Great Langdale > Rosthwaite

11 deceivingly difficult miles today. It started by connecting pastures and hopping gates and then opened into a beautiful valley with incredible views of Rossett and Sickle pikes. I followed a stream straight through for several easy miles and then it was stair master time!

Climbing through stake pass I was reminded how flat central Ohio is! It took me about an hour and a half to climb the rocky switchbacks. This was the most remote I’ve been on this trail and I was glad to see groups of south bound hikers every hour or so. At the top I walked through Langdale Comb weaving between hills the size of houses covered with short grass, sprinkle with a random sheep every 10 minutes and it was somewhat surreal. The ground was rocky and marshy and again very slow going.

After a mile on top the trail started to wind down back into a valley running parallel to a stream with falls and pools. The switchbacks were much faster downhill, with a much easier trail of crushed stone. The view was world class and I took several breaks to enjoy the view. The last couple miles were an easily navigated path running along stone walled pastures. There was no place to stop for lunch without adding miles so I hiked strait through. I underestimated h2o and ran my camelback out a few miles before town. No problem though, water filtering down from the mountains is everywhere and I have a filter packed just in case. The hotel is nice and my room appears to be right on top of the router, best wifi of the trip. Took a long shower, sink laundry, and skyped with Mona to check in. Watched Guardians of the Galaxy on my iPhone and took a nap waiting for the pub to open for dinner. The beer was fantastic, fish and chip so-so. Overcast skies are a little deceiving. I have to get more disciplined with my sun screen regiment. The back of my legs are crispy. Knees in good shape, but my feet are mush after climbing over boulders most of the day. Looks like a long but relatively flat walk into Keswick tomorrow, then a day off!