So anyway, I started planning my event months and months ago although I initially decided to do this before Christmas. Then all the planning really kicked off. Why did I do this? I'm always up for a challenge and without boasting I'm pretty physically fit too. I love the outdoors and when the idea of the 3 Peaks came into my head after climbing Ben Nevis and Snowdon last year it all seemed to fit into place as I found the walks easy and the feeling of the summit great. My fitness could only improve as time passed while I started doing big walks and hill running (another hobby) and I began to get really excited for the challenge. It got better and better, as I was soon corporately sponsored by my mum's employers, FocusSB, based in Sussex and Peckforton Castle, in Cheshire (which is largely due to my stepdad working for them). I soon had my full set of gear, a full schedule made, lots of sponsorship money coming in, and my fundraising pages and blogs set up. After this it was just a matter of training and waiting for the big day. But this only came with stresses of sponsorship, organisation, heated debates with my family about my logistics and they certainly felt my stresses when things weren't going to plan with ordering things or when I was getting confused/unsure about how to do things. Before I knew it I spent a whole day packing my gear for the event and loading up the minibus...
So with a not-so-early night sleep on Monday the 4th, and fully packed, a huge plate of Spaghetti Bolognese was needed for the carbs boost that evening. Then on the Tuesday morning, I was up at 7.15 and was double checking all the gear and putting in all the food in the coolbox. At about 9.30am, we 'hi-fived' and jumped into the minibus, slammed the doors, put the postcode in sat nav and then off we went (after getting a few pictures of the team). Foo Fighter's- 'Everlong' accompanied us for the first 10 minutes of the 6.5 hour drive to Fort William. We obviously made stops, about 4 or 5, at various services. Not much happened in the journey apart from raiding the coolbox, enjoying the Foo Fighter's new album on full and thinking ahead to the event as well having a laugh, including putting on the accents of the different areas we drove through. We were both chilled out and I felt surreal that the day was finally going ahead. I rested my legs and looked forward to getting there. I felt strong but the pressure was felt.
We finally got to the destination at about 4.30 but we had a problem. This is not where I set off last time. I was hoping to set off from the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel, which is where I thought I had set off last time.. (although I later found this to be the Ben Nevis Inn at Achintee). So we were at the wrong place. A quick drive down to the Visitors centre (which also joins up to the Achintee path and we realised the Youth Hostel had another path which joined up to the main tourist path and actually chopped off a good half a mile or so (but steeply!). So we got back there, and now in a rush to set off at my 5.30pm time I ran to the toilets to put the vaseline on (a lifesaver!) and got fully kitted out. The footbridge over the road was the start of my path. Got over there, took a little video and then * hi fived * and set off across the bridge with a big wave... maybe never to be seen again :P
I set off up this path really quickly.. it was steep. Got the camera out on several occasions to get pics. Joined the tourist track real quick and climbed about 300-400feet in 10 minutes. The view was scenic and the weather looked good. The path felt familiar and I was at the valley looking across to the stream quicker than anticipated. Kept going until I reached Halfway Lochan (which is nearly halfway at about 2200 feet). Not many people on the path, passed a lot on my way up but there weren't many coming up with me! A lot of these never passed me on my way down, so must have given up at the sight of the cloud which I saw coming across. Feeling strong and good, I had some of my snacks (sausage rolls, muesli bars and biscuits). It all seemed to be going well. At this time Chris would be sleeping in the minibus (although I later found out he'd hardly slept and instead gone to the local restaurant for a salad). I didn't quite manage my 4mph training page but I reached 3mph sometimes...
So I plodded onto the summit. The rain hit me as soon as I got onto the zig-zags at about 3000ft.. it got heavier. I started getting out my GoPro head camera to take little videos to show my progress and the weather.. all my videos ended with 'see you soon...hopefully!' :P
The zigzags were nice and easy then at about 3500ft I saw the sky getting greyer and wispy cloud tickling the top of the rise above me 'SH*T! I said (although I was expecting it from the forecast). Soldiered on. Got windier and on came the anorak. Thought I was all alone now until 2 blokes passed and told me I was an hour away from the top, which was 'fookin' cold' apparantely.. Can't argue there because it really did get chilly as I got higher. Getting anxious, I followed the zig-zags until my view dissipated into nearly nothing and the views across to Loch Linnhe faded. The slope eased now and I followed cairns for a while and felt disorientated. The fog got thicker and so did the rain. It was relatively flat now but needed to watch what I was doing.. Not sure what direction I followed although I remember coming across something which struck my eye. My GPS said I was at 4000ft. There was a patch of snow to my right and nothing ahead. I could see this snow had a slope up it. The fog gave me just 10 metres visibility. The phone signal had gone. So I decided that I was on my own now and I didn't know where I was, still, I decided the only way was up and followed footprints up the small patch of snow which soon cleared and I was pack on a well cairned path again. Then more snow appeared, this time, on the cornices at the edge of the sheer cliff drops. I could just see grey below them, but it sobered me up, I couldn't see anything but I knew the cliff drops dropped down to 3000ft. Thankfully the paths kept me away. And at this point down the slope came two people which was a relief! 'I thought I was the only one up here!' I shouted. 'No there's lots of people up there!' they shouted back over the wind which gusted at 45mph. As I followed the cairns, marking my GPS locations as I moved just in case, a few more groups emerged from the fog and passed me. I passed a group of 3, and then as the war memorial building arrived I was there! Reached the top in 1 hours 59 mins. Texted a few people but there was no signal to call. It was wet as hell and it really was cold, on came the gloves as my hands started to become numb- not good if you need to operate a compass or GPS. The people behind me soon followed and they congratulated me when I told them and got pics of me with my banner (which nearly blew away!) in front of the trig point and the summit shelter which I initially couldn't find. Took some summit videos but you couldn't see much. I was soon off and luckily had no problems getting down. When it came to the snow patch i decided to slide down on my backside thanks to my waterproof trousers, to the amusement of the man and daughter at the bottom. Carried on nice and quickly, even running at times, which was easy enough on my ankles. By now the head camera's batteries had died so no more videos of the Ben. My descent took slightly longer and I made it down in a total of 3 hours 52 mins- thats more than 1 hrs 30 faster than scheduled! I was down by about 9.20pm.. no headtorches needed. My stepdad had gotten no sleep and I was down so quick my pot noodle and hot chocolate wasn't ready when I got down. I was dead chuffed and still felt very energetic (god bless isotonic energy drinks!). Quote from Chris- 'bloody hell Superman, did you run down it?' Set off from the Youth Hostel at about 10pm.
Got my bag repacked during the journey, we encountered a couple of deer driving down the Scottish roads (one of which, a huge stag, nearly hit us!) and when I'd posted my blog update I had some pasta and got 'in bed' at 11pm. I remember drifting in and out of sleep and at one point waking up at a lay-by where a piss-stop was much needed. The rain absolutely hammered us but I slept through most of it. Chris did a great job as this drive to Wasdale took 6 hours, not much fun on your own in the dark with rain! Coffee in a flask certainly helped.
It wasn't long before we arrived at Wasdale Head, (well, I did manage to sleep some of it but felt no better). The drive down the country lanes was quite pleasant and I got my bags ready to go with the muesli bars and my isotonic energy drinks downed. The drive along Wastwater was also very pleasant at that time of the morning with the low cloud and dawn atmosphere. We encountered a fox, and also learnt that sheep sleep on the road because it's warmer! We literally had to nudge one out of the way! Then we had a bit of a kerfuffle trying to find the start point. I was following a route suggested by a book which started at Brackenclose at the entrance lane to the campsite. But that's all I knew. So we got there ahead of schedule at 3.45am but with much walking around it took us 30 mins to find the sign at the end of the country lane to the start of the path. Not good. Chris dumped the minibus in the car park, filmed me setting off and retreated for a couple of hours kip. Not that he got much though... I sped off feeling strong but slightly weary up a route I was unfamiliar with. But it was clear to follow. I passed over Lingmell Gill and then passed the only 3 people up there who I would see during the whole walk! I followed the Brown Tongue path and then met the fork and followed up to Hollow Stones, which started to get a bit unclear to follow. It was still quite an easy walk but it's a good thing I didn't forget my walking poles like I did on Ben Nevis. At one point I was a bit unsure of my location but soldiered on. Weather wise it was crisp, chilly and clear but it started to rain a bit about 2000ft into the walk. On came the waterproofs. When I reached the top of a rise I could see what I thought was the summit but was actually a different mountain 'Hey, Scafell Pike hasn't got a cliff drop?'. Passing Scafell and Mickledore was quite scenic too. I was now somewhere I'd never been before (when I climbed it in April we went via the corridor route). I carried on too far and I thought 'Am I on the right mountain?'. Then I noticed a cairn and followed this up to the summit after passing the huge boulder with the small cairn on top. Then the slope eased and I started to recognize it a little. Lingmell Col was just below me to my left. Then the summit appeared with the monument. It was a great feeling. I had the summit to myself. The sky was colourfully broken and the cloud filled the surrounding valleys and summits but thankfully stayed above Scafell Pike largely. This was lucky, as once I had texted lots of people, called my mum, had a drink and briefly admired the view I set off. Well, I also got my summit pics (but had to rest the camera on a rock with the self timer as I was at the highest point of England completely alone!). I also got a summit vid. I made the summit in 1 hours 37 minutes approximately, getting there about 5.50am on Wednesday the 6th, ahead of schedule. On my descent, I missed the cairns and ended up down a steeper slope, then realising what I'd done, wasted some time scrambling across a steep slope to get back to the col. I saw the team I'd passed on the way up and told them they were about 25 minutes from the top and warned them not to make my mistake as if the cloud had come in I'd probably not have made it back on track quite as quickly. Cairns are a lifesaver. I followed the same route down in good time. Due to poor signal in the area I could make no contact with Chris. I got down with no injuries and intact in 3 hours 10 mins. I got my mountain whistle out and ran into the carpark to find Chris waiting with the Pot Noodle brewing. 20 mins ahead of schedule. We left on time too.. after speaking to a couple and their son about my attempt who kindly sponsored me £5. They were the only walkers we saw apart from a mysterious car parked there when we got there. The advantages of doing the 3 Peaks in the week! My ankles were surprisingly intact for a Scafell Pike descent. Got everything packed, sorted, binned, refilled etc then got out of there. A 4.5 hour drive to Snowdonia would prove difficult for us both, but 2 down, 1 to go. Getting lost would no longer be a problem but my fitness could be.
More to come but I'm off to bed now. Keep checking for updates folks!
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