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Published: October 5th 2018
Back in 2016 I wrote my first account of a challenge I took part in during the summer. This is my account of our National Three Peak Challenge. As I have just started this blog I thought some of you would like to read it. Steve. (October 2018)
Preface
It was a familiar feeling in recent weeks. My head was spinning wildly and I was in serious danger of collapsing. Nausea was building to the point I was holding vomit back and I felt like I wanted to shit in my shorts. I leant my head on my poles and took several deep breaths. I was scared this would happen. I fucking knew it would after all this work to get on top of it. My knees uneasy under my body weight were struggling to hold me up and I realised that this was the moment that I would either pull through or my challenge was over. This was the first mountain, how could I have been so stupid to think that I even had a chance to complete this challenge with my fitness levels in question. Everyone had tried so hard to get to their optimum fitness and
here I was in the same predicament I had been in twice before. I quietly whispered to myself that I was a "fucking idiot" and I was starting to believe that I was going to let everyone down. The first time this had happened was back last October just before starting the summit of Crib Goch.
Tristan (my cousin and closest friend) along with fellow "rambling bastard" Andy had on the spur of the moment decided to take on one of the most dangerous knife edge climbs in Snowdonia. We had set off at 3.30am in order to get over to Snowdon for sunrise so that we could have the Crib to ourselves. This mountain had claimed the life of several climbers (some experienced) the most recent in April 2016. We set off from the car park at Pen-y-pass at just before dawn and started the slow walk up the Pyg track to the base of Crib Goch. We were only 20 minutes into the climb when the feelings hit me. I collapsed onto a rock wondering what was happening. Tristan thought it was hilarious at the time and although I attempted to laugh it off I was ready to
walk back to the car and collapse in the back seat. I had never experienced this before, it was sudden and devastating, and I convinced myself that I was going into some kind of coronary episode. After 5 minutes of heavy breathing and forcing myself to drink water the waves of nausea subsided. I decided to carry on and had no further incidents on this trip.
This time I knew that I had been though it before. I had the experience to breath through and hold myself up until this "attack" subsided. Maurice caught up with me on the snowfield where I was holding onto my sticks. The feelings calmed and I looked up ahead. The rest of the party were a distance away now but beyond the crest ahead was a sight that brought it all into perspective, we were close, we were spitting distance from the summit of the highest mountain in Britain and we were completely smashing it. We could do this. I gritted my teeth, punched my poles into the snow pack and started walking. This Scottish bitch wasn't going to beat me.
The initial idea:
I was never close to my cousin Tristan.
All the way through my childhood I was the annoying and extremely loud youngest of the 4 cousins. Although we used to play with plastic swords and run around in the barmy summers we slowly drifted apart when he lost interest in childish games. When I used to visit he would always be in his room which was out of bounds to any of his family particularly his sister Sian who I was closest to. This all changed when I was around 17 and one night, whilst staying over, I plucked up the nerve to knock on his door and attempt to engage with him. We very quickly realised we now had the same interests and were very like minded. We both loved computer games, we loved to smoke copious amounts of cigarettes and loved the same television. We spent countless nights drinking, smoking, playing games into the wee hours, watching the best of British comedies (blackadder, red dwarf, vic and Bob). Tristan introduced me to my first kebab of which I will be forever grateful. One of the biggest things we realised that we had in common was our love for the outdoors. At the start of our new
friendship we jumped on a train for a memorable trip up to Dungeon Gyll in the Lake District. Our bond was sealed on this trip and we planned countless adventures. Over the next few years we had several trips into the hills mostly revolving around drinking and getting away from the everyday life. Tristan had done a few big walking challenges, his biggest was the completion of the Pennine Way. We spoke often about the need to complete a "big one" of our own and the idea of the "three peaks" was mentioned on several occasions. When I left to live in Corby we almost got round to planning it but we had started to drift apart due to the distance and life getting in the way. We both married and both had children, and the chance of even a days walk was hard enough to schedule and the idea of a challenge was slowly starting to get slimmer and slimmer.
When I moved back up to Manchester, we started to walk periodically in the local area but life was slowly enveloping me. My second child had arrived during my nurse training and the hours I needed to put into
university and eventually work meant that everything I used to enjoy outside of family was put on the back burner. My days off were now my families. I would not give this up for the world. The moments I spend with my family are treasured.
Whether it was a midlife crisis or the fact that I was starting to lose the ability to see my dick when I went to the toilet I realised that the once active man I was, was gone. I was unfit and looking at the reflection in the mirror I knew that if I wanted to live long enough to walk my daughter down the aisle I would have to do something about it. I decided to get fit and lose weight in January 2015. I dieted and I joined a gym and, although bloody hard work, I stated to look normal again.
In May 2015 tristan rang me out of the blue and said that he was now walking with some of his work colleagues and would I like to come out with them. Life again got in the way but I told him that I would make sure that I would try
my hardest to get out on an upcoming walk.
I eventually freed up enough time to come out on my first of many "ramblingbastard" walks to the summit of Kinder Scout. Although not all the bastards were on this walk I met Rick (Tristan's work colleague) and his brother Andy. They were brilliant fun and as Tristan had tried to explain they were the same kind of people as we were. Which quite aptly meant they were a right bunch of "bastards". I haven't felt a part of a brotherhood since my teenage days spent in America at Camp Loyaltown. And I missed having people to turn to outside of my closest and dearest.
Over several months we made at least a monthly walk. We conquered some great hills and conditions. My love of videoing and movie making retuned and I documented each walk. I was very pleased that all the guys pushed each other to new heights of fitness and achievement. I believed this was the right time for the "big challenge" and so my mind again turned to the "three peaks".
Christmas bought a pint with Tristan at our Bollington pub " the cock and pheasant".
It was here I believe that we discussed the possibility of taking on the peaks this coming summer. We agreed that we would could do it in June and we left with the idea of touting around the idea to the rest of the bastards. The next day at work I was chatting with one of my OT's. Sarah was heavily pregnant and was about to go on maternity leave. I mentioned to her that the walking group I was in were thinking of the three peaks. Sarah said that she would be very interested in joining us as she wanted a goal to get back to fitness following the imminent delivery. Well I couldn't back out now. I texted Tristan and told him "we're on! lets get this thing started". We had 6 months to plan, train and execute. We had a lot to do but this was the time..... This was our time. The Three Peaks was going to happen finally. Our first big challenge we had been promising for the last 20 years.
Planning:
The Three Peak challenge is a physical, mental and logistical challenge that requires all involved to be on their "A" game.
It involves climbing up the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours including driving from Fort William to Wasdale Head and then on to Pen-y-pass. There is over 450 miles of driving and therefore at least one dedicated driver would have to be found to ensure that the safest possible transition between the mountains is achieved.
We knew from the start that in order to complete the challenge we would have to keep the numbers as low as possible in order to keep the logistics to a minimum. What I mean by this is numbers of vehicles, accommodation, and on the mountain spreading out. We put the word out and within a few days we had several confirmed agreements from the team. Within a week we had confirmed the bastards taking part would be myself, Tristan, Andy, Rick and Amy.
When I spoke to Sarah the next time she informed me that we had a driver. Her dad Stan was also a keen walker but alas due to ill health could no longer achieve something like the three peaks. He would however want to drive, and in all honesty was the key member of the group. It
would be ultimately down to him to ensure that we hit each target on the route and steer us around traffic and backroad obstacles. He would also be working whilst the rest of us attempted sleep, our trust in him would be paramount but Sarah assured us he was the man for the job and her word was good enough for me. Sarah also said that her closest friend Helen wanted to join us. The bastards have always been an inclusive group so it was agreed that it would be good to get some new blood into the team.
Back the previous October I had set my sights, with a couple of work colleagues, to complete my first endurance challenge. We competed in the Brooks "hell up north" half marathon. It was a challenge that I could never see myself doing. I hated running and this challenge was literally hell. Not only did you have to complete the 13 mile run, but also navigate several natural obstacles. In our way lay mud hills, bogs, and lakes. Maurice, my colleague, pulled me through this event and ensured that we completed it. He made me dig deeper than I have before to
cross the finish line. I could never have done it without him, and would have walked away when my knee started to collapse after 5 miles. I asked him to join the bastards on some future walks and he agreed but never got round to joining us. I obviously invited him on the three peaks challenge and he agreed at once. So the team was agreed. Tristan, myself, Rick, Amy, Andy, Sarah, Helen and Maurice would be the main walking party and "Skipper" Stan would be our driver. Things were coming together.
With 6 months to prepare for the walk we decided that the best course of action would be to price everything up and ensure that we could all afford the trip. There are 2 routes that you can take in regards to climbing the three peaks, starting in the north or starting in the south. Most teams start in the North as to get to the start point in Fort William involves a 10 hour drive. All agreed that we would rather do this prior to the walk and not afterwards. We looked around on the Internet for the cost of campsites with the intention of driving
up, camping and starting the walk at 5pm which would give us ample time to pack up the gear and prepare for the walk. Meeting for one of our customary pints on January 26th I threw the idea of spending the night before in a bunk house. This would mean we would not have the worry of setting up the camp, if it rained things would start to get wet and depressing, and we would also be saved the ravages of the infamous Scottish midges. We agreed to the idea and it would turn out to be one of the best decisions of the challenge. Looking at the map of the start of the route it appeared that there was a bunk house very close to the starting path.
I went home that night and started a Facebook group. This would be a private place for discussion and planning for the walk. As a walking group we already have discussion forums on our website (www.ramblingbastards.co.uk) but to have the convenience of a Facebook group meant that most would have access on the go on our mobile phones. I posted about the plans for the dates and discussed the bunkhouse. We
all got straight on-line and paid for our night at the aptly named Ben Nevis Inn and bunkhouse.
Helen posted that she had to pull out of the challenge for personal reasons but Sarah said that her sister wanted to be a replacement for Helen. Stephanie was more than qualified to join the group having previously completed the Welsh 3000's and a regular walker, hockey player etc. It was at the point of mentioning this to the group that there was a certain amount of disharmony within the original bastards. I was always told that the group would always be open to new members and actively encouraged inclusion. I was welcomed into the group and felt very much a part of it the moment I first went out on the hills. Rick was obviously having concerns regarding the ability of the team. He posted a message siting his concerns in the abilities of the new members to actually complete the challenge.
"I know the Bastards can do these walks, in fact I think the Bastards can do these walks in less than 15 hours never mind 24", he went on to question the ability of the new team
members, "I don't know your exercise history and excuse me for being merciless but I don't want you to ruin my chances of completing the challenge".
My heart sank at this reaction. I know there would be concerns for the new members but I personally knew that they were all more than capable of getting to the point of completion. If anything I considered myself the weakest member of the team. If he was saying openly about the new members did he also think this about me. What was going to be the reaction to this by new members, because if it had been me I would have seriously considered pulling out along with the driver (and with it the challenge itself). I immediately went online and vouched for the new team members and Rick appeared to be consoled with this. There was however a serious concern about the new team and in light of this disharmony which could be a disaster on the challenge itself (where teamwork is paramount). I discussed this with Tristan and decided a chat over a couple of pints might be the best course of action. A couple of days later we met in
our local. Rick had come along with Amy and me and Tristan. Over the course of the night it became apparent that Rick and Amy didn't just want to do the Three Peaks they wanted to smash it. They wanted the group to train to the point of running up and down the three mountains. Let me explain where Rick and Amy are coming from. Amy is by far the fittest person I know, she has been involved in ultra marathons for a number of years and is always pushing herself to levels of excellence that I could only dream of. Rick being Amy's partner is also being pushed to excel. They both train regularly and participate in a number of extreme sports that test both mental and physical ability. They both have time and resources to commit to this. I personally wish I had this luxury but unless I wanted disharmony within my marriage I am happy with the balance I can give to this, and although at times reluctant, my wife also agrees that I can spend a few days a month enjoying these activities.
Back at the pub: They spoke of records and times that were quite
frankly beyond my comprehension. If as a team everyone decided to do this, as Rick was talking, I would bow out as this was not the challenge for me. I was finding it hard enough climbing up one mountain let alone three mountains. With the challenge of running and the amount of training that would involve, it would have been impossible for me. With my family and work commitments it would have been impossible. Tristan thankfully was singing off my hymn sheet and he also said it would be hard enough to complete within 24 hours even with the level of training he was going to need. Rick and Amy both agreed to carry on with the challenge but I knew that they were not happy about the decision. And I knew this was not the last thing we would hear about it. I suspected that when we actually got to the mountains they would leave the group and go at their own pace. This was going to be interesting.
I set to planning the actual logistics. There are so many resources available online and I purchased a great book called "the three peaks: taking up the challenge by
Steve Williams" . I eventually put quite a decent plan together which most of the group thought manageable. Tristan was working on a kit list. The minibus prices were in and we hired a 17 seater bus from Cheshire vehicle hire. This was starting to come together. The aim was to set off on the morning of 13th June from Manchester collecting the team and then driving up to Scotland. I would drive up to the Scottish border to ensure Stan was as fresh as possible for the drive the following day. This would compromise me alittle but I could hopefully make up for sleep during the challenge itself. The challenge itself was initially planned to start at 5pm on the 14th June ensuring that we could be up and down the Ben Nevis before pitch black and we could do the other 2 mountains in the light. These plans changed quite quickly as Stephanie needed to fly back to Jersey. We would now be starting at 8am, with it came the very likely chance of being up Scafell at night which would have been a big challenge but one Tristan had in hand.
We had talked about the
possibility of handheld navigation devices before but had only toyed with the idea. Tristan decided to purchase a GPS for this trip and we would have to take it out to ensure that we got used to it prior to the walk itself. But back to the later.
We would actually take on the challenge itself on Tuesday 14th June into Wednesday 15th June. This would ensure that we had the maximum amount of light for the challenge but also the quietness of a midweek run and certainly away from the preferred "midsummer" crowds that are traditional for a three peak challenge.
Despite siting down in the pub Rick continued with his determination to push the group to new levels of excellence. Good on him for trying but with me it was not going to make me go any faster than I could. With targets of 50mins to 1.5hours on Snowdon he really wasn't thinking about what this challenge would do to you. By the time we would reach Snowdon we would have climbed 2 huge mountains( at a good rate), not slept in 22hours and be mental and physically tired. The banter continued for a couple of
weeks. But eventually on 1st March both Rick and Amy pulled out of the challenge. Again disappointingly speaking of the fact that this group would not be able to push to the times that they wanted to achieve. Whether it was the original bastards or the new team I would not have been able to push myself to the levels that he wanted to achieve. A real shame really. He states that he would not have got anything out of it. I know, now that I have finished it, I will never do anything that like this again. I will talk about what I got out of this later. But by now, from the original 9 walkers, we had lost 3. I love Rick and Amy and walking with them is always great fun, but there was a feeling with me that we had finally got a team that would work as a team to complete the unified goal that we had originally set.
Whilst all the politics were going on Sarah gave birth to her new baby daughter Beatrix Rose at the start of February. She, for one now, had a long way to go to get to
a fitness level that meant that she would be able to complete this challenge. The rest of the team were individually completing their own training whether it was down the gym or running. I was hitting the gym about once every couple of weeks which was disappointing but beyond what I was able to do with life revolving around me. As bastards we continued to do our weekend walks once a month. But things in regards to the three peaks went very quiet. We had paid deposits and the general planning was completed. Tristan had completed a kit list. It was just a waiting game now. We had planned everything to the eighth degree.
Stan was by far the most enthusiastic new member to the group. He was planning to make this as special as he could for all the walkers. His plan was to cook after each mountain so we had a hot meal to revive us, he would also provide Walkie talkies to ensure that we could communicate with him so that he had everything ready for when we arrived at each basecamp. Tristan and myself had concerns that Stan would be doing too much and it
was imperative that he rested, particularly when we ascended Scafell pike. Stan ensured us he would be fine. It was also very important that Stan understood the need to leave as soon as the entire group arrived back at the van. Ten minutes wasted at Ben Nevis could mean hours in terms of traffic etc and it was imperative that we were not delayed my any amount of time.
We had hoped throughout the months leading up to the challenge that we could get the full team together for a couple of distance practice walks. This had not come to fruition. We met a couple
of times in the pub just to introduce Maurice and Sarah but the walks seemed to only include the original bastards. 30th April saw us introduce Maurice to a bastard walk. We decided on a distance practice walk up Kinder Scout. This would include climbing once on the Hayfield side crossing the plateau descending on the snake then ascending again to cross the plateau to descend down to our start point. The walk was brutal. We had every weather condition thrown at us from rain to wind to hail and snow. There was so
much snow at the top that the paths were very narrow and there seemed to be an exceptional amount of day walkers out which made going very slow at times. Tristan's was learning to use his new GPS which resulted in us getting lost on one occasion to the dismay of all. Maurice suffered with bad cramps along the route and we could tell he was not happy with this. He also seemed to be drinking far more water than the rest of us combined which also resulted in several dozen pee stops. We all came away feeling slightly deflated. I myself struggled with all the uphills and realised that my rather overzealous eating habits over the winter period had resulted in carrying an additional 5-6kg in weight which I was feeling on every uphill section. Something had to be done if I was to complete this challenge and time was running out.
The final challenge for us was to complete a fast ascent and decent of Scafell Pike. We planned this for the day of May 20th. We confirmed Maurice, Andy, Tristan and myself for the walk. We would push up with gear to be used on the
three peaks, Utilise the GPS throughout and try and rate it as a benchmark for the challenge itself. Maurice had to pull out due to having a job interview that day. So on the morning of the 20th May we set out up to the lakes. We arrived at the car park just before 10am and found a group of very weary looking lads enjoying a BBQ. Upon enquiry we discovered they were on their own Three Peak challenge and were well behind schedule. They had been hammered by rain on Snowdon and ironically rather than trying to make up time were taking their time with the aforementioned food. This would be a moment we would learn from and the importance of swift exit once we had descended. We decided to ascend at the fastest speed we could and soon after leaving the car park I realised that my fitness levels were well behind that of Tristan and Andy. On countless occasions they both waited for me to catch up to them, but I was determined to complete so rather than rest when I caught them I continued on without resting. I could manage this but it was brutal. I
had never ascending Scafell this route, up lingmell, it is a relentless stairway to the summit. What made it more difficult was that the weather had closed in and after a short ascent the clouds and the rain were upon us and we were needing the GPS to navigate. We of course got lost and ended up descending at one point. This was quickly realised and with the help of the GPS were able to plot a direct route up to the summit. This would have been a massive risk and a challenge if we had done this at night but we realised our error early, and knew exactly where we had gone wrong and would not repeat this in three weeks time. We had summited in 2 hours and after a quick break descended. I was better on my way down than going up, and like a rolling stone gathered speed on the descent. We decided to run down to see whether it was possible. I wouldn't call it running really, I think more of a controlled fall would be a better way to describe it. Looking back now,with only 3 weeks to the actual challenge it was a
bloody stupid thing to do and could have caused serious injury or worse. We all got back to the car relatively unscathed with a time of 3 hours 15. This was good news for the challenge but I knew I could not have done it faster. One thing I did experience on the ascent was that same feeling of whiting out. I battled through it this time and knew that it would only be temporary. And using every expletive I knew battled on and upwards. We finished in the pub and camped in Nether Wasdale with the weather now broken and glorious sunshine. At least we had practised one of the mountains and would learn from our mistakes. We couldn't turn back now, in a couple of weeks we would be doing this for real. I still had work to do, I still needed to shift some weight and get some extra training done. I had that familiar sinking feeling in my stomach and was scared to let the team down.
Monday 13th June 2016:
I woke early in order to get the final stuff packed. Turning on the news showed that we had weather warnings in the north
west. Heavy rain leading to localised flooding for the next couple of days. This was not boding well but we were not backing out now. I walked down and picked the mini bus up in the rain. It was a bloody huge beast maybe we should have downsized when Rick and Amy pulled out. I packed my stuff in and set off to Macclesfield to start the collection of the troops.
Tristan and Andy were at Tristan's house (Andy having stayed the night before). They were literally biting at the bit to get going. Tristan sat up front with me to keep me company and Andy settled in the back. Maurice was next on list and then Sarah. When we left Macclesfield the heavens opened and the driving conditions started to look dangerous but these cleared on route to The Wirral where we collected Stan and Stephanie. We were finally packed and on our way. Looking into the back of the van I realised it was a good job we had not downsized as the back 2 rows of seats were full, floor to ceiling with gear.
The route basically involved driving up the M6 to Scotland, Skirting Loch
Lomond and then over the highlands dropping into Fort William and to our starting point. The plan was for me to drive up to Scotland and then Stan would take over but I was really enjoying the drive. We stopped in Scotland for some lunch at KFC which we ate in the van. This was a welcomed relief to the diet food I had been eating in the previous few weeks. I had now dropped another couple of kgs and had quit smoking (of which despite stopping regularly was still a part time habit). I had discovered vaping which I would soon learn would seriously improve my fitness levels.
We got clogged up in with traffic as we went through Glasgow and lost a considerable amount of time, this worryingly was the exact time we would be driving though on the following day. Traffic like this could either make or break our challenge. We would all keep our fingers crossed for the return journey. One of us commented upon arriving on the other side of Glasgow of their relief to have got through without turning into a heroin addict. Sorry to anyone from Glasgow but it did make me laugh
at the time.
It was my intention to swap drivers but once on the shores of Loch Lomond the monotony of the M6 were now replaced with hairpin bends, single vehicle sections and quite frankly bloody fun driving. I stayed behind the wheel and was treated to the best views in the house as we inched our way through the majestic landscape of Scotland. The mountains grew in size and soon we were dwarfed either side by crags and peaks I have only ever seen in pictures. I'm no poet but you'll just have to believe me when I say that these peaks instil in you a feeling that sets your body and imagination alight. You want to paint a picture, write a song, start a novel and for me at this very moment, to climb. Rather than a hollow worried feeling that I had been experiencing in the past several months I was filled with the desire to complete what we had set out to do. In some ways Rick was right in some parts, maybe I could have done more in preparation. I could have put more on the line for this challenge. But seeing this and feeling this I knew I could personally do it. The group we had on this trip were desperate to get started and it was amazing to see everyone's faces as we took our first sight of what we had signed up for. This shit had just got very real. This trip would push is beyond what each and every one of us had trained and prepared for.
We arrived at the bunkhouse just after 7pm and we had booked a meal at a conveniently placed restaurant on top of the bunk. The weather was stunning. The sky was blue and only a few whispy clouds in the sky. We looked down the valley and attempted to figure out which was our destination mountain. We saw a snow capped mountain at the far end and convinced ourselves we were seeing Ben Nevis. Luckily we checked later and it turned out we could not really see Ben Nevis as it was being blocked by one of the near peaks.
We decided to go in and restock with some food and a much needed beer. I had always planned on having an energy rich pasta the night before but decided on a haggis and whisky starter, followed by local fish and chips. I felt amply nourished by the time myself, Tristan and Maurice enjoyed a whisky whilst looking out on (what we had not come to realise) our target for the next morning. Once everyone had finished eating we realised that the starting path for our challenge was located in the carpark of the bunkhouse. This could not have been better. We walked up the path for 15 minutes to have a look at what we had in store. The group were bonding really well, everyone was laughing and joking. It was so nice to see that everyone of the new guys were fitting in and being received like I was all those months ago. I wish Rick and Amy were here with us as I know they would have loved this moment. I guess it is their loss though, this was turning out to be one of the most memorable moments of my life and we hadn't even started on the mountains yet. After a bit of filming on my new GoPro (an early present from my dad and step mum) and a few group photos we realised that the decision to stay in the bunkhouse and not in tents was inspired. We at that point were experiencing the horror that are the Scottish midges. We had become plagued with them. We quickly descended and escaped to the bar for a last drink before entering the bunkhouse. The Ben Nevis Inn is so welcoming, it looks like an alpine shed with long tables and bench seating. The food is second to none and really well priced. If I had a choice I would have liked to have stayed for a lock in.
We got our stuff for the night out of the van and entered the bunkhouse. It was cheap and you could tell why. It reminded me of scout camp. Although we had our own 8 bed dorm it was open to the rest of the unit. There was a shower room and toilets at one end and a kitchen at the other. It was as basic as it comes but it was midge free, the beds comfortable, and as I said it was right at the start of the walk. With the group there was no privacy as we had to change, wash and sleep next to each other. As for the night time sleeping habits we all hoped that we didn't snore too loudly. I got myself ready for bed and laid out my stuff for the first climb. I charged all my equipment with my new external battery and felt ready to drop off after the long 11.5 hour drive I had just completed. It was then it started... I thought he was taking the piss as we had been joking a few minutes before. Stan climbed up into bed and within 2 minutes he started to snore. I suspected that the walkers staying 4 dorms away were having trouble sleeping but to us inside the epicentre it was, how do I put it, our first real challenge. This wasn't written in the guides this was going to be a long night. Stan used to be in the navy, how he wasn't ejected overboard during one of the trips I will never know. Those Navy boys are heroes. Thankfully after getting up to use the toilet and repositioning himself Stan was totally silent for the remainder of the night. I had lost a couple of hours sleep but let's just say it added to the experience. We all love Stan despite his nocturnal noises.
Tuesday 14th June 2016:
The day of the challenge had finally arrived. The weather on last view was forecast to be variable with weather warnings for the north west. Stepping out of the bunk house bleary eyed and groggy I realised that the forecast was wrong. We had glorious blue sky's with a few clouds insight. It was the weather that we had hoped for. Looking up at the location of the summit it was clear. We all hoped it stayed this way. We woke at 6am in order to prepare ourselves for the challenge. There was one thing on my mind beyond a shower and some porridge and that was to evacuate my bowels. It was one thing that I was worried about. We wanted to minimise the stops as much as possible. For the bus we had milk bottles to urinate into. The girls had agreed to squat next to the van if they needed to, but if any of us needed a crap then we would have to find somewhere to stop on route, which would have caused us a delay. After three attempts I managed a small success, fingers crossed this wasn't just a plug.
Returning to the kitchen, Stan had brought fresh made bread for toast and I made myself some porridge. The nerves were kicking in but we didn't have long to worry before we were setting out. I went to the van to ensure that I had everything packed for the next section of the journey but arrived to find the van in total disarray. I wasn't going to worry about it now, maybe we should have, to stop unnecessary stress later on. The time was now upon us, final checks were carried out on equipment, video cameras were rolling. We all assembled for a group photograph and prepared ourselves by the gate as the seconds rolled down to 8am.
The challenge begins:
Ben Nevis Scotland 1345m
14th June 2016
08.00
Setting off up the initial path we said our goodbyes to Stan who was going to fuel the van and set up for our return. We had finally started. The trepidation for the journey ahead was palatable within the group. Tristan's camera immediately died and he passed it to Stan. We still had 2 cameras so there should be enough footage. The initial path eased along the side of 'Meall an t Suidhe". It was a gradual climb but enough to get the heartbeat going. The path was uneven and full of rocks that required a certain amount of scrambling. The path was easily visible throughout and higher up turned into a 'motorway' until the snow obscured it. As I suspected Maurice and I settled ourselves towards the rear of the party and I noticed that Andy, Stef and Tristan bounded along like they were on the flat. I on the other hand was feeling the pain and had to stop every so often to catch my breath. This is when I noticed the non smoking difference. My recovery time was incredibly fast and within seconds I was ready to continue. After a gradual climb with stunning views of the Nevis forest and valley floor we turned into the gully of 'Red Barn'. The gradient at this point increased and the climb became very painful on my legs. This is where the use of walking poles came into their own. Spreading the weight of the lift between three points of contact minimised the muscle strain on each leg. With this added assistance we were soon passing several other climbers who had left earlier. People were stopping for drinks stops or to catch their breath but the bastards ploughed on at a steady and relentless pace. The leaders of our party waited at moments to catch their bearing and encourage the back markers. 3/4 of the way up 'redbarn' the path doubles back on itself and a short distance later turns back and levels out. This is a welcome relief to all of us but we continued with an increased pace passing the loch. By the time we have reach the first of the infamous zig zags we are over half way up Ben Nevis. Climbing above us like a foreboding giant the main climb awaits us. There is no direct route up and instead we would have to ascend the zig zags. I can imagine at the busiest weekends this would be a challenge to complete at speed. We overtook several others making the ascent.
Tristan took my camera for a while and as we ascending the first zig a thunderous noise omitted from the Red Barn valley and rapidly over the crest appeared a helicopter. Looking back at the footage he captured the moment perfectly although in my eyes it appeared a lot closer than in film. All the party were now pushing on at pace. Maurice taking a steady pace at the back with Sarah walking with him for periods. This was fine on the flat but when the gradient started to rise everyone found their own pace and the party spread out. Stephanie surprised me, she was chatting away about this and that all the way through the climb. I on the other hand could only respond with single words as I was struggling breathing let alone talking.
I do catastrophise sometimes. I was struggling but I was amazed on how well I was doing. The legs were holding out, my recovery on stops was good, and I was almost keeping pace with some of the strongest walkers in our party. The difference in my opinion is the weight loss and giving up the fags.
The difference was so noticeable that I completely started to enjoy the whole experience. The pain did not even register just the determination to slowly keep my feet going..... One step at a time just keep going. We all strode on giving our hellos to fellow ramblers as we passed them.... One of them was memorable for me (the reason I will come back to later),as we passed him an American accent said "morning how you doing?" Looking over I saw a strapping young American black man, not even breaking a sweat. I also noticed both the girls in the party blush slightly, carry on walking, turned to face each other and silently mouth "oh my god". This walker unknowingly had made two fans. A single "Bastard" omitted from my mouth for no apparent reason other than the attention he had drawn.
For me one of the funniest moments of the three peaks occurred on the Ben Nevis zig zags. The temperature was rising as the cool morning turned to barmy heat after about an hour or so. It was essential to keep hydrated. I have always used a camel pack for the ability to drink whilst on the move. Tristan on the other hand had always used a water sack, but to save time from stopping he had opted for a camel pack. Half way up the zig zags we decided to take on some water and put his water pipe up to his lips and sucked. Nothing happened. I could tell he was annoyed by the crude language that suddenly exploded from him. He reluctantly took off his Rucksack in order to find the problem and discovered the outlet pipe had twisted. Adjusting the pipe and putting his rucksack back on, he went to take another drink. Whilst fiddling with the nozzle the end came off and a small stream of water hit the dusty path. "I've lost all my fucking water! That's just fucking great, this fucking camel pack fucker". I couldn't help but laugh at him, as he had lost about 50mls of water on to the ground. If there had been a tree nearby He would definitely have torn a branch off and started whipping his camel pack like Basil Fawlty whilst screaming "you bastard". I'm not saying Tristan overreacted but he did! Very funny indeed. He calmed down 5 seconds after he got some water and made a promise never to use a camel pack again. We pushed onwards following this impromptu stop.
The zigs zigged this way and zagged the next and eventually straightened out at the top of the rise and path led is up to the snow line. Maurice was some distance behind but he caught me when I experienced my body crashing. This is the point I started this tale with, and as I have already said it was time to push through and get to the top. We both pushed on until reaching the rest of the group, and walked the final few hundred feet to the summit. There were a couple of dozen people already at the top when we got there posing for photos on the summit or exploring the old ruins of the observatory. Tristan told me later there used to be a hotel on the summit, thank god this wasn't the case now. The ruins gave the place a haunting inhospitable air. The only intact structure on the summit was an emergency storm shelter. This I hasten to add would not be needed today, not now at least. The weather had held and the views from the top stretched as far as the eye could see. It was quite simply stunning. Maurice finally determinedly strode up to the top and we gave each other celebratory hugs. Everyone was high on the adrenaline of reaching the first peak.
We all strode up to the summit and asked one of the other ramblers to take a group picture of us. We decided to try the radios out to see if by any chance they would reach basecamp. "Broadsword to Danny Boy" entered the ether, this was our predetermined call signs in tribute to "Where Eagles Dare". Seconds later and clear as day the response crackled through "Danny Boy to Broadsword receiving loud and clear". Stan on the other end of the radio was informed that we had summited and we were now starting our descent. Stan assured us that preparation for our return were well underway. We took on some much needed snacks and determined to make up some time started on down. The going for me was good. We motored down to the first snowfield and using our poles to steady ourselves skied down for the the entirety of the 40 meter flow. It was a welcomed relief to move without effort but soon we hit solid ground and continued at a good pace. Hitting the zig zags the group started to spread out with Maurice suffering from his cramps. This was worrying as due to the ferocity of the pain he was slowed down to a crawl for large sections. Stef, Tristan, Andy and myself continued down at a fast pace, whilst Maurice and Sarah continued at the back at a slower but steady rate. After a chat, Tristan and me thought it was a good idea to spread out and get back to sort out the bomb site that was the van so when Maurice and Sarah arrived we could set off straight away. Nearing the middle of the Zig Zags I was pleased to see a familiar face and whilst Stef, Tristan and Andy strode on I approached the bemused American and said " I know this is an unusual request but any chance of a selfie to make a couple of girls jealous?". I don't know what he thought but agreed. I'd save this photo to show the girls later when they looked like they needed perking up a bit. What a good sport I muttered under my breath and not the Bastard I originally accused him of being, and to top it off he still had a good walk to the summit.
As we descended we all commented on the amount of footfall traffic coming the other way. There were groups of three peakers, solo ramblers and groups of families all with the same goal....To climb the highest mountain in Britain. Some that ambled past me had a good chance of not surviving the encounter unscathed. Now don't get me wrong I am all for families encouraging each other away from the consoles and Facebook for a few hours. But to take your children (and yourself) up into the wilds of Scotland prepared only with a 500mls bottle of fizzy pop, a bag of crisps, a snickers bar and wearing what can only be deemed appropriate for a day trip to Blackpool. Seriously there were kids wearing shorts and flip flops. On a day like this it may seem not necessary to carry emergency equipment but I know as an experienced walker the weather conditions can turn very quickly from a pleasant ramble to a life threatening situation. It's fucking irresponsible to be honest and people like this need a good slap. Even though we were only planning a few hours on each mountain we were carrying wind and rain proof clothing. We had emergency blankets and first aid kits. And each of us were carrying at least 2 litres of water. There should be signs at the bottom of each path with list of equipment that should be carried, and if you haven't got anything on the list you can count yourself as a complete fucktard and you deserve everything you get. It's no wander the local mountain rescue teams have to risk their own lives rescuing these type of people. They have a hard enough job rescuing people who are seriously hurt without having to show someone the way to the nearest poundland to buy some more moron juice. Anyway enough of the retard rant.....
Speaking of mountain rescue teams that supplied the areas we were walking. A few weeks before the start of the expedition people kept asking who we were raising money for. It had never occurred to me to do such a thing.... This had been a purely selfish endeavour. We got together in the pub as a team and we threw it out there to open a just-giving site and see if we could raise anything. But to whom would be our beneficiary. The problem with the three peaks is it starts or finishes in Scotland or Wales. Therefore there is a stream of money coming into the local area for these two localities. Wasdale misses out on this as it is a quick stop over ascent before going on to one of the other areas. We as a group decided to raise some money for the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team and prayed we would not have to use them. Sarah set up the page and we facebooked our friends and family to see if we could make something like £100. Little did we know how generous our friends would be.
Back on Ben Nevis we were motoring down. We had planned to finish the mountain in 5 hours. Tristan, Stephanie and myself arrived just after the 4.5 hour mark with Andy close at our heals. What awaited us in the carpark was a very welcomed sight. Stan had laid on 2 amazing burgers each and some hot coffee. These were gratefully received by the 4 of us. In all honesty they were the best burgers I had ever tasted, and we felt like champions. We were on target. Tristan had pulled his leg slightly on the way down but it had eased off by the time we reached the van and in all honesty we were all feeling surprisingly fresh. What we would be like in 6 hours when hopefully we arrived for our second mountain was unknown at this stage.
Tristan looked in the van and we both realised we had some reorganisation to do. The seats were cleared and areas made available for each of the walkers to recuperate. Once this was completed we stood and anxiously waited for the final 2 to arrive. Now we knew Maurice had been struggling but how far behind was unknown. I was hoping that he was not returning to form that he had on kinder. At this time he had put it down to an imbalance of his body salts probably due to the excessive amount of water he has been drinking. Now he had ensured us he was balancing his water intake with his salt replacement.
Stan insisted that each of the last walkers have a hot meal so kept the stoves burning ready for them to appear over the rise to warm their food up. We knew from the experience of Scafell and the failed attempt a few weeks ago by the team of lads we saw, that minutes like this were precious so we hurried Stan to start packing. I know he was annoyed about this but we had to be firm as we had to cool the pans and cookers down before placing them in the mini bus. Just after the 5 hour mark Maurice and Sarah appeared and descended into the carpark. Although Maurice had suffered with some cramping it had been much less than on Kinder. The congratulations were short as we packed away the rest of the cooking equipment into the mini bus and hurried everyone to take their seats ready for the first drive of the challenge.
I jumped into the back seat with Tristan in front of me, next was Sarah, then Maurice. Across the other side of the van was Andy and in the front Steph kept her dad company. By the way we had arranged the van Tristan and myself had the best seats in the house as we could uncomfortably spread out over three seats. We immediately started to organise ourselves for the next mountain. The plan was to ready everything in order to then maximise the amount of rest between mountains. So I set out to charge all of my electronic equipment. I had in advance bought a USB external battery for this. It was perfect and would charge all my stuff throughout the entire challenge. I changed all of my clothes and put the rather putrid Ben Nevis ones in a sealed bag, and powdered my already sore privates. Sweat rashes are a complete bitch whilst rambling. Next came the tricky part, whilst Stan negotiated hair pin bends and hump back hikes like Colin McCrea on speed, we attempted to fill our camel packs with water. My newly put on clothes now appeared to have been dipped in the nearby loch. Oh well at least the job was now done. I settled down with a seat belt clip stuck in the small of my back and had a very light snooze through the highlands and down the M6.
Now Stan had one job that was important to us on this challenge (the food was an added bonus), it was to get us between the mountains not only in one piece but as fast as possible. Now as a team we had already hindered our attempts to achieve maximum times between mountains as we had hired a mini bus. In England these buses are restricted to 62mph, now that doesn't seem to be too far from the maximum speed limit but on the side roads and the hills it was effectively a rolling shed with an engine. Stan absolutely maximised the speed throughout the journey. From the back of the van it felt like he had somehow taken off the limiter during the morning and was now driving at 100mph +, mountains went speeding past and bends were taken at breakneck speed. There were a couple of moments that I heard the back wheels squeal as he rounded bends and the sound of Tarmac being replaced with the sound of gravel as we edged near to the precipice drops of the highland roads. I must say at times, although not a religious man, I prayed that my children would see me again. But what a job he did!
We were not impaired by any traffic on the drive down to the Lake District and if we were I never noticed. Upon leaving the highlands the heavens opened and we had our first rain of the trip which was not boding well for the forthcoming hills and with the recent weather warnings I began to get a sinking feeling. Oh well at least we had done one of mountains in the dry. We all started to wake up from our restless slumber as the speed decreased with the end of the M6 driving. We hit our first traffic during rush hour in Carlisle. It was a welcome relief to relax and prepare ourselves mentally for Scafell.
Everyone took on more food and I double checked all of my equipment to make sure I was ready. All I needed to do was put my boots on, stretch, and hit the mountain. Just after Carlisle we stopped for our first comfort break in a lay by as Steph and Stan answered the call of nature.
Now came my next challenge of the journey, I needed a piss. Now not wanting to stop again I pulled out my trusty milk bottle and prepared myself on the back seat. Pulling out my "old man" I put it into the bottle and waited for nature to take its course. At this stage we hit a dual carriage way and a traffic jam. God only knows what people thought I was doing but I was perfectly visible from the outside of the van with my dick inside a milk bottle. Stage fright hit me and I could not perform. I concentrated and tried but to no avail. Now to most people they would have stopped at this point and surrendered to the fact they would wait the 30 minutes until Wasdale but not me. I kept my dick planted in the bottle and carried on chatting to the rest of the team. After 10 minutes of zen like concentration my bladder finally gave in and I started to piss. Just as Stan swung the van around a roundabout. I flew to the side of the van hitting my head on the window still inserted mid stream into the bottle. How I didn't shower everyone with my urine is beyond me, but I sat back proud in the fact that I had succeeded.......just.
Next came the part of the journey that we were worried about. From Cockermouth to Wasdale we had to navigate a series of single vehicle roads for about 10 miles. Hitting them just as day walkers would be coming off the mountains could mean that we were held up for long stretches. Stan had other ideas..... As he belted through the lanes rally style he hit a hump back bridge and I flew up and hit my head on the ceiling of the van 3 foot above me (thank god I had managed to finish pissing 10 minutes before). I took the skin off my knee on the back of Tristan's seat. We only came across a couple of cars and with breakneck braking slowed and negotiated the obstacles through a series of hedges and trees.
Scafell Pike, England 978m
14th June 2016 7pm
Finally we arrived safe and sound at the national trust carpark at Wasdale head. We had all got our boots on in the drive down Wastwater and we jumped out ready for the next mountain. Stan had done an amazing job and we arrived bang on target at 7pm. Now having climbed Britain's highest mountain earlier in the day and endured a cramped 6 hour journey in the van the state of our legs were unknown. We stumbled out and although certainly sore we all thought that we were in better condition than we thought we would be. Saying our goodbyes to Stan, who assured us was going to have a sleep, we set off to take on the second mountain. Now although this mountain is the smallest of the three the ascent is the steepest. As I have said previously it is a grind from the very start to the top. We set off in our usual formation of the strongest walkers at the front and the weakest myself and Maurice at the back. The weather was stunning. There were wispy clouds in the sky and a gradually sinking sun casting golden red light over the mountain sides. The colours were amazing as everyone was bathed in the warmth of the setting midsummer light. The going, as last time was tough. But again with my improved health I powered up with little problem. We all struggled but kept the 'one foot in front of the other' ethos and pushed through the worst of the climb that is Lingmell Gill. Having the occasional fresh air breaks I looked back at Wastwater. The view was amazing. This lake is the closest to my heart having spend many a summer playing on its shores and climbing the peaks around its locality. It was bracing and inspirational. This being the English of the three mountains gave me the drive to get a good time. I grew up on these hills and this mountain wasn't going to break me. I pushed on over the crest to the more gentle rise that I could the plateau in fact called hollow stones. Onwards we pushed over the boulder covered path. All the group were walking together apart from Maurice who was steadily following on at a constant pace. He was relentless, steady and determined without any let up. We reached the point where we had gone wrong on the previous trip up. Now that there was no cloud or rain the path to our right was obvious, in fact we saw our first fellow walkers coming down off the summit. Stopping briefly to have a chat, they were also on their own three peak challenge and were on schedule. They were going from Wales up to Scotland and would be finishing on Ben Nevis mid morning on the following day. They were from the British army and they were powering along at a rate of knots and looked incredibly fresh. We wished each other good luck and watched them descend into the twilight. We pushed on a team minus Maurice to the summit, some of the members starting to feel the pain of the relentless exertion that we were putting our bodies through. I felt great for some reason. I wasn't aching and was feeling as fresh as when we had set of at 8 o,clock this morning. Looking back Maurice was only now coming over the first rise on Lingmell Coll, and as the rest of the team strode on to the summit Maurice was taking in the view and having a reflective moment.
We had done it! 2 summits in the bag and we were right on target for the completion of this challenge. As we sat waiting for Maurice to join us and taking on some much needed energy bars we looked out on the setting sun of this day. The sky was on fire with a spectacular sunset we could not have asked for better conditions. The ground had been dry under our feet throughout the ascent. If only Snowdon held the same surprise for us. As the sun set the temperatures dropped and we were glad on the warmer clothes that we had carried up. Maurice joined us 15 minutes later and we posed for a photo to prove our achievement. Looking down I noticed a small teddy bear on the summit cairn, my heart broke as I imagined it had been left as a tribute to a tragedy that had befallen some family. We left it in silent tribute for the elements to envelop.
After letting Maurice catch his breath and take on some calories we started on downwards. Maurice, Sarah, Andy and Stef decided to take their time on the descent but me and Tristan wanted to see if we could break the time that we had achieved a few weeks earlier. It would have been stupid of us to run down as the sun had now set and the stars were appearing in the twilight sky. But we decided to go at a fast pace all the same. On the path near hollow stones I was surprised to find a 2nd teddy bear and decided that some family somewhere was having the worst night of their lives with a crying child missing its comfort toy. I decided I would pick this one up and take it down to the carpark and leave it on the pay and display machine in case they came back looking for it, I stored it in my pocket and set off down the hill. The going was steady for the most part but my knees were starting to feel the constant knocks that downhill walking comprised of. The poles were doing their jobs but I would not have liked to have known what condition they would have been in if I hadn't have been using poles. Tristan received a surprise text message from his wife during the descent to inform him that she was making kebabs for his return. He was delighted and I swear he quickened his pace in an attempt to get home quicker. The descent through Lingmell Gill was tough on the legs and by the time we had reached the bottom of the valley I could tell that the miles were having an effect on my body. Just before home we noticed two mini buses leaving the valley up ahead, these were the lads we had met when we had been making our ascent and we were amazed as we had almost caught up to them. Tristan and I walked into the carpark at 10pm after knocking 20 minutes off our time from 3 weeks earlier. I was amazed.
Stan, who had had a sleep, was waiting for us with a pan of stew and boiling potatoes bubbling away. We had radioed through about 30 minutes out to make sure that he was awake and ready for departure. The stew (as with the burgers) was amazing. We couldn't have asked for a better end to the walk. Stan said he had been chatting to the army lads and one was really upset upon his return. His two kids had given him a teddy bear each for him to carry through the three peaks. He had attached them on his rucksack with a carabiner. Somewhere on the mountain it had become undone and he had lost both of the teddies. Stan asked if by any chance we had picked any teddys up. I pulled the one teddy I had with me out of my pocket, "you mean like this one". We were all made up, I only wish I had picked up the other one as well. Stan had taken the mans contact details in case any of us found them, and he assured us he would return it to its rightful home. Several weeks after the challenge Stan received a hand written message from the mans daughter to thank him for helping her daddy find her bear. Brings a tear to your eye doesn't it!
We wandered around the car park keeping our legs from seizing up awaiting the return of our compatriots but they did not arrive. What did arrive were millions of English midges, Christ we couldn't escape the little bastards, we paced around hoping they would lose our scent but to be honest after 2 mountains I could probably have been smelt at the third by now. I was a piece of delicious Camembert to them and they feasted.
I was worried that the others had taken a wrong turn and I radioed a couple of times with no response. Just as I was giving up they strolled into the car park at 10.15. We had all completed the second challenge. Everyone looked exhausted but they were all buzzing. It was easier to get going on this stop as the food had needed to cool alittle and the table and stoves were quickly stored inside the van. We all jumped in ready for the second and final road section of this three peaks.
Now if I thought that organising myself in the back of a moving mini bus was difficult at the best of times, it was now time to try it in the dark. The road from Wasdale was clear of vehicles and with the darkness it meant that any incoming vehicles would be visible. Stan kept his foot on the pedal. We were thrown this way and that as the same procedure of changing, powdering, filling and charging took place. There was relief in terms of the first A road and the going became more steady. Everyone in the van was quiet with the inevitable fatigue setting in and one by one we all drifted into broken sleep. The van pulled this way and that and rocked our exhausted bodies into a false sense of calm. As we rounded one bend an almighty crash exploded in the quietness as Stan caught the curb with the left rear tyre. In my mind we were done for. We had hit so hard that either the rear quarter was hanging off or at very least we had lost one if not two of the rear tyres. But the old girl had survived the collision and we went rolling on into the night.
Although we knew we were on target with the timing I wanted to know how much time we were going to have on Snowdon. I lay there in the darkness and waited for a signal for my phone to calculate the drive with current traffic. The rain which had been threatening throughout the journey had now caught up with us and Stan had to lift more and more to stop aquaplaning. This was short lived as we hit the duel carriageways leaving the lakes and his pace quickened once again.
My phone blinked into life and my maps app calculated our arrival time. We were scheduled to arrive at 3.15am. This would give us over 4 hours to complete Snowdon. We were not only on schedule, we were ahead. By the look of the conditions we were driving through we would need this extra time, and again the condition of everyone was unknown but we could bloody do this. Drifted off into sleep as we descended on the slip road on to the M6. I only awoke when we were almost in Wales.
Driving up the M56 I pulled myself up and decided that I would keep awake to ensure Stan knew that, if required, I was available to take over driving. I called out a couple of times and he assured me he was fine. I felt sore now,the miles had taken their toll on me and my legs and back ached due to the walk and the cramped conditions of the bus. My mind felt fatigued and I glanced out of the window at the wet road hoping that the rain would ease to make the next climb bearable. Coming off the A55 and with 20 minutes to go we called out to rouse the walkers from their slumber and we all prepared for the walk. Putting on my boots for the last time hurt, my feet were sore from the walking and I knew that the next walk would be painful.
Snowdon Wales 1085m
15th June 2016 3.00am
Stan pulled the van into the carpark at Pen y Pass at 3am. This was an achievement above and beyond anything we could have imagined. Not only had he maintained his timings he had surpassed them. Sarah was right, Stan was absolutely determined to do everything he could to make this challenge a success. I don't think we could have had a better driver. Even if he could not complete the walking side of things he made sure his daughters and their friends would have the best chance possible of completing it. My hat goes off to him and I thank him still that he was there for us. Even though the navy's stealth missions were probably compromised my his unbelievable snoring.
We all jumped out of the van and assessed what condition we were all in. Everyone, although aching, were fit and able to continue. Steph was struggling to prepare herself. She had taken her contacts out in order to get some sleep, she was now however struggling to get them back in. Stan utilised a crowbar to prise her eyes open and forced the lenses into her eyes and after 10 minutes of messing around with water refills etc we were ready. A couple of the crew utilised the toilet facilities and we turned on our head torches to start our ascent of the jewel in Wales's Snowdonia range.
The weather was again amazing. The ground was dry and although overcast, the rain that had been threatening us throughout he journey had skirted Snowdon. We started up the Pyg track guided by the circle of lights produced by our torches and the group slowly spread out. The going was good, there were no injuries within the team and the already tired legs were working at a good rate. We re-grouped again at "bwlch y moch" which is where the initial climb of the Pyg eases off onto a relatively flat incline. There was no point in spreading the group out any more. We were a team and with so much time to complete Snowdon we walked together from this point onwards. I have done Snowdon on several occasions and whether it was the previous 2 mountains or the lack of sleep, but this time the walk seemed to drag. What I remembered as a short walk along to the start of the Snowdon zig zags seemed to go on forever. We were all in good spirits, giddy with excited anticipation to complete the goal we set out on 21 hours before. Along this section of the path the dawn light, foreshadowing the rising of the sun, meant that we could dispense of our head torches. Onwards and upwards we pushed until we reached the base of the zigzags. Tristan thought it would be a fun idea to power-march up to the top of the zig zags. Maurice and Sarah declined the offer and the rest of us set off at speed. I lasted until the end of the first zig before I started to feel sick. My gills had well and truly turned green and I held back sick in the back of my throat for the remainder of the ascent. Tristan and Steph soldiered on a reached the top of the zig zags in about 10 minutes. Andy followed closely behind and I arrived a couple of minutes later. Sarah and Maurice joined us after 10 minutes and we looked up to see we only had the short walk following the route of the Snowdon light railway to the summit. The sun had begun to rise above Crib Goch and with it we all had ourselves a short break taking photographs. That was the beauty of climbing Snowdon we knew we had the time to take it easy. No-one was trying to break any records or slice an additional 10 minutes off,if we had wanted to do we would have split up at the start and some would have achieved the goal with a couple of hours to spare. This was not what this challenge was about. For me it had always been about doing the three peaks in under 24 hours. It was about enjoying the experience with friends, the bastards, and especially my cousin (who like me this had been a life long dream). That what makes Rick pulling out so difficult to understand. Rick said he would not have got anything out of it. I think that was absolute rubbish. He would have loved this walk. He would have loved the company that we were in. And most of all how would he have known what he would have got out of it without trying it. For me that was one of my biggest regrets... Not spending more time trying to persuade Rick to come. But by the time he actually pulled out I was relieved. I was sick of the negativity that came along with it. I don't know what had changed for Rick and I hope I get to see the old Rick come back. At the time of writing this he has shown little interest in joining a bastard walk. He is one of the original bastards and it would be a shame to lose him. I know Amy felt the same way as Rick but she was less vocal so I can't really comment on her rationale.
We walked on up the tracks with the summit approaching. Steph had a steely determination to get to the summit first and arrived just before Andy. Tristan and Me followed, and Sarah and Maurice achieved the summit a couple of minutes later. The sunrise cast a shadow of the mountain across half of Wales and we basked in the new dawn knowing that we only had a descent before completion of the challenge. We had summited in 2 hours and had just under 3 hours to get down. Barring any serious injury we were definitely on track. We posed for the obligatory couple of photos before we started our descent.
I was still nauseous and felt dreadful and many legs were starting to seize up. My legs that were at the start still good had finally said enough was enough and decided not to fully work. It was a real struggle to actual command them to lift up and every small step down was starting to hurt my knees. I wasn't the only one who was suffering. As I looked around I saw grimaces and limping from all of us. The adrenaline that had kept us going until the summit had now stopped and we were all in pain.
Not only was the physical toll taking hold, the mental toll was also now becoming a problem. I noticed this when talking with Tristan and was unable to think of the name Ben Nevis. " You know the one, the one before the mountain in England", I asked, which was received with laughter. Tristan wasn't faring any better. Descending on the very visible zig zags he looked in horror and stated that we had lost the path. "You mean the one you are stood in the middle of?". He looked amazed and staggered backwards and caught himself just before he fell off a large drop to very likely serious injury or even death. We decided at this point to take a little bit more care and slow the pace down. The going was slow and steady with the pain in our sore knees growing with each agonising step. My sickness subsided after about an hour and I was relieved as I wasn't enjoying the descent one bit due to this.
Gathering the group together for one final break we started the last short walk down the Pyg track onwards to the carpark. We arrived as one unit to the delight of Stan after 23hours and 15minutes. We had done it. We had achieved something that in a way me and Tristan had been planning for the last 20 years. We had achieved it in a very respectable time. I look back now and think could we have done it faster. Yes we could have. We could have saved 15 minutes here and 15 minutes there but that would not have been the challenge I experienced or wanted. We had such a laugh at times. We all went through incredible lows and as a team we kept each other going. We finished as we had started, as a team, we had lost no members along the way. Not many three peak teams can say that. The weather conditions were perfect throughout and if it hadn't been it could have been a very different outcome. The traffic had been very kind to us. So yes we had the luxury of taking our time on the mountains, but we had perfect conditions so we were lucky. But we did it and no-one can now take that away from us.
On a side note, what was a last minute decision to raise some money turned into a gratefully received £350 from our friends and family. If only we could have put a condition of the money to the mountain rescue team that no fucktards received any help from using the money raised.
The aftermath:
The cloudy conditions that we had experienced during the night time had now been replaced by glorious blue skies. We all collapsed onto the Tarmac in the car park to gather our thoughts. The fact that we had just completed one of the toughest rambling challenges the uk has to offer did not really register. I think we were all glad that we did not have to move any further. Stan said " come on guys cheer up you've done it" and we had. Our thoughts were elsewhere at this moment. Whether it was getting something to eat or to surrender ourselves to the inevitable sleep that we were all desiring. I can't speak for others. I just wanted sleep. My mind was closing down and I just wanted to rest. Stan made us all coffee and we drank hoping it would revive us until we could set up camp later. People were starting to arrive at the carpark and it wouldn't be long until the overzealous attendant arrived to charge us £10 for the privilege of parking in the empty car park. We jumped in the van and headed down to Llanberis. We picked up Stan's Land Rover that had been parked at a local hotel and found a pay and display near to our breakfast stop. It was alittle before 8am and the community was waking to start the day like they had on many before. This day was different for us, what we had just achieved was still not registering and wouldn't really for several weeks afterwards. I looked at people passing us half expecting them to know what we had done, but they just passed us slightly sniffing the air at the pungent smell that was omitted by this group of outsiders.
We had time to move the gear of Stan, Sarah and Stephanie over to the other vehicle and we all headed over to Pete's eats. I had only heard rumours of this cafe from stories by Tristan and in legend on the Internet. The breakfasts were infamous and came in three sizes named something like medium, large and fucking enormous. Tristan and me obviously ordered the latter of the three and settled in a back room with a large coffee each. The rest of the gang joined us having made their orders of the smaller girly sized portions. Sarah brought out a bottle of prosecco and with glasses kindly supplied by the cafe toasted our achievement. The breakfasts arrived. I was shocked at the scale of them. They arrived on full sized turkey dishes and to be honest this was one challenge I had no intention of completing, opting instead on a couple of sausages and bacon. I was too tired to eat. Tristan on the other hand was a beast. He demolished his own plate of food and then eagerly started on the remanence of mine. We chatted and laughed at tales from the previous 24 hours, and eventually the time came for us to say goodbye to some of our new clan. We walked down to the bus and hugged and thanked Stan, Stef and Sarah. What a great family. I hope one day I can do the same things with my kids. They are all so close and it had been a total privilege to have been part of their family experience. We were left with invites to go over to Jersey from Steph and the promise of a trip to Ireland on Stans boat, both of which I am keen to take them up on. And then they were gone. We had only met 48 hours earlier but I believe from the experiences we had had they would all remain close to me for life, at least in memory.
And then there were 4. We all loaded into the minibus and found a petrol station to fuel up and stopped at the local supermarket to load with beer and food for night ahead. We then drove over to the campsite at Llyn Gwynant, they kindly let us arrive early and we set up camp near a small inlet stream on the far side of the campground. We showered, phoned home and one by one succumbed to the sleep that had been trying to envelop us since completion of the challenge.
We woke in the late afternoon and enjoyed a perfect night of beer, food and tales by a roaring campfire. Whilst unfortunately being ravaged by the now Welsh speaking midges. The bastards!!!!!!!!
Postscript:
I sit here now in August, lay on a hammock in the garden of my wife's family in Belarus. The kids are running around and playing in the summer sun. I promised Tristan that I would put my thoughts of the Three Peaks down, not only as the memories are starting to mix but because I wanted to leave a note to my kids. My father and grandfather have tales from their lives which they both love telling, and I, as a grateful recipient, love hearing. But one thing I have noticed is they didn't push themselves physically and mentally with challenges to better themselves. My father talks about regrets of things he did and experiences he wishes he had done. I am at an age now, I am fast approaching my 40th birthday in 2 weeks, that I believe that I am able to take on challenges like this. After each of my walks and runs my wife asks me why I put myself through it ( as I am often hobbling around for days and weeks afterwards), and my answer is always the same,"Because I can". There are only a limited number of things that my ageing body will take. Rick may be right, I could push myself to greater levels but I am happy with what I am achieving.
Why does it have to involve mountains and at times life threatening situations. I don't know. Sometimes when I am at my lowest and in pain I wonder that myself but it always comes back to the words of great men and the one I always think of is George Mallory. When asked why he wanted to risk his life scaling Everest he answered with a short but very thought provoking answer " because it's there!". I will never climb his Everest but I will climb "my" Everest.
As for now I'm going to have a beer and think about what I have coming up and the next challenge I will push myself with, and hope that I can do them with some of my friends and family like the ones I completed the Three Peaks with.
Steven Silver
August 17th 2016
For those of you who survived to the end of this tale you may also spend a few minutes checking out the video we put together
Also check out our website
Www.ramblingbastards.co.uk
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RENanDREW
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Well that was some endurance test! I feel I need a little lie down after reading it. Well done :)