Three Peaks, Two Peaks, One Peak: Loud ‘n’ Proud

When we initially broke it to my eldest that his dream of doing the Three Peaks wouldn’t be coming true just now, he was angry and upset. But the reasoning was completely sound and I, for one, was glad he wasn’t going to be doing it. I don’t want to dampen his adventurous spirit or say he will never do it, but I think 13 is a bit young, especially when neither her, nor his dad, are as fit as they might be.

Not long after the Three Peaks became the Two Peaks, the shine of the whole thing wore off. He couldn’t really see the point in travelling to Scafell Pike if he wasn’t doing the Three Peaks, so he decided he’d just rather climb Snowdon and some other mountains in the area.

They set off on an unseasonably cold May day. Back in Gloucestershire, I was wearing the winter coat I hadn’t worn for the past month. The forecast for the summit of Snowdon was -2 degrees.

They took the Watkin path. There are eight paths up Snowdon and they have now walked seven of them over the past two years. The Watkin path starts much lower down than the other paths – close to sea level – so the climb is longer and harder. Whereas some of the paths are very gradual, or even quite flat to start with, this was quite a hard climb all the way.

My husband said it put his strength, fitness and stamina to the test, but my son did really well (that must have been the training climbs I took him on!). Although there was never any doubt that they would complete it, it was a hard climb. Made much worse by the weather.

It rained from the second they left the youth hostel to the second they got back to the car. As they got higher, it turned to sleet and then snow. At first the snow didn’t settle, then it started settling. And they kept on climbing. Thank goodness for waterproofs and layers!

Apparently the last bit of the climb was steep and unstable, with a fair amount of scrambling involved. They said I would have hated it! I’m so glad I wasn’t there to see them.

They made it back down in one piece, although cold and wet. Even waterproofs have their limits. As they looked back at the mountain, it was completely snow-covered.

They decided to scrap their plans for any more mountains. The weather just wasn’t good enough.

I’m proud of my husband and son for climbing Snowdon in these conditions. I’m also very proud that they were sensible enough to realise they shouldn’t climb any more. Sensible decision-making and safety considerations aren’t really their strong points!

Son, Snowdon, Snow, 365

If you’re feeling Loud ‘n’ Proud of any achievements this week, however big of small, add them to the linky below. Next week, Loud ‘n’ Proud will be hosted by Mama Owl.

Mum of Three World



Author: Sarah Mummy

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9 Comments

  1. That really is something to be proud about!
    I think my heart would be in my mouth whilst I waited for them to return, so well done you too!
    #Bloglovin

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    • Thanks very much! I was very proud of them, even though they’ve done it before. I was very pleased when they made it home in one piece!

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  2. Glad they did it and glad they knew when to stop. It’s a reminder that our mountains can be dangerous if you don’t take care. Snow in May seems a bit scary.

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    • Thanks very much. Mountains definitely can be dangerous! I never would have expected snow in May.

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  3. Hats off for knowing when to stop, it’s not fair to take risks with children in tow. Fantastic achievement anyway 🙂

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    • Thanks very much! Neither of them are particularly well-known for being cautious, so I’m very grateful that they showed some sense!

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  4. Wow, no wonder you’re proud! That’s amazing. I’ve not heard of the Watkin path – it can’t be a common one therefore I imagine tricky. Snowing too? Even more amazing.

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    • I hadn’t heard of it either! I kept forgetting its name and going back to check it! Apparently there’s eight paths and they’ve done seven of them now, which is pretty impressive! I didn’t like doing it in sun, I would have hated it in snow!

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