What a great day out on Friday and one that will live with me always. I set off from Penrith at 8am and the roads were fine until I started to drive out of Keswick. A sheet of ice greeted me then and just how I got down that hill in a straight line I'll never know. Steady away for the rest of the journey, through Grasmere, Ambleside and up then over the tiny ice track down into Langdale, finally reaching Blea Tarn car-park around 10 minutes late. 
There were 9 of us, all ages, both men and women from every background, but with one mission that day, to plant 300 Junipers on yonder hills.
Mike first introduced everyone, then went through a bit of health and safety, though luck would play more of a part that day.
We had heavy spades, pick axes and 2 tubs of Junipers to carry what seemed like, a very long way. Oh, did I mention our lunches and cameras! We were all dressed warmly, we would need to be, it was bitterly cold and the breeze was cutting. We set off for the tops, treading carefully up the frozen fell tracks as the wind increased and the occasional snow shower whizzed by. After about an hour, we reached our destination and the view was spectacular. I explained to everyone that I was there to record all this on film and felt a bit of a cheat because I wasn't going to get as dirty as everyone else. That proved wrong after I lost my footing a few times!
The areas for planting were very carefully selected by Mike and then followed a quick demo on 'how to plant a 3 year old Juniper'. Then they started, five or more hours of graft in appalling conditions, but all seemed to love every minute of it. First clearing a small patch in the grass with the spade, then making a hole with the pick axe if the spade failed. Then lovingly popping the little shrub in the ground, patting the soil in around it by hand and treading all around to firm in the soil.
Mike knew exactly what the plan was to give these small plants the best possible chance of survival. He pointed to existing Juniper stands on nearby fells and we all listened with interest to his great knowledge on the subject.
There were worms up there, are they mad?
Lunch break was welcome, half an hour to drink some coffee, have a few sarnies and a bit of chocolate, though I gave up on my Snickers bar, it was frozen solid. I admired the way they all just got stuck in with such enthusiasm, they loved being there, not for any other reason than wanting to improve the Juniper crop for the pleasure of future generations; people who would never know the toil of that day. I got about 300 stills and 2 hours of film, perhaps 50% ruined by ice crystals forming on the lens and the light wasn't brilliant, but some good stuff. The sound quality was impossible, I would have liked to do a few short interviews, but when you think that on several occasions we were just blown off our feet, we were just feeling lucky to stay safe.
I came down from the fells that day feeling just amazing. Amazed that I had got up there, done the job, and got down safely, but also amazed by the sheer resilience, dedication and determination of those 8 people. They might have had an easier day working in a Siberian open cast coal mine…hats off to them. You know I can't remember a single name, so please get in touch when you read this and I'll get some photos to you. Here's a few more for now…
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