Historical post written up during the coronavirus lockdown for posterity

Post GCSEs and bored I think one day I message J White on MSN messenger (…) if he fancied a trip to the lake district. A sort of DofE adventure. He was keen, as was my brother which probably helped make sure we did nothing too stupid. Boy do we look young… Jordan still has some hair.

The trip started with a bus to Keswick - the campsite by Derwent Water eyed us dubiously as troublemakers but let us pitch the tent. The route plan was to head toward Scafell Pike, then around and over the Helvellyn ridge, before a final loop of Blencathra.

Wild camping up Scafell Pike was an experience - the first of many nights pitching the tent wherever we happened to end the day.

Bad weather on the middle day meant Helvellyn missed out, but we made up for it by climbing Sharp Edge on Blencathra the following day. Overtaking a sodden and sulking DofE trip was a highlight. They even left behind a sponge which meant we could finally clean the bacon pan, and would be a sponge that came with us for many years to come.

Sharp edge and the summit of Blencathra stood out as the most memorable section of the trip.