As part of our training we decided to set ourselves the challenge of completing the Welsh 3000’s.  Whilst it’s obviously not in the same league as Everest, it is a pretty tough walk and a good test for the ole knees!  

The challenge is to have been at the top of all 15 mountains over 3000ft in Wales within the space of 24 hours, without using any form of transport.  The walk is also known as “The 14 Peaks” although there are officially 15 or arguably 16 peaks – don’t ask!  The length is approximately 24 miles, but the walks from the start point and to the finish point take it to over 30 miles.  This may not sound that far, but this is 30 miles up and down and up and down and up and down again!  And the majority don’t have nice big paths up them so, weather dependant, navigation can be tough. 

We decided we were going to do it all in one day, without a support team whilst carrying a pack.  So it was up at 3am on Saturday morning for a very early breakfast – so hard to eat at that time! – and then we drove to Abergwyngregyn the finish point to leave one car there.  We then drove on to Pen Y Pass and parked at the bottom of the hill.  Yep, despite the long walk ahead we were too tight to pay the parking fees and so added in an extra hill!  

We started off in the dark and reached the scrambling sections of Crib Goch just as it began to get light.  Sunrise on Crib Goch is truly stunning and certainly worth getting up early for.  The changing light is beautiful and as the sky changes from one stunning colour to another it brings with it an amazing sense of peace and tranquillity.  I must admit I tend to feel a bit smug as I think about everyone tucked up in their beds at home missing out!

Last weekend we completed the Glyder section to familiarise ourselves with the route before we go for the whole shebang!  So we parked at Nant Peris and got our legs warmed up on Elidir Fawr – a first for both of us.  Not the most spectacular of mountains, definitely more of a starter than a main course, but the view from the top was pretty good nonetheless.  

On the way up Ellidir Fawr

View up Ellidir Fawr

Summit Ellidir Fawr!

And on towards Y Garn

We then made our way round to Y Garn, passing only a couple of fell runners and appreciating the peace and lack of tourists!  We figured Snowdon would be pretty busy with it being the only day it hadn’t poured down in weeks!  Good ole British summer time!

Checking our route

Sunmmit Y Garn!

And on to Glyder Fawr!

Some fog coming in

Summit Glyder Fawr!

Then  in Patch Exped tradition, we had to go slightly off course at one point!  We did think we were at the summit of Glyder Fach and have some pretty good pics of Steve at the top!  However, from his vantage point Steve could see he was in fact on a pinnacle – but unfortunately not the highest one!  Doh!  So we scrambled onwards, passing a few interesting rocks and made it to the proper summit! 

Looks good - but not actually the summit of Glyder Fach - doh!

Yee haa!

Snooze on the summit of Glyder Fach!

We also stopped at the famous Cantilever (a large stone which appears to be precariously balanced).  Having watched a group of Scots anxiously shifting along the rock to see if it would hold them, we decided to give it our best shot at making it move and show them what us locals can do!  But it didn’t budge!  Maybe next time!

Cantilever carnage!

It was then on to the main meal – Tryfan.  This is one of our favourites!  The first mountain I dragged Steve up and where he first caught the bug.  Ah memories!  A mountain which can be climbed or scrambled – there are a number of interesting routes and on reaching the summit Adam and Eve are waiting – two large rocks of which it is a test of the nerves to see if you can jump from one to the other.  Unfortunately, conditions were not good enough for us to attempt it on this occasion (!).  Hmm…..

Scramble up Tryfan

I don't Adam and Eve it!

It was then back down and a cup of coffee while we waited for the bus to take us back to the start!  Well, we could have walked but we were late for my mum’s roast dinner!  And the bus journey was probably the scariest experience we’ve had in Snowdonia to date!  The driver was obviously training for a rally car event and also attempted to break the land speed record which was quite frightening considering the number of sharp bends – I’m sure we were actually on two wheels at one point!  A useful service – but use at your own risk!  

Oh my goodness!

Assume the crash position!

Do you ever like to take a trip down memory lane?  Well I have recently as I was interviewed for the Scouting Magazine.  I was one of the first girls to join the Scouts and it was one of the best things I ever did!  I was a bit of a tom boy when I was younger and was really excited about getting to go camping and get involved in other outdoors stuff.   In fact, it was through the Scouts that I discovered my love of the mountains as we spent many a weekend up in Snowdonia.  I found it was a great place to meet loads of good friends and I have many fantastic memories that will last me a lifetime!

 So we would be really pleased if Scout Groups can get involved in the Patch Expedition.  We have an activities and fundraising pack that groups can use and there are a couple of competitions that you can get involved in.  Not only can you have your photo printed on the Everest summit flag and carried to the top of the world, but you could also be our lucky winner whose patch design will be made into its very own flag and carried with us to the summit.  We will then personally visit your Scout Group and present it to you on our return. 

 And don’t forget this is all in aid of UNICEF and we hope to be-able to build a school for the children of Nepal who simply don’t have the opportunities in life like we do. 

 So if you like adventure, have a sense of fun and want to make a difference – get involved now!  For an info pack contact us on info@patchexpedition.com.  Visit our website www.patchexpedition.com and take a look at our article on page 44 of the latest issue of the Scouting Magazine http://www.scouts.org.uk/cms.php?pageid=3020.

After a couple of days of more gentle walking in order to recover a bit, we met up with Sebastian who was going to be guiding us for three days back in the higher alps – poor fellow!  Sebastian was a bit of a character, great sense of humour and no fear!  Interesting combination when hanging off a cliff on a piece of rope!  He had a few key phrases, ‘Merde’ and ‘Catostrophe’ which generally referred to my cramponing skills!!

 Anyway, on our first day together we headed up to the Mer de Glace, a huge glacier, to develop our cramponing skills on ice.  There is usually a little train running to take you up to the glacier; however it was unfortunately out of action due to a rock fall which had destroyed a large section of the track.  We therefore had quite a long trek there and back.  The advantage of this was there was no-one else there!  Bonus! 

First glimpse of the Mer de Glace

There are a few large ladders attached to the rocks to help climbers get down to the glacier which were useful, apart from the fact that the glacier has moved quite a lot over the years and therefore the bottom of the ladder was quite a way from the ground!  An unexpected added challenge!

Handy Handrail!

  

First big ladder!

Ladder's too short!

Nearly!

Once we did reach the glacier, we had a good few hours learning how to cross crevasses and move effectively on our crampons.  Having spent the previous week on an organised trip, all health and safety, it felt strange leaping over huge gaps in the ice with no safety ropes should we fall!  I mean, some of these crevasses were just bottomless black pits!  But hey, we’re still here!  And the walk back down was very pleasant on the eyes, not so on the knees!!

Don't slip!

Trust those points!

Doing the splits!

Ooh don't stop!

Getting back up!

Uh oh!

Underground waterfall!

Nice walk down!

The following two days were spent on peaks around  the Aiguille du Midi further developing our mountaineering skills in order to be more self sufficient.  Due to the hot weather we witnessed a number of avalanches which was slightly disturbing at times!  Fortunately, we didn’t get too close to any of them!  It was interesting to look at the route we had taken up Mont Blanc a few days earlier and see how the weather had affected that.  There were clear areas that had been affected by avalanches and a couple of crevasses had opened right up.  Amazing how much the landscape can change in such a short space of time.

 Our training culminated in a varied climb up to the Aiguille du Midi itself at the end of which we were greeted by a horde of Japanese tourists determined to get photo’s of themselves with all the climbing gear!  So, a fantastic second week in the Alps, a stunning area that no doubt will entice us back in the future!

Stunning!

Mixed rock and snow climbing

Good ledge for a break!

 

Looking for avalanches!

Still climbing!

 

Big mountains make us seem so small!

Don't look down!

Using natural anchors as protection

Abseil section

Tight squeeze!

Summit!

For more photo’s join our Facebook pages – we’re under Patch Expedition.

Easy Jet, cheap and cheerful, does the job.  However, it becomes a very expensive way to fly the minute you step over their luggage weight restrictions.  Therefore, being the penny pinchers that we are, we were determined not to incur any such charges and were thus presented with our first challenge; how to get all our mountaineering equipment and personal gear packed within the weight restrictions!   And believe you me, this was no easy task and at one stage we had visions of turning up at the airport like two misplaced Michelin men wearing all of our clothes in order to get past check in!  However, thanks to a handy little weighing device, we eventually managed to squash everything in, having to wear only our boots and two coats!  Not the most fashionable pair in Geneva, but I think we worked the outdoors look quite well!  Hmm… 

For our first week in the Alps we were staying in the Yeti Lodge in the charming village of Argentiere a short drive from the popular and well known Chamonix.  As the first week was an organised climb of Mont Blanc our fellow group members were also staying at the Lodge.   It’s always a bit of a gamble these group activities as there’s the risk of being accommodated with the most annoying person you’ve ever met making a week of precious leave feel like an eternity!  However, on this occasion we were very lucky!  On our arrival we were met by the lovely Emma, also from the UK.  Friendly, genuine and very much on our wavelength – phew!  Next up was Rich from New Zealand whose wife had accompanied him but who would not be climbing with us.  These two vibrant New Zealanders knew how to have a good time and the four of us hit the nearest pub straight away to enjoy one of the weeks few beers whilst watching NZ give Italy a hard time in the World Cup!  

Back at the Lodge we met the remainder of our group members, the dynamic Mark and Adi from Dubai who kept us thoroughly entertained over dinner with their stories of all their adventures; Nelson from the US who has this amazing talent for memorising packs of cards – the best party trick we’ve ever seen!   In fact, he holds the US record for the most digits memorised in five minutes!  And Tim, also from the US, the gadget guy of the group who impressed us with not only his fitness and ability but also his warmth and positive attitude.  A mixed bag from all over but somehow it worked.  With a cracking view of Mont Blanc from the Lodge we soon got talking about what it would be like to get up there and whether the altitude or our fitness would cause us any problems! 

Orny Hut – Acclimatisation 

Having spent the first night getting to know each other, our second night of the trip was to be spent at the Orny Hut at 2,831m to start our acclimatisation process.  We drove to Champex in Switzerland and took the first of many chairlifts up to La Breya, from where we had a fantastic view of Lake Geneva and the Rhone Valley below.  Personally, having had some interesting experiences with chairlifts on previous skiing trips I was relieved to successfully get on and off the lift without injury!  I took this to be a good omen for the week ahead.  Plus, the weather couldn’t have been any better with beautiful sunshine and amazing views as we walked up to the hut and had a play around with our ice axes and crampons. 

We then tucked into huge bowls of hot chocolate – oh yes, these guys know how to run a good hut!  These days they have mattresses and pillows and even slippers to wear – well plastic shoes and you have to make sure you get in early if you want two the same size!  Also, the sleeping arrangements are cosy!  I mean you soon get to know your fellow group members as you are practically sleeping on top of each other as space is at a premium at this height!  Whilst the eye mask and ear plugs helped, it was pretty much a sleepless night for a few of us, especially as we seemed to take it in turns to switch on our headlamps and make the journey down from the bunks, across the creaky floorboards and down the stairs on our journey to the coldest toilets in the world!  But never mind – sleep is for wimps! 

 Sunrise at the Orny

The following morning, we were up at 5am for breakfast.  Unfortunately, the hut Guardian was not so we headed outside to check out the views while we waited for breakfast.  And wow what a view!  As the sun was rising we found ourselves surrounded by a beautiful sea of cloud.  It really was breathtaking and we felt privileged to be a part of this special moment in this magical place.  Witnessing the dramatic changes as the sun rose – from a mystical blue and grey, to a layering of reds and oranges and finally full bright blue skies is a sight that no human will ever be able to adequately re-create by artificial means.  Peace, tranquillity and nature at it’s best – this is why we climb mountains.

Aiguille du Tour

Our guides, Paul and Greg, lured us back in with more bowls of hot chocolate and the weirdest porridge I have ever had.  It was exactly what you should eat before undertaking a hard days walking, but not particularly easy on the palette!  Then we set off across the Glacier at Plateau du Trient to make our ascent of the Aiguille du Tour 3,542m.  Whilst Steve had struggled a bit on the way up to the Orny Hut he appeared to have acclimatised and was in full swing today.  Whilst, having had no problems the previous day myself, the altitude seemed to catch up with me today (or maybe it was the porridge!) as I found it difficult to put one foot in front of the other and climb up a relatively easy hill.  This I found quite disconcerting considering it was only a couple of days until Mont Blanc and if I couldn’t manage this, how on earth would I climb Mont Blanc?!  However, on reaching the rocky scrambling section at the end I seemed to regain my energy and enjoyed scrambling over the rocks up to the summit.  From here we had superb views of Mont Blanc – which still looked awfully big – and all the way over to the distinctive pyramid shaped Matterhorn.  After a pause for our first summit pictures we made our way down and back across the border into France, descending the Glacier du Tour at break neck speed in order to enjoy a coffee stop at the Albert Premier hut.  We then continued down to the Col de Balme 2,130m where we took the chairlift back to the village of Le Tour.  It was then back to the Yeti Lodge for a delicious three course meal and proper beds!  Heaven! 

Aiguille du Midi

The next morning, we once again woke to beautiful blue skies and perfect conditions.  After breakfast we took the cable car from Chamonix up to Aiguille du Midi 3,842m.  This was one of those large lifts where about 40 people are crammed in and there was an eclectic mix of climbers in all their gear with ice axes and crampons, and Japanese tourists with their camcorders and sun hats.  It was amusing to watch all the experienced climbers standing nonchalant as the chairlift swung profusely on crossing the pylons compared with the excitable tourists ooohing and ahhing reminiscent of a fireworks display!  I must confess, I joined in with the tourists!  Sorry cool climber peeps!  However, by the end of our second week in France I had adopted the nonchalant demeanour and therefore redeemed myself to some extent… perhaps..!

First close up of Mont Blanc!

 On exiting the cable car we made our way to the viewing platform to take a close up view of Mont Blanc and the route we would be taking in a couple of days time.  I felt a strange mix of excitement but predominantly nerves as Paul pointed out the route we would be taking.  It was big, it was steep and I tried not to let myself ponder over how the altitude had affected me the day before.  PMA, positive mental attitude or at least just don’t think about it!  Denial is good! 

Traverse of the Vallee Blanche

So it was on with the crampons, axes out and roped up as we made our way out of the ice tunnels and away from the tourists.  Today we were traversing the Vallee Blanche which started by descending a classic yet spectacular snow arête to the Col Du Midi 3,532m.  This is where the enormous scale of the mountains becomes clear as we were surrounded on all sides by the big mountains of the Alps – Le Drus, les Grandes Jorasses, Courtes and Droites.  We crossed snow bridges, looked down into huge crevasses and admired the towering seracs as we traversed this impressive and stunning route to the Helbronner Gondola station on the Italian border.  I thoroughly enjoyed this day and again felt at peace with the world and my decision to climb mountains.  We returned via the spectacular panoramic Gondala to our starting point of Aiguille du Midi to ooh and ahh our way back down to Chamonix.  This was our acclimatisation complete.  Tomorrow the Mont Blanc adventure would begin.

And the main journey begins!

We were all up for breakfast, dressed and ready to go by 10am when the guides turned up.  They looked slightly bemused and informed us we wouldn’t be leaving until about 3pm, advising us to get some rest in preparation and that all we would be doing today was to go up to Aiguille du Midi and make the short journey to the Cosmique Hut.  It was decided that we would be doing the Trois Mont Blanc route as we had been unable to secure accommodation in the huts for the other routes!  The guides were clearly a bit nervous about this due to the higher risk of avalanche and crevasses on this route, but conditions were good and so we were able to go ahead.  We were quite pleased to be doing this slightly more difficult traverse as whilst it is longer, it is also one of the most panoramic and spectacular routes.  We would be descending by the Dome du Gouter Normal Route.

So, it was on the bus into Chamonix for some carb loading on pizza and McDonalds prior to catching the lift up to our start point.  Yes, probably not the best food to eat but having had a week of excellent healthy cuisine at the Yeti Lodge we felt the need for some simple stodge!  We all relaxed and rested as instructed and so it was a shock when 3pm suddenly came round and it was time to go.  Particularly as the buses don’t run often and we had relied on the trains to get back to the Lodge and of course, it being France, there was a strike on!  But we all managed to get back just in time to grab our kit and jump on the mini bus back to Chamonix!  We then heard that the lift closes at four and all the guides weren’t there yet.  This is one thing you learn about guides – they are so unbelievably chilled out and relaxed and did not seem in the slightest bit worried that we may miss the lift.  Maybe they know something we don’t, but we felt very relived when we finally boarded the last lift of the day up to Aiguille du Midi and made the short journey on foot to the Cosmiques Hut on the Col du Midi at the foot of Mont Blanc.

Arrival at the Cosmiques Hut – not long now!

Arriving at the hut was an experience in itself!  Like feeding time in the zoo!  We arrived last having left it until late in the day and therefore there was practically no space left for all our kit, or us!  I managed to fight for a space for our kit whilst Steve foraged around and located 4 slippers!  Good work!  Each of the four slippers were a different size mind you, but they went on!  Was quite amusing to see Nelson squeeze his size 14’s into a size 8!  Anyway, it was then time to secure a bunk.  Fortunately our reserved bunks were all clustered together so at least we could spend a few hours in bed with familiar smelly feet as opposed to those of strangers.

Dinner was a quiet affair.  It seemed nerves were kicking in as even those who were usually very talkative were quiet.  Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps at 4,810m and is ranked 11^th in the world in topographic prominence.  It is also one of the most beautiful mountains in the world with a quintessential alpine character, heavily glaciated and steep.  One fact we all had in mind that night at the Cosmiques was that it is also the mountain that has claimed the most lives.  Ugg!  The guides decided that we would depart at 3am as opposed to the normal 1am start in order to allow all other climbers staying at the hut to get out and away before us so we wouldn’t get caught up in the mad rush.  So it was an early night for many.  Some of us went outside to get a last glimpse of the mountain before we left and I was pleased to find that I felt more excited than nervous and motivated to get going.  Again, a fairly sleepless few hours and suddenly it was our time to leave.  A quick breakfast later and we found ourselves with crampons on and ready to go.  Come on Mont Blanc!

We could see the column of headlights of the earlier climbers snaking their way up the mountain ahead of us as we departed the hut and almost immediately started on our ascent up to the shoulder of Mont Blanc du Tacul, 4,100m.  It was on passing a large serac on the top of this that we experienced the sunrise.  This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip and I must confess an emotional moment for me!  Not that I would show it being the cool nonchalant climber that I am…!  We were fortunate to be experiencing perfect conditions and whilst we crossed a couple of crevasses and avalanche danger spots, all went well.  We crossed Col Maudit and ascended the steep slopes to Breche Maudit 4,345m.  It was on this section that we were flabbergasted to see a group had stopped for a break right underneath a serac!  Not a clever idea unless you have a strong desire to be crushed to death by a large block of falling ice!  Our guide rushed us past this section shouting at the guide from this group to move them along and get to safety.  We’re assuming this group turned back at this point as they were clearly struggling and many turn around when they reach the foot of the 40-50 degree ice climb.  But not us!

Whilst this section was very tiring, we were determined to continue and make it to the summit.  We dropped about 100m here in order to reach the Col de la Brenva 4,303m, which gave the legs a chance to recover slightly, but I feel may have led them into a false sense of security as the steep sections at the end were still to come.  This is one of the funny things about climbing mountains.  Sometimes the summit can seem really close, but due to the altitude and steep terrain it is actually quite a long way off.  So it was time to dig deep, put one foot in front of the other and climb the steep section of the Mur de la Cote and then the final slopes up to the summit.  I topped up on jelly sweets for the final push as it is the only thing I found I could eat without feeling really sick at altitude!  Stevie and I had eaten half a flapjack each earlier in the day and it had made us both feel really sick. 

Summit!!!

The last half an hour was spent putting one foot in front of the other, finding a pace and getting up there.  By now it felt as if someone was constantly banging my head with a hammer, but we knew we were all going to make it and that spurred us all on.  And then, before we knew it we were there – summit!!!!  Woohoo!  With wonderful weather conditions we had 360 degree views of one of the most stunning landscapes in the world!  We also felt a great sense of achievement, after all we had just succeeded in doing what we had come out here to do.  We took loads of photo’s, including promotional ones for our sponsors, had a quick jelly sweet and drink and it was time to get down.  Mountain climbing is a funny business, you spend hours climbing up, spend 10 minutes at the top and then spend hours getting back down again.  It’s hard to explain why, but for those of us who love being out there in that environment, you just can’t beat it.

And Back down!

The route down commenced with a stunning arête and then we made good speed on down towards the Gouter Hut.  And the lower we went the better my head felt.  Oxygen is not to be underestimated I can tell you!  We decided to stop at the Gouter Hut to re-group, have a hot chocolate and eat all the food we couldn’t stomach on the way up!  It was then only a couple of hours down to the Tete Rousse Hut where we would be spending the night prior to making a very short journey back to the little train and lift back to Chamonix at Nid d’Aigle.  The last section was good fun and involved scrambling on rock and ice which made a pleasant change from steep snow slopes.  And before we knew it we were at the hut!  Time for laughs, food and drink after a successful summit!

Dramatic ending!!

And for the first time I actually slept in the hut! Possibly long enough to snore a little, not that I’m admitting to such things!  Then it was on with all the gear again to make our way back to the comforts of the Yeti Lodge.  This was a very simple section and should have taken only a couple of hours.  But, accidents can happen at any time on the mountains and unfortunately Adi came a cropper when she fell and broke her leg in three places!  Nasty!  A brave lady though with not a swear word or tear in sight!  So our journey down took a little longer as we waited with Adi as she was airlifted to a hospital nearby.  I can report she is now home safe and doing well.  The rest of us then made our way back down to Chamonix just in time for a pizza lunch.  An amazing week, in a stunning area, with some fabulous people.  Thank you Mont Blanc!

 We’d like to say thanks to our Guide Paul Farmer for getting us up and to Chamonix Experience for organising it all.  A fantastic trip.

Sun was shining again last weekend as we headed to the Faenol Estate in Bangor for Radio 1’s Big Weekend.  We decided to wear our new Patch Expedition T.shirts so we could get some pics for our Facebook pages and blog.  If you take a look at the pics you can see the white band on the back of the shirts with our web address on.  This white band is not meant to be there, but is actually covering up the spelling mistake that was made!!  Apparently, the company our supplier uses in India to design the logo’s had been bombed and so there was a mad dash to find an alternative in time for the weekend – hence the job being rushed and the spelling not being checked!  Always a drama!!

Anyway, the Big Weekend was fantastic!  And as we were feeling rock and roll we even broke our training ban from alcohol and had a beer in the sun!  We managed to catch up with a couple of Radio 1’s DJ’s to chat about our Expedition and convinced the one and only Chipmunk to pose for a picture with us!  We have his fantastic security team to thank for that as they arranged for this exception to his ‘no photo’s’ ban and gave us loads of encouragement for the expedition.

Towards the end of the day we headed over to the Introducing Stage to see up and coming group Beatbullyz who we had met earlier in the day and who had impressed us with their energy and passion!  Had a good dance – excellant for mainatining our cardio endurance! – and have since had a giggle at how geeky we look on their video’s on the Radio 1 website!  But the T.shirts look good!!!

We also managed to drag ourselves away from the music to ask some of the other Big Weekenders which tune they would take with them to get them to the top of Everest.  Take a look at some of our favourite answers on our video.  Some of these will definately be on our I-Pods as we make our way up the Big E!  Further suggestions will be gratefully received!

What song would get you to the top of Everest?

As Radio 1’s Big Weekend came to sunny North Wales we decided to pay homage to this beautiful area in which we live and train.  Chris Moyles has created a fantastic parody using Alicia Keys ‘New York’ song and changed the lyrics to highlight the delights North Wales has to offer.  And so we decided to create a video to compliment it!  This involved getting up early on Saturday morning and embarking on a mad dash around North Wales and all the places mentioned in the parody with a borrowed video camera and a digital camera we won in a raffle!  Rock and Roll!  Let us know what you think!

Alicia Keys North Wales Parody by Chris Moyles – Road to The Big Weekend

Bank holiday Monday and the sun is shining!!  Admittedly, so far it’s been a rather grey and grisly weekend, but no matter, today the sun has got his hat on and it looks like he’s here to stay!  We’d been hoping to get around the horseshoe for quite some time now for the simple reason that it looked quite exciting and a bit more adventurous than just tabbing up the main paths.  Not that there’s anything wrong with the main paths, they’re actually rather varied with great views, but when you’re up in Snowdonia training every weekend, variety is key.

As we are extremely frugal these days we refused to pay for parking so we had to park a fair way from the start of the route at Pen Y Pass.   But never mind, it’s always good to have a bit of a warm up..hmm!  Anyway, we started off by approaching the scramble/climbing sections of Crib Goch.  If there’s a clear route up these sections we certainly didn’t find it, but amused ourselves by picking our own routes up the rock, choosing to play around on some harder sections practicing our climbing.  This is when we had our first casualty!  One of my water bottle’s clearly decided it had had enough of sitting in my pack and while I launched myself up to reach for a handhold it leapt out and threw itself down the rocks, impaling itself and leaking energy ooze everywhere!  Never mind, we’ll be dehydrated on Everest, it’ll add to the training!  (We tell ourselves this during every mishap!)

Onward and upwards, we soon reach the pinnacles and experienced some exposure training!  It was bizarre to experience how cold it was to the right with the rock still peppered with snow and yet there was beautiful sunshine to the less exposed left hand side.  Staying slightly left (wimps!) we picked our way along, stopping every few minutes to absorb the fantastic views and comment on the stunning weather.  We must have commented on the weather every five minutes, very British of us! I think we were in shock as we’d got so used to being out in the wind and rain all the time!

After Crib Goch came Crib Y Ddysgl.  Again, another place to play around on the rocks picking a route through.  We had read in the guide books that it was quite a busy route, but we pretty much had it to ourselves which was great.  I was beginning to wonder if Steve was suffering from some kind of heat exhaustion as he kept stopping and looking behind him for periods of time (there was no-one there!)  and then walking on and suddenly stopping and looking.  He later informed me that he thought he could hear birds chirping and that there must have been nests along the way.  Turns out however that it was the frame in his rucksack causing the noise!  Bless!

We reached Garnedd Ugain, an often unvisited summit which is actually only 20 meters lower than Snowdon.  We decided to have lunch here away from the hustle and bustle on the Snowdon summit and sat taking in the 360 degree views.  Then it was on over the summit of Snowdon and down the southern ridge towards Y Lliwedd.  We stopped briefly to consider the previous weekend’s adventures on this side of Snowdon when the weather had been horrendous with no visibility.  We had lost our way and gone way off track!  Funny how different the weather can be from day to day on the mountains and how prepared for each eventuality you have to be.

The path across the three summits of Y Lliwedd was easier to navigate thanks to the numerous cairns along the way.  It’s amazing how comforting these can be when you are the only ones on the mountain and you’re not sure whether you’re headed in the right direction.  I must admit we did get a bit over excited in our attempt to see who could find the next cairn first (we must have been in shock at being out in the sunshine!)  and then who could place the biggest rock on it.  But hey, we were having fun and it helped us forget our achy limbs!

It was then simply a matter of the walk back down to the car.  Probably the best weather we’ve ever experienced in Snowdonia and a classic route taking in the stunning and inspirational views for miles around.  Not bad for a weekend in Wales!

This is a bit embarrassing to admit but we have actually managed to get lost on Snowdon!  No really!!  It all started on a beautiful, calm, sunny day when we awoke to blue skies and sunshine.  We had decided to walk the classic Snowdon Horseshoe so we got up early, packs already sorted and jumped into little Shelia (that’s our car’s name! Sad but true!)  and off we went.   However, the closer to Llanberis we got the darker and murkier the skies became and we realised that the blanket of fog sat over Snowdonia was there to stay.  Never detered, we changed our plans and decided to climb trusty Snowdon.  However, we’ve climbed the Llanberis Path, Miners Path and Pyg Track that many times over the past few months that we simply couldn’t face them again.  We therefore decided to give the Watkin Path a bash as Steve had never climbed it and I hadn’t done so since I was in the Scouts, many, many years ago.

Pretty much as soon as we opened the car door the rain started to fall.  But hey, that’s why we spend so much on gore tex, so no problem, we shall not be defeated!  We easily located the start of the track (the car park and big sign certainly helped!) and we started the gradual climb through the serene woods.  It was nice and gentle and we soon found ourselves walking alongside the waterfalls which somehow seemed more impressive and powerful in the pouring rain and increasing winds.  I really started to enjoy myself, there’s something very liberating about being out in the mountains, battling the weather, man against nature…well these are the bits I like to focus on as opposed to the snotty nose production overdrive and achy limbs which are the less glamourous side to walking!  All in all it was an enjoyable ascent, particularly the steep, scree section at the top which added in a bit of variety.

By the time we reached the summit however we were freezing!  We had a bit of a giggle about the fact that one of the first things I did that morning was pack some sun cream, particularly as I had experienced mini chufties about the fact I had remembered an important yet often forgotten product!  The cafe on the top was also closed so no quick and easy warm up for us.  Instead we joined the groups of walkers and cyclists who were gathered around the edges trying to warm frozen fingers on thermos flasks and making comments about the amount of money spent on the cafe which never opens as how often do we get good weather in Wales!  (I would like to say that when open the cafe is actually excellant and definately an improvement!  No comment with regards the weather!)

After a quick bite to eat, a gulp of lukewarm coffee (can anyone recommend a thermos that actually keeps things hot?!) and a doubling in the amount of clothing worn, we turned to make our descent, back down the way we came.  Sounds simple enough right?  Well you’d think so, but no.  It was almost white out conditions and somehow we managed to lose the path whilst on the scree section.  See, although I had enjoyed coming up on the scree, I have a real dislike of coming down scree sections.  Unlike Steve, who has this really cool scree surfing technique, I spend most of the time falling over and getting back up again with the grace of an elephant.  This is a time consuming, exhausting and frustrating technique which I seem to have perfected over the years and am unable to break away from.  So not only was I quickly using up my energy reserves, we also suddenly found ourselves completely lost with no path in sight!  (This is of course a bit embarrasing considering our mountaineering aspirations!)

Anyway, still unperturbed we felt we knew the general direction and off we headed.  At this point we still couldn’t see anything, where we’d come from or where we were going thanks to the persistent fog! We were of course very careful as we were aware of the dangers in such conditions and certainly were not planning on having to call out the helicopters whilst on Snowdon!  And therefore, when we found ourselves at the top of a rather large drop, we realised it was time to head back up to try and rejoin the path.  Steve was thrilled at this prospect and expressed this in his usual manner of colourful languague and stomping bodily movements.  By the way, it was still blowing a gale and pouring down with rain and as we hadn’t bothered putting on our waterproof trousers (the old Army training of waterproof trousers are for wimps has got us into trouble many times!) we were experiencing the wet underwear phenomena which as you may or may not know is not very comfortable!  So having spent the best part of an hour going down, accross, up a bit, down a bit, and then another half hour slogging it back up vertically, find the path we did and it led us all the way back to our start point with no further incidents or drama (from Steve!)

So the moral of this story is, you can get lost on Snowdon (well we did!) despite the presence of numerous very well established paths!!  It is also wise to put on your waterproof trousers if you have them in your bag, before you get soaked right through and don’t get too cocky when you pack the sunscreen it seems this may be tempting fate!  And that completes the Patch guide to Snowdon!

This week it was time to face the cameras and get some pics taken at the gym to send out with our press releases to the local papers.  Neil and the staff at LyonsDen in Bagillt have been really supportive from the start and are showing their support for the Patch Expedition by allowing us to use the facilities and by putting us through our paces!

Neither Steve nor myself were particularly excited at the prospect of spending a considerable amount of time in a gym, but the staff and customers of LyonsDen have made us feel really welcome and have totally changed our pinion! 

And there’s more!  LyonsDen are offering a special discount to new customers who are sponsors of the Patch Expedition.   By sponsoring a patch you will also be entitled to one months free membership when you join the gym.  Or, if you work for a company and 5 or more of you  join you can also claim a 10% discount off gym membership.   Contact LyonsDen for more details – 01352 711433, www.lyonsdenfitness.co.uk.