The good and the ugly.

I sadly attended the funeral last week of Allan Alcock, a good friend from the Mountain Rescue team.  He had been an active member of the team since 1968.  Allan was one of the mainstays who was constantly sorting out the kit and the vehicles.  He always had a friendly word and is going to be much missed.

In last week’s post I mentioned wild camping on the high fells and how it can be a fantastic experience when it is done well.  A good wild camp will leave behind no damage, no debris and no lasting sign that it ever happened.  It is something that we encourage.  Unfortunately that is not always what happens.

Last weekend we had a joint working party with the National Park rangers and volunteers and one of the things we did was clear up the site shown in the pictures.  Clearly a large group had decided to party in one of the woods in Borrowdale.  They had cut down some small trees to have a fire.  They left behind all their rubbish including bottles and had even smashed some of them.  Why do that?

Thankfully the National Park rangers and volunteers joined me in clearing it all away to return the site to a safe and clean condition for others to enjoy.  It puzzles me that people would make the effort to seek out a beautiful place and then spoil it.  It is very easy to go and enjoy a beautiful part of the countryside without wrecking it.

Hi, it’s Daisy here.

I’ve been for a job interview.  I’m going to be a search dog.  Well, I’ve got a lot of work to do first.  There’s lots of training to do and there’s exams you have to pass but I reckon I’ll be great.