It started when I admired her jumper. She had brought in Inverness and told me how much she liked scrambling( She was keen on the Lakes as well). I talked about the Cambridge University climbing hut at Buttermere and meeting AJP Taylor in the Trout in Buttermere one day in the 70s. I also mentioned the Roaches - a local climbing spot. I had done some rock climbing in my youth although I was not very good at it. My friend Greg was a far more accomplished climber than I. I had done a few climbs and she mentioned Valkerie which is a hard climb. I said the most annoying part was hearing the comments of people below when your climbing technique was not up to scratch especially if you used your knees. "That's a pint you owe me" someone said.
Doug was mentioned better known as "Doug Lord of the Roaches a local worthy who was engaged in a running battle with local climbers. He was also known as "Eugene" because of a tendency of wanting to hit rope with an axe. Climbers retaliated by climbing on the route of his cottage and pissing down his chimney. Other climbers came into the conversation such as Don Whilans and the exchange with a German climber when the International climb on Everest took place in 1970. The climbers listened to the result coming in from Leon in Mexico. England 2 West Germany 3 and the response "Ah Englishman we have beaten you at your national sport. "That's nothing mate we beat you twice at your national sport" , Whilans responded " Once in 1918 and again 1945", The expedition broke up shortly after that.
That led her talk about her husband who took part in a climb on Mount McKinley which nearly ended in tragedy after bad weather closed in and they were trapped for several days. It was close but no one died. Anyway a very interesting encounter
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