Today I find myself back in Lakeland after telling myself that maybe I should miss this weekend but I guess the lure got the better of me as my body clock woke me up around 6.00am this morning, after a quick check on the forecast I found that there was a weather window for the best part of the morning until the forecasted showers would arrive sometime after lunch, well I guess that was my green light to climb H.Griffins route of Harter Fell, a simple trot there and back from the top of Hard Knott Pass.

I guess I should be thankful that Harry chose to gain Harter Fell by the simplest of means had he thought about it earlier he would have Included it in one of two of the Scafell routes within the campaign, it seems I owe Harry a debt of gratitude for not doing so, as one could imagine, that would turn out to be a rather ambitious walk as Harry would put it.

Getting back to today's walk Harry knew that the stand alone two thousander of Harter Fell would have been difficult to include in any horseshoe or round which is why he chose to climb to the summit one late summer evening with his wife in back July 1977.

I arrive without incident at the top of Hard Knott Pass where thankfully I had the choice of a number of spaces to park the car, in the end I park on the Wrynose side tucked away in a two car space. The main thing that I had noticed was just how windy it was as I kitted up, so much so the wind almost took the car door out of my hand had I not grabbed it back first I'm almost sure as I would now be looking on an expensive repair bill. Despite the wind here on top of Hard Knott the temperature is mild but I opt for the hat anyway as I figure if it's like this here, what's it going to be like on the fell side.

No other traffic had passed me and I was able to kit up almost in the middle of the road as the ground where I had left my car was muddy and full of holes, a high grass bank provided space from where I could take gear from the boot before attaching to my pack which was handy if anything. Soon after I had locked the car I hear the struggle of an engine ascending as it reached the top of the pass the driver gives me a wave before parking up, I passed him minutes later buffeted by the wind, we exchange mornings before I make way along the Pass before taking a left turn almost directly onto fell side.

After leaving the top of Hard Knott Pass I follow the broad grassy path besides a wire fence, this fence stays with the path as you can see in the picture before continuing around the flank of the fell. Despite the brightness in this photo which didn't last long at all much of my path was very boggy indeed, it wasn't long before my boots were covered in water which continued until I started to climb further up the fell.

Sadly Harter Fell summit is covered by cloud, I did hope this would lift as I continued with the walk but all to no avail, however, watching the cloud streak across the fell side followed by dashes of sunshine more than made up for this.

My views hadn't changed much with exception of the ghostly detail of the craggy out-crops found on Harter Fell's summit, here the wind had picked back up again and was blowing at full gust which meant standing up and trying to take photos was very difficult indeed, I decide to drop down and take shelter behind a large cluster of boulders.

My shelter enabled me to take in my eerie surroundings listening to the wind buffet at the trig point just feet over my head which had an over whelming calming affect on me, at times the cloud would drift in totally obscuring views while at others the detail of nearby crags were outlined making summit time spent feel rather special, however I soon found myself cooling down as the wind somehow found its way under my jacket freezing the sweat on my back until I could stand no more, it was time to retreat back down.

The cloud carried along by the strong winds hurried across the tops of Hard Knott, Little Stand and Grey Friar making my view never the same, I guess it pays to pay attention to the slightest of changes when walking in conditions such as this which can add some drama to what would have been just an ordinary walk.

Down below I still had the squelchy wild grasses to contend with as I pick off a different route to try to elevate this, all to no avail, it seems the area below Deeming Crag is a natural sponge made worse from recent rains.

I retrace my route back to Hard Knott Pass which is starting to build with a little traffic now, the car parking spaces have now been filled as I spot walkers making their ascents on a cloud topped Hard Knott. A little further down the Pass opposite my parking spot half a dozen mountain bikes prepare for the adrenalin rush of descending Hard Knott Pass, we share a brief chat as I learn they are all from Yorkshire, nice chaps but with no fear as one by one they hurl themselves down the Pass.

I kit down back at the back of the car as a little sunshine greets me, my grassy ledge again comes in handy as I place my pack upon making sure my walking poles are tied in before I put it back in the boot, I reverse out of the boot as a pack of tuna salad sandwiches await to be eaten followed by a Yorkie Bar purchased from my loose change while filling up with fuel yesterday.

It's fair to say that I have spent more time travelling by car than I have boot on fell, but those few hours spent drained away my addiction and brought me just another step closer to completing my challenge, until next weekend that is.