By mid afternoon yesterday I was all set to walk the III Bell ridge from Jesus Church, Troutbeck but given that we were still suffering the tail end of Storm Awren I thought it best I come up with a plan B. The mountain forecast was released around tea time which predicted a bright morning with the odd snow shower thickening by the afternoon. It looked like I was going to have to rely on my plan B after all.

Plan B was to revisit Black Sails but what do you mean revisit? Well, after Dad's passing I thought I'd clear my head by walking Black Sails but after receiving a phone call from the undertaker at Levers Water, well I couldn't think of anything else other than wanting to return home, was it too soon after Dads death, possibly, but I knew I'd have completed the walk had I not taken that phone call.

I needed to draw a line under the Black Sails and Wetherlam walk hence why I chose it to be todays second choice whereafter a gorgeous sunrise I thought I was in for one of those special kind of days but for the second time in a row I wouldn't be summiting Black Sails or Wetherlam today, that isn't to say that I didn't make do with what was presented before me.

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Storm Awren has wreaked havoc across Cumbria passing two fallen trees on the A591 one of which had been coned of but was yet to be dealt with and two more just outside Coniston which had taken down a stone wall too.

The Environmental Agencies had attended both scenes making the road passable but it was easy to tell they're going to have their work cut out over the next few weeks. I parked easily and instantly noticed it wasn't as cold as it had been forecasted with the mercury still above zero but with that said I was taking no chances and kit up for a cold day on the hill.

The snow continued to fall which really wasn't problem at all and neither was the threatening visibility, the issue I was having was traction, or total lack of it. It's been a very wet week in Lakeland and during the last two days the temperatures had plummeted causing the water logged paths to freeze.

In came Storm Arwen which left a dusting of snow over said ice which was causing conditions to become treacherous underfoot. The gentle decline you see here was frozen underneath and it took me a few minutes to descend, it was the same for the ascent out of Hole Rake, short steps while trying not to out perform Torvil and Dean.

Trying to ascend out of Hole Rake was like watching a hamster run around on a wheel, I just wasn't getting anywhere and soon I was beginning to lose patience while thinking "if it's like this here" well you know the rest...

I now why the young girl had called it and not even a pair of walking poles would have helped with todays challenge. Had I been caught of guard, possibly but I certainly wasn't going to worry over it, I too call it above Hole Rake while thinking flipping eck I've gotta do all that skating again.

I spent a few more minutes taking in the silence before deciding it was time to head down and more importantly what was my plan of attack for my descent, slow and easy. I made my way down trying to use any exposed stone as leverage which worked to some extent but the unseen ice and pain in my groin was a constant reminder of previous splits.

Further down the snow compacted and I was able to use wider steps before finding myself directly below Kennel Crag (Lower path) The Old Man remained below cloud for the duration as traction took hold the lower I decsended and soon I was accompanied by the sound of Leverswater Beck cascading down into the valley. A deserted YHA Coppermines was passed where I looked back into the mono of the Red Dell valley. Two weeks ago from the same spot golden Autumn leaves still hung from the trees with a blue cloudless sky beyond.

The last time I abandoned a walk was December 2011 Today and for whatever reason, for whatever power urged me too was the second time in my fell walking career, sometimes just as the young girl had, you've gotta go with that gut feeling.