Issue #101 A Solstice Wild Camp
And a sunrise hike on Crinkle Crags
Hello there. Happy midsummer to you. After a couple of very word heavy and picture lean posts, this one aims to tip the balance back towards the visual. There will be some words too, but let’s see…
Here in the northern hemisphere it’s officially summer time, the longest day and shortest night occurring last weekend. The summer solstice. It’s funny how summer begins just as we tip away from the light isn’t it? Although we know there is potential for many weeks of sun and warmth to come, the solstice really marks the beginning of the end; a slow descent towards autumn and the darker months ahead. But, let’s not dwell on that, there is much to be done and adventures to have…
In a rare alignment of solar system and terrestrial weather, a warm sunny solstice evening was on the cards; the perfect opportunity for an overnight trip into the mountains. The plan was simple: start hiking in the evening and set up camp before sunset, and get up at sunrise and hike to the summit, back home for a late breakfast before the predicted thunderstorms hit.
Not far from the car, a few raindrops fell from thin grey clouds - was the stormy weather arriving early?
We’d put too much effort into packing to abandon, so we carry on hiking for an hour or so towards a spot we had in mind for camping and cooking dinner. It was a relief to get to the beck, dipping our toes and bodies in the cool water. Knowing we had no intention of walking further that day, we settled in to the moment, lazing by the water’s edge, Benji drawing in his sketchbook, me and Emma slowly getting things ready for the night. The clouds shifted to the north and in a brief moment befitting of the occasion, the slowly setting sun revealed itself before dipping behind the mountains.
Setting up camp for the night is always exciting, but even more so when you have a new tent to try out. Tents have always been a sticking point for the three of us when multi-day hiking; we need a three-person tent but it needs to be light enough for us carry alongside all the other bits of kit we need. At the moment Benji still only carries a small pack with his own waterproofs, snacks and water meaning we have to carry food and sleeping kit for three between the two of us which can lead to heavy packs, especially in the shoulder seasons. We were kindly sent a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL XL to try out and I think it’s going to be a game changer. It weighs only 1.7kg and packs down well, which is amazing considering how spacious it was for the three of us. With the doors wide open all night, it was light and airy inside and we welcomed the mountain breeze that picked up in the night, cooling our bodies as it passed through the pale lichen green mesh.
As always, we hiked well away from paths or infrastructure to wild camp and followed the unwritten rules that bid us to set up late, move on early, no fires and most importantly, leave no trace that we were ever there.
When the alarm went off at 4am, a faint pink glow silhouetted the surrounding peaks. Sunrise on the longest day comes early. We were keen to get moving, aiming to get up as high as possible before it got too warm. We’d made camp at 400m so there was only about the same to go again to get to the summit ridge. Hiking in the pale blue light of early morning, our trail lay in cool shadow, yet the very tops of the surrounding peaks were soon painted gold on their eastern faces. Nearing the summit ridge the sun came into view for the first time, hot and glaring despite the newness of the day.
The summit ridge of crinkle crags consists of 5 ‘crinkles’ or folds in the rock, each one a mini mountain. Although the highest point is only 859m, there is a lot of combined ascent and descent in following the undulating ridge along its length. In the hot, thick air the going was tough as we climbed and descended each rocky crinkle, but the rugged geology and steep gullies on either side kept us enthralled and engaged.
Finally, clearing the last crinkle, the way ahead and down into the valley came into view. It looked like easy going from a distance, but it was actually fairly punishing; a steep slope of tussocky grass that sank beneath our feet, pocked with holes and hidden rocks that seemed to want to twist ankles and cause stumbles. By now the sun was at full strength, our skin prickling under the heat and we were hungry and thirsty; we had picked this decent because of its proximity to a beck, but it was fenced off and we couldn’t access the cool water which rushed over the rocks just out of reach. I don’t think any of us enjoyed this part of the hike that much, least of all Benji for whom gravity seemed to act upon with greater force than me or Emma as he stumbled and tripped his way down the slope.
If you have walked for many hours in the heat of summer, you will know the joy of dipping tired hot feet into a cold rushing beck at the end of a hike - it was this thought that kept us going as we trudged the last section of the route down into the valley. At last boots were unlaced and feet plunged into icy water and all weariness of the last part of our hike vanished.
Sitting a while with water running over our feet we each pondered our favourite moments from this mini adventure - without doubt falling asleep in our tent by the water’s edge was the highlight for all of us and we can’t wait for more moments like this as summer marches on…
Well, that’s all for this week. How did you spend the summer solstice? We hope you managed to get out and make the most of the longest day and that summer has plenty of adventures in store…
With warmest wishes as always,
Andrew, Emma and Benji
x
If you’d like to help us to keep The Digest going there are several ways you can do so:
Like, comment or share this post with anyone you know who loves Nature and the outdoors.
Check out our website and store: https://www.miscellaneousadventures.co.uk
Buy us a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/misc_adventures
Upgrade to a paid subscription here: https://miscellaneousadventures.substack.com/subscribe
Thank you so much for your support!
You weren’t kidding about the photos! These are excellent and you use them perfectly to tell the story with images!!!
Camping around the summer solstice is an amazing experience. I once spent the days before midsummer entirely alone in a valley on Dartmoor, and it was beautiful.