Overviews
Take It To The Bridge
Lindsey Kennedy and Jessica Spurrell
Apr
23
Great Wanney
Posted by lindsam in Lindsey
Back in Durham and desperate to escape. Far to early on a Sunday morning a group of us headed out to Great Wanney. Once people had been gotten out of bed, remembered their shoes and we decided which car to take. The weather was dry, but overcast and slightly chilly. The Sun came out later though. Fun was had.
Johnny decided to force himself up a green slimy slab where Chris followed and got beached like a whale. I just managed to get caked in green stuff.
Rushy still needed needed to be reminded to place gear occasionally, but still raced up a very large number of climbs.
I was then convinced that leading was good idea and I started up ‘Squeezy Bill’. The start was more an exercise in placing gear, and the second there was no need to place any at all. I was not going to get out of the crack/chimney in a hurry…
Johnny and Chris then started on some immense route…
Spurred on by the others I then tried to tackle ‘Raven’s Nest’…not such a success. I did however get to the top in a fashion and belayed Johnny up, where he gently coaxed the nut that Andy and Rushy had left earlier. Altogether a great day.
Photos: Lindsey, Rushy
Apr
14
Scotland 2008
Posted by lindsam in Lindsey
Liverpool University - BCU student safety course - Liverpool Friends - Warwick University
At last, kayaking again. Water was a distinct possibility, and there we were, driving off up to Scotland.
And true to form, there was the right amount of water, rivers were running, but I was ill 
I did however have a great time running the Orchy with LUCC before illness hit.
Then on a course - BCU Student Safety Course. It was an excellent course, but swimming in the snow is something I don’t want to repeat in the near future. I learnt a few things, and also decided that there weren’t as many holes in my knowledge as I thought, which is always nice.
Then it was Andy R’s 21st…..
Lessons Learnt: Don’t headbutt your hand with your helmet if you decide to drive a convertible mini off a 6.5m waterfall. (You break it…)
It was then onto join Warwick…
Due to the broken hand, I was forced to use hand paddles the day after the waterfall incident, but the sun was out, and Hayden, being as ass, decided not to wear much on the river.
P.s. Proof that you can use kayaks as a building material….
(…It had a roof and everything!)
Feb
23
Ben Nevis - Saturday 16th Feb
Posted by lindsam in Lindsey
Weekend 16th-17th March I managed to get a whole weekend away. No work, arm back in use and no driving I set off for Ben Nevis along with the Durham Mountaineering Club.
Saturday morning it was still dark when four of us limped out of the hostel and started the long walk in to the Corrie. Slowly as the sunlight started filtering through the clouds, the clouds thinned leaving us with stunning views of the North Face.
After picking out our planned gully (we now know this was Gully No 5) we started heading up onto the bottom of the snow-slopes. By this time, the first fingers of sunlight were beginning to streak over the col through the valley above us. Trudging up the scree we at last got to the snow and we could play with crampons.
We soon headed up over snow which had fallen in a past avalanche, but has re-frozen up onto hard frozen neve in the gulley itself. It was perfect weather and conditions. The gentle breezes floating down from the sun-lined cornice far above were pleasently cool. Soon we had all settled into the gentle plod of crampon stamping and swinging axes (Not that axe swinging was needed..it was just a fun novelty to some of us…).
There was also no need to head sideways up the gully just to get vertical…
Another 30 mins on a perfectly angled and clean slope, where the first axe-marks were from us, the cornice presented itself.
The climb was spectacular, but nothing matched the view from the summit. Snow blended seamlessly with the cotton-wool texture of the clouds below us. We could have been anywhere in the world with mountains…
Lunch was then consumed, and Linds kept herself amused.
Photos: Jos Style, Andy Bottrill, Lindsey Kennedy
Feb
23
Back on Track
Posted by lindsam in Lindsey
Well, I have an arm again now. It moves, works and I can even go kayaking again. Pity about the lack of rain.
Dec
16
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Posted by lindsam in Lindsey
Last week, Thursday 13th Dec, I was taken to see Rodrigo y Gabriela. Wow are they amazing.
A funky mix of Rock, Latin and audience participation definatly made an evening of standing with a sling worth it. The mix of rhythm and solo-ing genius made it a lively and varied evening.
If you get the chance, go and see them.
Nov
29
When the Dr says…
Posted by lindsam in Lindsey
So, you get to university going slightly crazy over the lack of climbing and kayaking, and then wind up getting your old tendinitis back …you get annoyed.
When you are just getting arm function back, your told not to kayak because you have a cold, and wind up getting an ear infection, and then wind up ill at home…you feel stupid.
When you then get told your arm is going to take a while longer to mend, and you wind up breaking your collar bone because you were doing things you shouldn’t have been with your arm… you really wish you had listened.
But no…
Nov
13
Edinburgh
Posted by lindsam in Lindsey
After a few weeks with more than average number of mis-haps, I decided to shoot up to Edinburgh and catch up on a few old friends.
My timetable decided to be nice enough to me to allow long weekend, so by 430 on Friday, I was saying hello to Will and meeting his crazy but really quite nice flatmates in their rather unorthodox flat in central Edinburgh. Being a mountaineering club flat, climbing really was central with a bouldering wall in the front room and many photos and books to be jealous about.
Not much time for mooching as I met with Rich and went to see ‘Guards Guards’ at Bedlem theatre. An excellent production in an excellent theatre I thought. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and had a great evening talking about the many wonders of the world with Rich and Ewan, Rich’s friend.
The next day was taken up with me largely breaking the nice shiny new bouldering wall, but successfully putting up a bouldering problem which took quite a large amount of work to complete.
Again, I went out in the evening to sample the delights of culture in the city, but this time with Mike, a crazy festival goer. After a superb catch-up of our lives over good food we drifted to a folk session in the Royal Oak. Songs and merriment continued to far into the night, and on return to the flat, the climbing began afresh.
“The most useless climbing move in the history of climbing moves” - Will
- on hanging by you feet upside down from a door-frame.
Sunday morning I wrapped up warm to go on a guided tour of the centre. A remembrance parade, castle, monument and a few cobbled streets later, a full recital of hurricanes, jets and europe adventures was inflicted on a cafe.
The afternoon was just as exciting with a walk and yet another catch-up.
Monday morning - train - lectures and back to normality.
The carefree and relaxation stayed with me though….bliss… Thank you Edinburgh.
Oct
29
Uni - The start
Posted by lindsam in Lindsey
Well, as someone suggested, I’m the most unlucky person alive.
Nah.
Ok, so I’ve had 2 lots of freshers flu, 1 major arm re-lapse (elbow tendonitis) and now have a rip-roaring ear infection and am sat in Sandbach under a duvet, but…
I didn’t get a cold last year at all, so probably over-due one.
Landed myself with a lovely IET scholarship
My flat mates are wonderful
and Europe was amazing and couldn’t have gone better, so who am I to complain!
Aug
13
Gormire 1
Posted by lindsam in Lindsey
As I arrived to a rather empty driveway, with no signs telling me where to go as promised, and the rain started, I had the worst feeling about camp. Spending 2 weeks in a field with a load of people I hadn’t met before in the pouring rain was probably a little more than I’d signed up for.
The packing nightmare had finally finished, and I’d had the promise of a ruc-sac from someone, which was a particularly essential piece of kit. (my mother had sent mine to the states with the little brother…)
Eventually I arrived at the site though, and it was worth it.
The sun shone most of the time after the 1st day, meaning that the Quad bike could go into full operation, though never go on the back when you can’t hold on and a nut-case is driving!
My group were also wonderful. Ok, so they were bit rebellious, undermining and frankly annoying at times, but then again, all teenagers are…
Hike - a 3 night venture away from the main site.
Hike was an adventure. I think I walked further on the 1st day asking around farmhouses than I did walking with my pack!
However, we camped next to Revaux abbey, tried to catch fish in a fish farm with a plastic bag (Tip of the day: Fish don’t like salt and vinegar crisps), treked through bilberry-filled woodland paths, made camp-fireworks, filched some potatoes, camped in a boulder-filled clearing in the woods, swam in leech infested lakes and generally a good time was had by all.
Back Home on site, the fun a games continued. Ratchet-Screwdriver became a camp obsession (If you don’t know the game, then find out, its hilarious!). The lodge (ie everyone there) had a nice walk to the lake, and then on to make body shaped on the hillside.
A worrying trend of ‘offs’ also took presidence, with people randomly racing to eat onions, lemons, peppers, tomatoes…wierd people. But that is FSC, a place where I am considered sane.
It was again the good old FSC experience…
Jul
24
Hippy Camp
Posted by lindsam in Lindsey
aka Forest School Camps.
Well, the time has come.
I’ve scrounged a rucsac off a friend after finding out my mother’s genius plan to lend mine to the little brother failed. The tent, poi, diablo, slack-line, harness, guitar and fire-stuff is in the car, and I’m off to try and win the battle between scaring and corrupting another set of children, and surviving myself.
For those who know the delights of FSC camps, I’m off to Gormire Woods and staffing for the 1st time on a standing camp. After opting for mobiles the last 3 years, this is really a little intimidating! I really hope my Trackers aren’t that horrible…