Saturday 24 June 2017

Peaking

Ironically, I saw on the OS map that we passed Simon Fell as we peaked. And we peaked three times in twelve hours. In near perfect weather, pretty much everything in moderation without any torrential rain, hail or snow. In The Yorkshire Dales National Park, some of which was moved to Cumbria, all of which remains in the north of England. No one left behind. No traumas brought home.

The challenge started at 7 am, from Horton-in-Ribblesdale where noise abatement considerations preclude earlier departures. We set out for Pen-y-ghent (694 m) in a conga-like line of several hundred challengers of all ages, shapes, sizes and purpose. We fourteen plus two guides from Maximum Adventure melded indistinguishably into the hordes. Said hordes were relatively well disciplined, discarding little waste other than losing hats and ziplock bags to the crosswinds and generally lining up patiently for the more vertical bits. Our guides reminded some overly enthusiastic folk that scrabbling above us risked dislodging rocks or sliding down onto us. My thoughts were darker; along the lines of 'If I survive you knocking me over, I will hunt you down'. A group of dentists from Leeds sportingly yielded space to me on the ascent of Pen-y-gent when I asked for a bit more time and showed them the scar I was protecting on my left hand. Guide C and I were discussing the 320 million year old cyclotherms underfoot, the alternating layers of limestone and grits that resisted recent glaciation and form the distinctive flat topped peaks, the mountains of our challenge. Ninety minutes into the hike and we were lined up at the wall on the peak for a team photo, in a gap between mists. Not too bad at all; so far, so good.


The second peak at Whernside (736 m) was a long way off; about 19 km and five hours away in fact. Much of the boggy portion between the first two peaks is paved and more paving is being added, all needed to limit people to a track and reduce the erosion due to the several hundred thousand who trek here annually. We crossed steams and walked beside dry stone walls and passed typical Dales stone houses. We stopped en-route for twenty minutes at the Ribblehead Viaduct for a bathroom break in the Station Inn, hot soup for some and generally, to take a breather. I often wonder what other people think about on treks like these. I wondered what it was like living in shanties during the four years of viaduct construction, especially when you know around a hundred were killed in workplace accidents and that smallpox was endemic. And do many folk notice (or care about) the impressive glacial drumlins that fill the valley? And on and on we went, alongside the aqueduct that takes a beck (the Force Gill) over the railway with a view to the entrance of the famous Blea Moor tunnel, up to the Force Gill waterfall and then up Whernside proper, a rounded mountain that is both the highest and least visually impressive of the three peaks. We lined up again for another team photo, this in strong crosswinds that somehow thickened the mist; 23 km and 6.5 hours done. Coming down from the plateau of Whernside was tough, along the sometime walled border with Cumbria and then precipitously down into the Shake Holes area but the weather was pretty much perfect and so it was nothing like as treacherous underfoot as wet limestone can be (and would have been if we'd walked 24 hours earlier).

We crossed the valley of the Winterscales Beck towards Ingleborough (723 m), the third peak, stopping for thirty minutes at Philpin Farm for tea, ice cream and a change of socks (at least these are what I enjoyed on that break). I was getting intermittent messages of encouragement, when mobile coverage allowed, via text and Whatsapp as Walkmeter was broadcasting our progress to friends and family across the world. Guide C rightly chastised me for 'being like a teenager' reading a message, I thought safely, being on a flat grassy bit; I was risking a tumble I couldn't afford (and nor could the team), mea culpa. As an aside, in a truly extreme example of mobile madness, I saw one young woman in trainers shouting over the wind to a tablet-sized video call as she stumbled over limestone cobbles in the mist, just a few metres from the top of a cliff. Ingleborough was the hardest peak for me. By far. I found the ascent really challenging. I was neck-tired from the concentration it took to visually spot the best place for each footfall - normally, this is pretty much autonomic but not when you are consciously protecting a recently repaired hand. Also, much of the blocky scramble was on my left side and I was having to steady myself with my good, right hand, while making very large steps up. Guide C and team mates, BA and AF really helped just by staying with me. And on arrival at the table-topped summit, Guide M walked me across to the peak for the last team photo, another misty mountain trophy. Ten hours and 33 km done, it was a trifle dismaying to accept what we already knew, that there were still two more hours to walk back to Horton-in-Ribblesdale. And so, for the first time, our team split into two, seven hares deciding to run to the pub (or so they said). Us tortoises still made it in twelve hours, just, enjoying the delightful evening sunshine as it brought fields to light and warmth to our faces. And we'd only needed our rain gear twice, for nothing more than short lived drizzle. Hurrah.

Ribblehead Viaduct
There are many memories and eventually, our photos will supplant them. As RN said, 'The memories of these challenges go on for ever - just like the last few miles'. Or perhaps SZ, 'it was the last 23 miles I struggled with most'. Meantime, in summary, this was a great walk, a fine challenge and despite it promising to be the hardest of the four I've done over the last decade, it was the most satisfying. The difference? This was the only one that didn't involve sleep deprivation. And our guides, M and C, were fantastic. They paced us well and circled to rescue any who became dispirited, and not just folk on our team. However, having experienced guides is about the security in case of accident or emergency. And having a reassuring safety-net to promote self-confidence.

There are several serious aspects to these challenges. In our case, we raised a lot of money for Care International (you know who you are and we are exceedingly grateful for your support). And the success of our fund raising was really put into perspective by some of the conversations I had with other groups out on the trek. There were an incredible number of motivations for their pilgrimages. Charity fundraisers for poverty, cancer, the children's hospice. Memorial walks after loss of family members or loved ones. A temple of Sikhs, a practice of dentists, a union of students, university challenge, all team building. Family outings for significant birthdays. A sober stag group. Reunions of all sorts; some said army, some said a get-together of former work colleagues. One group said they were on a corporate spirit weekend but I think we call that Corporate Social Responsibility, which is why we were walking. And I'm sure others had lots more reasons besides. The scale of it all is quite impressive. Imagine that we 14 averaged 60,000 steps each, expended about 3500 calories each and took not just three days in travel and trek, but maybe averaged 100 hours training beforehand. Our partners, spouses, family, friends, colleagues, employers and supporters deserve at least a moment's consideration. We, none of us, did this in a vacuum. And we, each of us, spent a small fortune on boots, socks, back-packs, poles, waterproofs, snacks, water-bottles, vitamins I and P (ibuprofen, paracetamol), sudocrem, knee braces, compeed and maps, gadgets and batteries. And they say a quarter of a million people will set out to do The Yorkshire Three Peaks this year. It's quite fantastic especially since Level 4 fitness is needed to conquer The Yorkshire Three Peaks (same fitness level as Mont Blanc and Kilimanjaro). Some readers might like to know that the annual Yorkshire Three Peaks Race attracts runners who can complete the course in approximately three hours. I'm pleased that we took the twelve and because of that, I feel less fatigue due to taking one hour at rest stops. Rather than a medal or a certificate, I have a flat cap, and to quote from colleague JB, 'I'll always wear my flat cap with pride'. Twelve hours was the perfect time to spend on this challenge.


And here's the link to the final map. Some might say that I owe my sponsors 100 km in training walks. I say I broke my hand four weeks ago and I'm delighted to have been fixed and able to complete the challenge at all. Including the challenge itself, I did 44 walks in total, and it took 100 hours to cover 447 km. Thank you all, sponsors, team mates, guides, physiotherapists, surgeon, friends and family.


And finally, the remainder of the string of (disjointed) notes from my phone:

Who'd have thought you could assemble a team of fourteen with everyone having unique initials? BA TB PB JB AF HG MJ SK RN SR MS PS PT SZ

Our guide M has done both Mont Blanc and Matterhorn.  Our Kiwi AF was discrete in her celebration of the ABs defeating the Lions as we walked. Our American HG took great photos in his new clothes. Our IT savvy Scot MS shared a host of new gadgets. Our Cornish delegate BA ate pasties and wore shorts that earned him a mild hypothermia. Our co-driver JB forgot to bring a tie for the designer shirt worn on the mountains. The Canadian PS sliced and diced a toe only days before the trek.

Who knew phones were for streaming anthems via Deezer into blue-tooth boomboxes inside reverberant minivans? Prince Kinks Dolly My Way with Rocket Man.

Seasoned trekkers talk of anti-inflammatories and pain killers in tablet / caplet count to avoid admitting to self-medicating by grams rather than milligrams.

Time for a few top tips. Always turn off the taps in your hotel bathroom if plumbers are adjusting the mains water supply. Baby food pouches are a great way to keep hydrated and nourished - Ella's Kitchen red, yellow, purple and even green ones worked for me. As did putting sudocrem between my toes before the walk. Professional guides M and C from Maximum Adventure were just that, professional.

Hadrian's Wall was suggested for next year. Please count me out.

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