What do I not love about fell walking....?

slightly disappointing weather

In the interests of fairness, there has to be a balance, doesn't there? Fell walking isn't all rosy all the time and after my last post, I though it only fair to say what I'm not so keen on in the hills.

Waterproof Jackets. I just can't feel or get comfortable in a waterproof. I know they're practical, essential and sensible (and I've been very glad of mine at times), and I do wear one if I have to, but I have actually bought a hooded softshell as an alternative to see if it's better (it is, marginally but not in torrential rain). I can't bear the restriction, the sweaty wrists, feeling too hot (a bugbear in all manner of clothing and conditions actually), not being able to see or hear properly with the hood up or the irritating rustling.

Carrying a rucksack. I do, I hasten to add, but I really wish I didn't have to carry anything at all. I don't like the deeply unattractive sweaty back situation in hot weather or the additional weight of a couple of litres of water, or the bulk of it in winter with all the extras needed to anticipate any weather changes.

Rain. I know, it's a boring one, but I can cope with snow, cold, fog/mist (we actually quite like walking in fog and mist), wind, hot sun, dull and cloudy or even gentle rain, but torrential rain is just so miserable. We once did High Spy from Rosthwaite up towards Rigghead Quarries which was just about as awful as it could be - we were soaked through to our skin and my boots actually sloshed as I walked. It makes everything lethally slippery too.

Dehydration. I've had this three times (so far) and none was pleasant. In the early days of climbing the Wainwright’s on summit number five, we'd climbed Heron Pike without intending to go that far, so I ran out of water, having given half of the small bottle I had to the dog. It wasn't particularly warm and I didn't feel thirsty (I have since learned that these things are no indicators), and sitting in the pub at the end of the walk, I began to see what looked like a tiny cog wheel bouncing from left to right and back again in my right eye. I began to feel a bit odd and really cold. I had a small cola for the sugar, but we went straight back to our cottage where I had three pints of water, a pint of Ribena, a hot bath, a two hour sleep and felt better. The second time was at home, pushing myself to go too fast and too far on a bike ride. That time two pints of water, a hot bath and a chicken roast did the trick. Not pleasant. Well, the chicken was. The third time was after a busy day at work and I hadn't had a drink all day which was just plain stupid....

False Summits. Don't even go there. Or there. Or there. Or even there.

Thank heavens the monstrosity on my back has gone...

Not false summits, just lots of summits..