Most of you will know that I am climbing/walking the UKs five highest peaks to raise money for the regimental museum. Yesterday, 14th of August saw some members of the Association and Julie and I climb Snowdon on our latest museum fund raising trip.
We started the climb at 0900 having met with all those taking part in the Llanberis car park. The climb starts from the Llanberis station and immediately begins to climb with a steep ascent up a tarmac road for a kilometre. The Llanberis path is supposedly the “Easiest” route but this climb is a shock to the system and gets your lungs working hard. (If you are not fit be prepared for some “Ouch”!)
It eventually levels out a little and breaks off from the road onto a sometimes graded, sometimes not path that fluctuates between gentle uphill walk on a path to really hard graft clamber up a boulder slope.
After three kilometres you reach the halfway house.
No facilities, just coffee and buns. As you approach the summit the wind picks up.
We were lucky with the weather and hit a window between two Atlantic low pressure systems so the wind was not too much of a problem and apart from a very light shower we had no rain.
It was fantastic to be accompanied by several members of the Association and their wives so well done to Cas and Annette Potter, Carl and Lisa Bate, Darrel Jones and his son Kylle, Mac McKillop and Andy and Kay McManus (who, although not part of the Association came along to help my wife Julie raise money for her half brother, a Police Officer who sustained life changes injuries in the line of duty in February).
After 1085m of a climb, the walk down is often more painful than the walk up but for me the pain started the following day. I do not recall having been so stiff for many a year.
The next climbs are Ben Nevis which is scheduled for 14 September and then Scafell Pike on 28 September. If there are any hardy souls/lunatics who fancy a stroll it would be great to see you.
If you have not donated toward the Museum fund, yet why not consider doing so. Why is it important? Because the museum holds the record of OUR legacy which helps to illustrate the standards we expect of our successors.
Contact Major Jim Austin at HHQ to find out how to donate.
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