The glass is always half full

The glass is always half full – October 2011

“The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.”- James Branch Cabell

The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.  ~George F. Will, TheLeveling Wind

When walking is it best to be optimistic or pessimistic?

An optimist, when faced with a problem, tends to find the up side to the situation and starts figuring out ways to solve that problem, or ways to turn it around. These facets are ideally suited to the walker.


A pessimist, however, immediately throws up their hands, and yells, “That’s it; it’s all over. I can’t handle this anymore.” Or they will distance themselves from the problem, pretending it doesn’t matter. This is denial, and it never works. Such facets are highly unsuitable for the walker.

Can pessimism be a positive force?

My feelings on the matter are that a walker has to approach each day optimistically, but plan pessimistically. I have mentioned before that you need to be positive; you need to be able to see positive outcomes if you are to overcome adversity, but at the same time you have to plan for the worst.

A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all - he's walking on them.  ~Leonard Louis Levinson

Optimistically planning for cloudless skies, I packed shorts and sun cream, and then pessimistically added my waterproofs. Philosophically speaking - I was ready for anything, apart from another early morning.

Whilst I understand that the function of an alarm clock is to get people out of bed, I despise its efficiency of purpose. Apart from announcing the start of another working day; an alarm clock that interrupts your sleep can damage your memories, your ability to learn, your mood and temper, your relationships with other people, your ability to focus and your overall intellectual performance!
It’s no wonder that one of my favourite moments at the start of each holidayis the ritualistic silencing of the alarm.However, this particular ritual was about to be abandoned.
It was the first night of our half termholiday and instead of silencing the alarm, I re set it to an even earlier and bleaker hour. Memoriesof our horrendous journey last October, encouraged adecision to head for the Lakes before even the first light of dawnhad arrived.
Bleary eyed, dazed and slightly confused, we somehow managed to pack and leave the house in a fairly efficient manner. Fortunately, the journey was without incident; the roads were clear and we made rapid progress. Arriving in the Lake District relaxed and in time for lunch, the trauma of the early morning was forgotten and we eagerly anticipated the holiday to come.

129. Hen Comb

Height 161 Feet
Sunday 23rd October 2011
Route: Kirkstile Inn – Mosedale Beck – Summit – descent via Little Dodd

Persistent morning rain led to a late start and a decision to tackle a short walk from Loweswater to Hen Comb.Wainwright states that Hen Comb is ‘Not an exciting walk, but pleasant enough on a sunny day for anybody who doesn’t want to get excited’. Well, the rain had stopped but it wasn’t sunny, and with such anunenthusiastic description we approached the walk with ‘few’ rather than ‘great’ expectations.
Hen Comb is a linear ridge, beginning in the fields of the Loweswater valley and climbing away southwards. We ascended via Mosedale Beck and soon faced our first obstacle of the day. With no bridge and no alternative, we had to take off boots and socks and ford the beck. The water was surprising cold; perhaps it was the shock that caused Will to drop his boots into the freezing depths.
Saving what little excitement was promised by Wainwright for the return trip; we followed a valley path to an old mine and then climbed through bracken to the summit. The summit; a small grassy dome, provided some excellent views, especially to the Buttermere valley.
Keeping Wainwrights recommendation in mind, we descended via Little Dodd, and we were suitably rewarded. The views were magnificent for just about the whole of the return trip.
Despite his one indisputable commendation of the fell, something tells me that Wainwright really didn’t like Hen Comb. In addition to his earlier comments about excitement; he states that the summit has ‘nothing of interest’ and that ‘It is the sort of fell sometimes climbed, but rarely twice’.
Reflecting over a pint at the Kirkstile Inn, we decided that this was a walk we would happily complete again.
Perhaps our initial pessimism had led to a pleasant surprise.