly right next to the summit of Sergeant Man. So, I head to the summit where I was presented with... fog... I couldn't even see 10 meters down which is why I don't bother with the 360 shot in the video. If you feel robbed of that shot feel free to stick your camera in a glass of milk for 10 seconds and THERE YOU HAVE IT! Your very own 360 shot of Sergeant Man. I continued on and as forecast it did begin to clear up and for the first time I could feel the sun. Just before I reached the summit I stopped to find a mass of alien looking white goo on the floor. Puzzled by this I concluded the cattle particularly enjoyed themselves the previous night BUT having done some research I found that it's the remnants of frogs born sadly after a predator got to them. Basically, they can't digest the, shall we say, “egg part” and vomit that back up. Although this is true, I love the theory of it being the remainder of a star that's fallen... I also really love the theory it's aliens although I didn't see any during this trip. Theories pondered I finished my ascent and reached the trig of High Rise.

It was dense fog initially but then the cloud dropped slightly revealing some neighbouring summits and nothing else. ANOTHER CLOUD INVERSION! I've never been as lucky as I have this year but then we were plunged back into the fog and so I descended a short way to find my pitch facing towards the sunset in hopes the cloud would drop again... a little over an hour later... it did! I quickly grabbed my camera and drone and returned to the trig and couldn't believe my eyes. The footage looks spectacular but being there first hand, it was just unbelievable! all around there was just a sea of cloud as far as the eye could see! To think off of this was happening up here and back down in the valley it would've have changed a bit from when I started. I was completely alone and experiencing this, like it was just meant for me, the sun and the earth. I'm so glad I got there when I did and filmed what I did as within minutes the cloud billowed back up and we were back in the fog. I was just completely speechless. I said it then and I say it now. "Thank you High Rise. That was just... everything."

I returned to my tent to layer up, have a brew and cook some grub. I had spoiled myself with the Rucker Galley menu on this one and was only further pleased that Tesco had made a mistake when packing their thin cut steaks as you should only have 3 and I had 4! No wonder my pack was so heavy but right now, I felt like i'd won the lottery! Having sat and ate my hearty feast watching the sunset the cloud, once again, dropped. I opened up a beer and sat watching it in awe, and was further rewarded with a cloudless night sky! These are some of the best photographs i've ever taken in my life. The colours are beautiful, the stars are present in their millions and I got some great shots at the summit with my dopey self looking up at the milky way! To take these photos requires an exposure time of 3 minutes... so just imagine you're on a night nav hike, get close to the top only to find a bloke in his mid-30's gazing up at the sky but not moving for a solid 3 minutes! I'd tip toe away until out of sight and then never hike at night again! I sat out until midnight before I reluctantly decided to call it a night. Little did I know High Rise had a further surprise for me.

07:00 I poke my head out of the tent only to find the cloud inversion was still here! I've never seen one for so long but with the temperature being so low and the wind speeds being so little I guess it's held down in the valleys. To wake up with a clear sky, watching an ocean of cloud billowing below your feet with a coffee and croissants is so surreal. It was just... nope, no words and if I hadn't recorded the trip no one would believe me. I was so sad to be leaving this mountain. It's truly the most magical adventure i've had to date, especially considering I could've picked so many other options. Having summited the final mountain, --------------------, I started my descent back into the fog. I could see people heading up towards me thus ending my time in solitude and i'm certain the cloud level rose up to the summit once more before dissipating. They may get clear views of the surrounding area but nothing will ever be able to compare to my time on High Rise above the clouds.
 
Winter's coming... Here's to the next ruck!