Trail meets..... in the beginning

July 2007, Edale, the place where a lot of this really kicked off for me. I'd started to read "Trail" magazine, and joined their forum. We had some good times on there in the old days, and I decided one evening, "look, we all talk to each other, why not get together for a walk?" Which in hillwalkers parlez of course meant ""piss up"

So, I put a post on the forum, and before we knew it, 15 of us had arranged to meet at Edale for a walk around Kinder. I met a local, Derek aka Robbo, and travelled with him from Wrexham.

 Meeting folk for the first time can be an experience, doing it in a Tesco car park with a weekends camping kit, doubly so! I had hardly any gear of my own, so I begged, borrowed and stole, and kitted myself out for a weekend of camping, walking and hangovers! 

In Edale, after tents went up, it wasnt long before everyone was arriving and we were shaking  hands with new people...... amazing, I felt like I'd known them for years. Terry and Eion turned up after an epic journey on the train, suitably pissed up already, and Terrys now famous video camera was out doing the business. We had some real laughs that night, Terry and Eion really were the stars of the show, how they ever got tents up and got into them to sleep I'll never know!

Mike, aka hiker9, had sorted us a route around Kinder, and it proved to be a fantastic day, The weather played ball, and it was dry all day, even blue skies! Still, it was hard work to start with, hangovers are not funny! Beer seemed like a great idea the night before, now, on the early climbs, my body was fighting for energy nd found only alcohol, and I was pissed all over again! Still, onwards and upwards, Claire Maxtead from Trail had turned up and we had to make an impression!

Onto Kinder, through the bog that was the summit, and then onwards for a much needed lunch break. Dave, aka cheers2u illustrating perfectly what a good night we'd had. We had already stopped for ice cream in Castleton, and now lunch was a much needed boost. I felt a lot better with food inside me, and off we set on the final leg, some of us electing to head down Jacobs ladder, the others taking the more sedate and scenic route. And of course, no decent walk is complete without a beer in the pub at then end, so we duly obliged!



Again to the pub on Saturday night, and another hangover to contend with on the journey home, but, I left with many fond memories, and many new found friends. The Trail forum got messed around with and turned into LFTO, and, in my opinion, has never been the same since, but, through it all, I still speak to, and walk with, most of those "founder 15". This post is a small tribute to all of them, you all know who you are guys!

I should of course mention the many others I met on meets after that first one, and people I have spoken to but have yet to meet - good folk one and all, and it has been a privilege to share my hill time with all of them.