OMG!

If ever there was a day you should be proud of us, this was it.  We both woke up grumpy and disheartened. Not good when we both feel that way at the same time.  Tara's knees hurt and I was just tuckered out.  BUT WE DID IT!  We were tempted to take our hostess Beverly's dog Bella with us, but she wasn't willing to let her go with us today. Apparently she's taken off with other walkers recently and disappeared for 10 miles at a time.  I think I spent too much time with the grouse last night because for the first 20-30 minutes I was grousing! It was warm, humid and foggy and I had eaten too much breakfast.

Beverly and Bella, the Tibetan Terrier

Park House, the walkers B&B

We left the Park House at 8:50 am.  The irony is that the first half today turned out to be my very favorite so far!  It started out up, up, uphill through woodsy pines and fern dells, and THEN we arrived at a huge British Tele Comm center, rounded a corner and lo and behold, the Scarth Wood Moors opened up before us:

This photo does not even begin to give you the essence of the moors.  Vast rolling hills, covered with heather and mist.  Just about took my breath away.

Wonderful stone steps across the moors

Then down into the woods again:

Then down into a lovely valley, over rivers and bridges, looking at waterfalls and rivulets:

Then up, up, up again into the high moors:

The beginning of the private property high moor

and that's how the day went - up and down, up and down, very steep up, even steeper down.  Most of the time on the high moors we were only several feet from the cliff, dropping hundreds of feet down to certain death.  I was amazed that I didn't feel afraid.  Ordinarily I would have begun to panic, but I think the solid stones under my feet and the beautiful heather between me and the edge gave me a sense of safety (this is also ironic as you'll see if you keep reading).  I'm so sorry the mist was so thick because the views were outrageously beautiful.  Also the photos cannot begin to convey the steepness of the ascents or the descents.  The descents are long and much worse than the uphill in that they are very steep and all slippery rock.  Thank God the knees held up! 

I regret only two things; 1. that I didn't take more time for this walk.  I could have spent a week on these moors today and my heart ached to have the talent to paint them, and 2. that I got a new phone just before leaving.  I've had a nightmare of a time with the camera and syncing to the Chromebook.

I have only 12 minutes left and the rest of the day's photos won't sync, so I just want to say it was a real mix today, extremely difficult 8 hours! and extreme beauty.  Pheasants, remarkable stones, vast vistas, lots more grouse, and QUIET.

I will mention one more event even though I have no photos.  We reached what are known as the Wainstones, massive black rocks jutting out of the hillside, but we missed the proper path and ended up scrambling around the cliff side of the mountain.  With a massive drop off to the side and with only small, muddy footholds we began to climb . . .  and then my acrophobia set in.  I began to panic.  My mind began saying things like, "Maybe your fear of heights is a premonition rather than a memory."  I really had to take swift control of that and focus IN THE PRESENT MOMENT.  Truly if it weren't for my poles and years of meditaion, I'd be hanging by my nails there still, waiting for the Mountain Rescue team and their helicopter.

What a day.  Off to a tub and sleep.  Tune in tomorrow for photos of the second 4 hours.  Much love, Mary