My best friend and I have been hiking and scrambling in the mountains together for a couple of decades now. Back in the early Noughties we decided that we would complete our own version of the Three Peaks every 4 years until one of us croaks. The survivor then completes the challenge in the next due year on a in memoriam basis. Our rules are simple; All three peaks completed in one calendar year. Total walking time to be less than 24 hours (ex' summit stops) - although in reality if we exceeded this time we'd not beat ourselves up - especially as we are heading into old age. Our next challenge is in 2018 (this is one year overdue due to illness on my part) - again we are not going to fret about this. Crap happens in life. Our routes for 2018 are as follows: Snowdon - 5 Nails from Pen-y-Pass. Scafell Pike - Bit of a biggie this one but something we've wanted to do for a while now. Cockly Beck > Little Stand (nice scramble) > Crinkle Crags > Bowfell > Esk Pike > Scafell Pike > Scafell > Slight Side > The Woolpack Inn. This route might impact quite heavily on the 24 hr overall target time. Ben Nevis - Glen Nevis Gorge Car Park > Carn Mor Dearg via East Ridge > Ben Nevis via CMD Arette > Carn Dearg > Glen Nevis. Another hefty day and we may decide against the descent from Carn Dearg and take the Tourist Track down instead - will depend on how tired we are. Neither of us have descended from Carn Dearg before but I have ascended and from what I remember (did it sometime in the nineties) it is was very steep and a bit loose in places. *** Anyone else have any reoccurring mountain challenges in their life?
Mine is quite simple. I love walking the Pennine Way. I’ve done it 6 times over the last 20 years and am planning to do it a 7th time this summer. I’ve no rules other than to do it all in one trip and not to use the services of a Sherpa company.
No - it's always been South to North. The one year I planned to do it the other way, I got to Kirk Yetholm and injured my back in the B&B the night before setting off. I had to bail out, call a taxi and go home to see my osteopath. The problem with North to South is that it begins with a 27 mile day (to Byrness) and I much prefer doing this at the end when Ive built up some fitness. I know I could split the first stage in two with a pickup half way but it's a really faff to arrange this.
Not as such. I've a recurring annual meet in Wales. It used to be the remnants of the Uni mtneering club I was in. Over the 25 odd years it has slowly morphed into a different kind of group but still the same core of people. What's curious is that though none of us spend so much time in the hills any more, or look quite the same shape as we once did, we are all still active, ski mtneering, cycling, triathlons, sailing and of course talking crap and drinking. I look forward to it every year and mourn when I can't make it, like this year. Over that time, as a group, we have laughed and cried together, drifted away and drifted back but the meet and the friendships remain constant.
