On the weekend of 7th and 8th June an intrepid team of five from LEWIS PR took part in the CARE International 3 Peaks Challenge. The aim, to scale the three highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales respectively in one 24 hour period. It's not mean feat. Below you can see how this hugely taxing event unfolded over the hottest weekend of the year.
00hrs : 00mins - The team prepare for the off, standing at the start line on Ben Nevis with the mid-afternoon heat beating down on us. 4,406 feet above us is the summit of the UK's highest mountain. (From left to right: Will Sturgeon; Rachel Hodgson, Alicia Gonzalez, Sam Childs, Patrick Hussey.)
01:00 - a timely reminder to take things steadily on Ben Nevis. One of three rescues during our time on the mountain, including, sadly, one fatality for a fellow climber.
03:20 - approaching the summit after more than 3 hours climbing, the heat at ground level seems a long way away. Even in the second week of June the snow near the summit is still a good foot deep.
03:30 - the team reach the first of the three summits in good time.
03:40 - The descent back through the snow and into the cloud begins. We will complete our descent to finish Ben Nevis with a time of 5hrs 29 mins. Ahead of us, a drive overnight to Scafell Pike in Cumbria - the highest peak in England.
10hrs : 59mins - after an overnight drive, at 4:30am the team start off from Seathwaite on the long slog up the 3,209 feet Scafell Pike - arguably the most taxing peak because of the route chosen, which includes two very steep drops and rises as climbers near the treacherous summit.
12:29 - the team reach the summit. The highest point in England. Still all together and still in high spirits. It must have been all the Fruit Pastilles and Haribo we were eating... for energy of course. A more hurried descent on Scafell Pike, compared to Ben Nevis saw us complete the second peak in 4 hours 40 minutes. With a set driving time of 4 hours 30 mins ahead of us to Snowdon, the maths is daunting. We will have to complete the 3,560 feet tall Snowdon in 3 hours 40 minutes on the hottest day of the year, carrying extra litres of water than would normally be required, if we want to beat our ambitious target of completing the challenge in 24 hours.
22:40 - the summit of Snowdon before us, a tiring and baking hot climb behind us, team member Rachel Hodgson risks a look over the daunting precipice. A 20 minute walk to the summit along a narrow path will leave us with an hour to get down.
23:00 - three down, none to go, Sam Childs celebrates reaching the summit of Snowdon. From here, the only way is down... very, very quickly.
24:08 - a run down Snowdon and a sprint to the finish line sees us finish the third mountain in an excellent 3 hours 48 minutes, putting us in fifth out of 18 teams overall.
In the heat, anything under four hours is regarded as hugely impressive and the heat has played a major factor in a number of teams pulling out and climbers dropping out. Getting so close to 24 hours is an achievement we were all hugely proud of.
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Well done guys - what a fantastic achievement! Congratulations to all of you. Looks grueling but satisfying!
Posted by: Morgan McLintic | June 12, 2008 at 11:21 PM