Brocken Spectre

In article <[email hidden]>, Paul Brown

url=''URL:/url said:

I just thought I'd share my first experience of a Brocken Spectre, something

[snip]

I also saw some amazing views of Spectres and Glories whilst doing the Snowdon Horseshoe on
Saturday. Conditions, for the time of year, were perfect this weekend for some magnificant walking
and scrambling, North Wales. What makes it more satisfying was hearing how bad it was back here in
Cambridge!

Mike <URL:http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~mrc7/>
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark <\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing, "> ||
_`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and ` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"

Quoted message said:

I just thought I'd share my first experience of a Brocken Spectre,

something

Quoted message said:

I've been hoping to see for years...

One curious thing that may well have been a trick of the eye or confusion

in

Quoted message said:

the excitement (as it seemed to defy logic) was that when I moved left my Brocken Spectre seemed
to move right! Anyone else noticed this?

I've seen three Spectres. The first was by far the most spectacular and was on Grisedale Pike in
October 2000 (For an image go to the URL in the sig and follow the link to October 2000 - it's
the second picture in the series). The Spectre followed me up the fellside for about a hundred
yards. Amazing!

The second was on Middle Dodd a year later and although distant was quite distinct.

The third was from an aircraft window leaving Manchester last year.

Never known one to move in the opposite direction to myself though.....

--
Dave Newton

Lake District Walk&Photo web site
daves-lakeland-mountains.co.ukdaves-lakeland-mountains.co.ukOpen ↗

There's a good example from last weekend at lakelandcam.co.ukmain.htmlOpen ↗ Select Latest
Walks - "Sunday 23 November 2003 - Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike and Dollywaggon Pike"

"Paul Brown" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I just thought I'd share my first experience of a Brocken Spectre,

something

Quoted message said:

I've been hoping to see for years...

My fiancee, Joanne, and I had driven up to Sedbergh early on Friday afternoon with a view to
walking in upper Lunesdale or the Howgills. Parking up in the town centre for a loo stop, we
munched our way through some butties in the car as the heavens opened. Fortunately it was a
short-lived shower so we pressed on towards Howgill and left the car near the small church by
Chapel Beck.

We'd done The Calf once before from Sedbergh via Winder and Arant Haw, but as it had been a while
ago we felt like taking in the summit of the range once more. The sun broke through the clearing
clouds as we walked through fields and up the Bram Rigg ridge. A brief shower came and passed as
we gained height, and by the time we crested the domed summit at about

3.30pm,

Quoted message said:

the sun was directly behind us and almost disappearing behind a distant

bank

Quoted message said:

of grey cloud.

Faint wisps of cloud were brushing the fell tops and I excitedly said to Joanne "These are ideal
conitions for a Brocken Spectre!" The flat Bram Rigg Top proved rather undefinied and the thin
cloud was patchy. As we skirted the summit heading towards The Calf, our shadows began to lengthen
towards over the hidden Cautley Crag to the east.

We entered another pocket of hazy mist and there, up ahead, I could see a halo of colour forming
in the cloud - a glory! Moments later our shadows seemed to stretch for miles as our tiny figures
stood out on a layer of thicker cloud hundreds of yards away. There they were, our distant
miniature shadows - Brocken Spectres - surrounded by the glory. I pointed them out to Joanne and
moved to the left so our individual shadows were

more

Quoted message said:

defined - it was superb! It faded in and out with the patchy cloud for a couple of minutes and
then disappeared over Baugh Fell with the arrival of clearer air from the west.

One curious thing that may well have been a trick of the eye or confusion

in

Quoted message said:

the excitement (as it seemed to defy logic) was that when I moved left my Brocken Spectre seemed
to move right! Anyone else noticed this?

Paul
--
[melt the ice to reply]

Paul Brown said:

One curious thing that may well have been a trick of the eye or confusion in the excitement (as it
seemed to defy logic) was that when I moved left my Brocken Spectre seemed to move right! Anyone
else noticed this?

Your right or its right?

--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
["]http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

"Dave Newton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've seen three Spectres. The first was by far the most spectacular and was on Grisedale Pike in
October 2000 (For an image go to the URL in the sig and follow the link to October 2000 - it's the
second picture in the series). The Spectre followed me up the fellside for about a hundred yards.
Amazing!

I remember your picture, Dave, in fact I was thinking about it just before we spotted our Spectres
as I was afraid the "ridge" we were on wouldn't be defined enough (unlike the Grisedale Pike ridge)
to have our shadows extend to the cloud. Luckily, because we hadn't set off till 2pm, the sun was
very low and at just the right angle.

Quoted message said:

The third was from an aircraft window leaving Manchester last year.

I thought about this too on the way down from The Calf. Taking off or landing while passing
through cloud should generate ideal conditions almost every time, if only for a few seconds. Never
thought to look out for this before, though it wouldn't be as satisfying as seeing one for
yourself in the hills.

Quoted message said:

Never known one to move in the opposite direction to myself though.....

It was probably a trick of the eye - I saved the beer until later so I've no other excuse. ;-)

Paul
--
[melt the ice to reply]

It seems i experienced a broken spectre on Sgor na h-Ulaidh yesterday but didn't realise it at the
time. It only clicked when i looked at Dave's photo! Mine was very, very faint, check the photo @
dcs.gla.ac.uk~innesOpen ↗ (bottom photo). What a weekend - Sgor na h-Ulaidh was a treat!

"Chris Malcolm" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Paul Brown said:

One curious thing that may well have been a trick of the eye or confusion in the excitement (as
it seemed to defy logic) was that when I moved left my Brocken Spectre seemed to move right!
Anyone else noticed this?

Your right or its right?

LOL - it's right, my left. The more time passes since the event, the less inclined I am to trust my
fading memory...

Paul
--
[melt the ice to reply]

Sorry - link should be leaney.org20031123.htmlOpen ↗

"Bryan Hall" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:vQrwb.6446$4Y6.1755@newsfep4-
winn.server.ntli.net...

Quoted message said:

There's a good example from last weekend at lakelandcam.co.ukmain.htmlOpen ↗ Select Latest
Walks - "Sunday 23 November 2003 - Helvellyn, Nethermost

Pike

Quoted message said:

and Dollywaggon Pike"

Paul Brown said:

It was probably a trick of the eye

Either that, or there was someone else present - unseen! These are eerie places at times....

--
Paul My Lake District walking site (updated 29th September 2003): paulrooney.netfirms.compaulrooney.netfirms.comOpen ↗ 122
Wainwrights

Please sponsor me for the London Marathon at: justgiving.comlondon2004Open ↗