Hodgo

In the first leg of the 22nd Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay, I scrambled up a waterfall, beside Dove Crag, listening to my heart beat faster at the steepest part of an exponentially increasingly steep mile and a half run from the campsite. Every now and then I looked up at Chris waiting for me, fresh as a daisy, and spurring me on up. Even so, the ascent was far from finished and in the next 3 miles there was probably only half a mile of runnable down hill. Finally topping out was rewarded with superb views across Lakeland with a clear blue sky. Chris and I dibbed the checkpoint at the top of Red Screes and looked down, eight and a half minutes later we were at the handover. The initial climb was infinitely long and dangerously steep. This was steeper and longer. We set off stepping with trepidation until we hit a scree gully where we managed to surf down the loose rocks at quite a pace, and then, on the progressively gentler grassy slopes, we nailed it to Kirk Stone.
A welcome gentle rain started as we watched Tommy and Pilky set off on Leg two. . .

Good report thread here. Results and splits here. Photos by Tommy's Dad, Colin, here.

PS The 4th Estate is a term used for The Press.