Kinder Scout Again

Karen was helping Keith and Pete at the dig in Water Icicle Close Cavern and I planned on a return visit to Kinder Scout.
The weather had turn colder in recent days and sleet or light snow was forecast with mist at higher levels. I was hoping then the peat bogs on Kinder would be frozen, as that is when it is best, but it proved not to be.

There was light amounts of snow laying in the fields as I got near to Buxton with a bit more in once past Sparrowpit. I continued through Mam Nick and parked in Barber Booth and headed up the road towards Upper Booth. I followed the route of the Pennine Way towards Edale village then turned towards the path leading up to the Kinder Scout Plateau via Grindlsow Knoll.
Near the top I arrived in the mist as I reached the cloud level and shortly afterwards found a couple out walking who since thay had no map or anything else didn't know where they were or where they were heading and had decided to head back down the way they had come, back towards Edale. When they heard me coming they asked where the path led and if they could get back to Edale another way. So I got them to follow me onwards the short distance to the top of the nearby Gindsbrook Valley, which we could have seen if it wasn't for the mist!

Once I had seen them off on their way back down via Grindsbrook Clough, I followed the edge path towards the top of Crowden Clough and then headed across the plateau following the course of Crowden Brook for a while. I disturbed two mountain hares, still in their summer colours, and also a few grouse who took off with their “Go Back!, Go Back, Go Back!” call.
I was in the mist with a couple of inches of snow all around, so to avoid walking in circles while avoiding the odd grough in the peat, I set the compass in a generally North-West direction which I knew would lead me to the edge path on the other side of the plateau in the vicinity of Red Brook.
After what seemed like a relatively short time, all the while keeping an eye on the compass, I arrived at the path as expected.
Turning South, I followed the path until in the region of Kinder Low, the path became indistinct and with the mist, it wasn't obvious which direction to continue to reach my intended goal of Edale Rocks. I saw the footprints of three or four others and followed them for a few hundred metres and passed near to a fenced off area I recognised from previous walks. The footprints continued but didn't seem to be going in the direction I expected. Of course I should have been keeping an idea on my progress on my map but hadn't been. So, to save time I got out the Etrex GPS and checked the distance and direction to Edale Rocks which I have stored on a previous occasion along with other various landmarks on the plateau. I was still about 730 metres away and not heading in the right direction, as I suspected, So I set the compass on a bearing of 226 degrees as indicated by the GPS and followed that and soon the Rocks loomed out of the mist in front of me.

I stopped for a lunch break at the Rocks and then followed the path down to the descent route: Jacob's Ladder.
On the way there was a clearing in the low cloud and views in the distance, and I stopped to take some photos. After this I continued on my way back to Jacob's Ladder and followed that path back down towards Upper Booth with the mist gradually clearing all the time. Back at the car I got my boots off and headed for home.
Near Youlgreave I got a text on my mobile phone and after stopping to check what it was, I found it was Karen who was letting me know she had resurfaced form Water Icicle and we arranged to meet at the Old Smithy Cafe in Monyash.
I was wearing my Paramo Cascada trousers, TrekMates merino wool shirt, Paramo Fuera Windshirt while walking up Grindslow Knoll and my Paramo Velez the rest of the time. Plus my Polar Buff as a hat. All perfect for the prevailing conditions.