Welsh 3000 Back to HH News

There is so much I would like to say about the whole Welsh 3000 experience  that to do so would take ages to write, be pages long and would still not do it justice. So, for the sake of this report, and everbody’s time and patience, I have decided to limit it to the highs, the lows and a little of the bits in between. Here goes:-
The highs have to be the two training weekends we had away with the other Hotfooters. The weather was superb (and exceptional, I have now decided), the views were breathtaking and the banter second to none. As for this weekend, the highs were making good time on the ‘ups’ especially Snowdon and Elidir Fawr, finding a quick, direct and relatively easy route up Tryfan, hearing Jules’s voice coming in over the radio, as that meant a rest was imminent and the realisation that Carl had laid off the trail mix and given his digestive system a little relief (no need for him to stand downwind if you know what I mean).
The worst low was getting soaking wet and very, very cold in the first part of the challenge. Conditions were not good. It was raining, windy, poor visibility and the rocks were slippery. It was impossible to go fast climbing from Garnedd Ugain over to Crib Goch so you just could not get warm or keep warm. Even Carl’s teeth were chattering and I really felt a genuine fear at the very real possibility of hypothermia setting in and the scary realisation that people have  quickly got into difficulties and actually died on those mountains. Morale was at an all time low as we approached RV1 and it took a lot of encouragement, dry clothes and hot tea to convince us that it was worth continuing with the challenge. (I’m so glad we did!).
Other lows include very painful knees after our initial soaking – I think the cold got into my weary joints, making it very slow and painful going down hill (a bit of a problem I think you’ll agree, given the terrain that we were under).  Also, the long, long, long.......walk back to the car from the last peak, Foel Fras, after  we had finished. By now it was pitch dark, the wind had been relentless for the last 3 hours and it was no fun picking our way over rocks and wet, boggy ground with very weary bodies running on empty.  We had both imagined much jollity, back-slapping and great  slugs of champagne when we finished but in reality it was a huge sigh of relief, a hot cup of tea and a quick pork pie – all very British, I’m sure!
As for the bits in between, I’ll never forget sleeping on the top of Snowdon. I was so apprehensive about it but it’s given me a massive amount of confidence and many happy memories that I’ll keep forever – log fires, early morning greetings, ‘The Royle Family’ lying on the concrete sofa ie. the doorway into the cafe (Jo was Dave, I was Denise, Carl was Barbara while round the corner on the railway platform we had Martin as Jim, Tim as Anthony, Ashley as  Twiggy and John as Nana).

Tim asked me if I’d ever do it again. Well, on Sunday, the answer would have been no. Now, the answer is yes but only in the Summer when there is maximum daylight (walking across mountains in the dark is bizarre, dis-orientating and frankly, not something that I’m in a hurry to repeat),  good weather with absolutely no rain, showers or wind forecast (a small little breeze and slight drizzle in Llanberis can mean a howling gale and torrential rain up on the tops) and I’d definately recommend sleeping on Snowdon beforehand. However bad a nights sleep you get, that extra pull up Snowdon first thing in the morning certainly starts to tell by the time you are heading up Pen yr Ole Wen  later in the day.
Completing the Welsh 3000 has been one of my most memorable and fantastic achievements to date and the perfect ‘extreme alternative’ to being a full-time mum and housewife. I was so disappointed when we had to postpone it due to poor weather on the first attempt, that to not try again when we had this window of opportunity a week later was just not an option. It was terribly unfortunate that the majority of the group were unable to make it but you were there in our thoughts and thankyou  so much for all your wonderful words of encouragement and support.   Thanks also to Shaun and Jules for fantastic back-up, without which none of this would have been possible. And finally, massive thanks to Carl for all his superb, enthusiastic and meticulous planning and for actually getting me up there, keeping me safe and getting me down again in one piece.