Great Gable: Dalmar Harmood Banner 1941. (Lakeland Arts Trust)
August 18th 1909: Wednesday:
I walked up to the camp and Botterill said he would come up the Napes with me. Mr. Lloyd and I
started up and reached the Dress Circle, where we lunched. In the Needle Gully
were three would be climbers and three friends. They tried the crack on the
West side but for one quarter of an hour had made no progress. Then Mr. Botterill,
Mr and Mrs Addyman and the former’s sister arrived. He led me up the Abbey
Ridge which first yielded to his powers in April last. Since then, it has been
climbed some fourteen times. The climb starts up somewhat broken but firm rock to
the left of Easy Chimney on the Eagle’s Nest. Then a large slab projecting
over the Arrowhead gully is reached. This affords a good take-off for the next
portion which is fairly hard and very sensational.
A broad grass ledge is reached which offers a resting place before
tackling the next pitch which consists of a magnificent rock face nearly
vertical for about 85ft. About 70ft up is an overhanging portion and this is
the crux of the climb. The first part is very sensational and rather difficult;
a short traverse is made to the left and then higher to the right again. The
holds beneath the overhang are small and scarce, a most important one being hidden
beneath the lower left-hand corner of the projecting rock. Thence, the route is
slightly to the right where a little shelf is reached and a pull up on it is
effected. A few feet higher another grassy platform terminates the difficult portion.
The next pitch is somewhat difficult but quite short. Above that, the easy
portion of the Eagle’s Nest climb is joined.
We then descended the Needle Arete, Mr Botterill giving me a
lesson in leading down. I found the rounded slabs below the West crack the hardest
part. The holds are small and few; it is best to keep on the Needle Gully side
of the slab, then the holds can be better appreciated. The final pitch is not
very difficult to descend. By this time, one of the three men had reached the
shoulder and the second was in the crack. Mr Botterill offered to lead them up
and we rapidly climbed the Arête. In climbing the last pitch, the ascent to the
Mantel-Shelf is best done from the extreme right hand side of the shoulder,
then on traversing the shelf to the left, the left knee can be easily placed on
the rounded knob of rock. A finger and thumb hold for the right hand being
found near the corner, on straightening up on the left knee the rounded hold
far right is reached and by standing on the shelf where the left knee is, the top
is reached and a pull-up effected. We brought up the three climbers and
descended the Western Crack of the Needle — the Wasdale Crack.
Mr. Botterill’s climbing is a marvel of neatness and skill,
nerve and muscle. He then led the two ladies up the Arrowhead Gully and I led the
two gentlemen. Reaching the grassy ridges between Hell Gates, we walked up the
left side of the Westmorland Crags to
the summit of the Gable. Then down steep grass slopes to the Head Tarn where
our party divided — Mr. Botterill, Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Williamson returning to
Wasdale and myself and the two others to Seathwaite, thence to the Albion
Hotel, Keswick.
Abraham Brothers glass plate image:Fell and Rock Club
April 3rd and 4th
1910, Sunday and Monday:
Cycled to Seathwaite and then walked up Grain’s Ghyll to
Great End which was in a thick mist. After refreshments, which included some
excellent coffee of Mrs. Abraham’s, we deposited the rucksacks under a large
boulder at the foot of the Central Gully and began the ascent. We heard the voices
of other climbers somewhere on the crags to the right of our gully but could not see
them as it was snowing fairly fast. Abraham led, rapidly kicking steps in the
hard snow. Some distance higher, the angle steepened and steps had to be cut as
there were two inches of fresh snow lying on ice. There were traces of a
previous party but their steps were almost obliterated. About half way up we
came to a large pitch in the shape of a vertical wall of ice on the left and a
cave roofed in by a large boulder on the right. I anchored myself in the cave while Abraham cut up the wall on the left.
About two thirds of the way up or
15Oft higher, the gully was divided by a narrow rib of rock. The left hand
branch ran up to the sky line some 80ft higher in a very steep slope. Abraham
was beneath the central rib of rock and I was some 6 yards behind and sheltered by the projecting
rocks on the right of the gully. At this point the mist thinned and the sun
came out faintly overhead. We were admiring the scenery which was magnificent
when our attention was attracted by a hissing noise in the left hand gully.A
few second later a large quantity of the surface snow shot past us and
disappeared with a faint roar over the vertical wall below. Before we had quite
recovered from our astonishment, a similar but larger avalanche swished down
the right hand branch, up which our route lay, and passing between us, (we held
up the rope to prevent a jerk) obliterated all traces of the steps which
Abraham had cut.
Never having been on a snow slope before, I was somewhat
alarmed although our positions were quite safe. The friendly rocks effectively
protected us from avalanches but their ascent was impracticable. After a
consultation during which two more avalanches passed between us -so close that
either of us could have touched them from where we stood -and disappeared over
the pitch below, leaving a track of smooth ice which looked very sinister, we
decided to descend the right side of the slope, under the shelter of rocks for
50ft and then to force a way up a break in the right wall. To effect this, it was
necessary for Abraham to traverse the exposed portion of the slope, to where I
was anchored. To shorten the time during which he would be on the dangerous
part, I cut three steps on my side of the slope and he did the same on his.
Then after the next avalanche he rapidly and very skilfully
traversed the slope and joined me. We descended to the break in the wall and
Abraham led up on to the face. The rocks were coated with ice and snow and in parts
very rotten but they seemed very welcome after the treacherous snow in the
gully. The rocks necessitated very great care and took us about 3 hours, but
John Abraham led splendidly.
It was very cold and snowing again when we reached the summit
cairn. We consulted my compass -unfortunately the map was left in the rucksack
and so was the lantern — and we struck off in an Easterly direction. We passed
two other cairns leading down towards a steep snow slope and cautiously
following it we came upon some footprints and farther on traces of a path,
which led us down on to a sort of col. The valley to the left was our objective
but the direct descent into it appeared steep and craggy in the dim light, so
we followed the path thinking it would shortly bend round to the left. However,
some long time passed before we came below the mist and there in front of us
lay a fine tarn, with our path winding up the fell side above it and to the
right.
Abraham said it must be Angle Tarn, and that we were on the Esk Hause
track to Langdale. It was very dark by this time, and we did not wish to get to
Langdale or to return to the summit of Great End, so we struck off down the
valley on our left by the side of a stream. It was stony, rough and very dark.
In parts it was boggy and very soft. For hours we trudged gaily along without
any signs of human habitation.
Once we came to a fine wall with a gate leading through and
we expected to come on a house, but in vain. We struggled along through streams
and over boulders, yet remarkably happy and contented withal. Eventually, J
.C.A. spotted a continuous wall on our left and thought there might be a path
on the other side. We scaled it and were delighted to find traces of one. It
varied absurdly from a perfectly level carriage road to a rough scramble over
boulders. Gates we encountered at intervals, but still no sign of habitation.
Eventually, on rounding a corner, we saw a distant light and
raised a cheer. In a few minutes we reached the cottage and on enquiring where we
were, heard that it was Stonethwaite and we had walked the length of the
Langstrath Valley. A farmer very kindly took us a short cut over the fields to
the main Borrowdale road, and an hour later we reached Seathwaite Farm again.
It was 10.00 p.m., we had been out 12 hours, had three sandwiches to eat and
done a strenuous climb.
When asked what we would like to eat, Abraham suggested ham
and eggs and these were promptly prepared and ravenously eaten. The coolness of
these proceedings did not strike us until later. We retired to bed but were too
tired to sleep soundly. However, we awoke refreshed and discussed the situation.
Whiting expected us Sunday evening and we feared that he would wire to Keswick,
and on finding that we had left, would send out a search party. Hence we
thought it our duty to reach Wasdale as soon as possible. Accordingly I left at
once and reached the hotel at 9.00 a.m., in time for breakfast.
Then I returned to Sty Head to meet J .C.A. and Westmorland
who had brought down our rucksacks from Great End. Expecting to do Kern Knotts,
I had left my axe behind. As Westmorland was keen on doing Cust’ s Gully, I
went back to Wasdale and the other two went on. They had a good day and found
that most of the new snow had come down.
Needle Gully glass plate image:Fell and Rock Club
George Sansom: 1909-10
