St Martin of Tours Episcopal Church

Whilst most of us were sitting down to an evening meal on Tuesday 23rd August, Vanessa, Chris and Helen were starting their ascent of Snowdon in Wales. Less than four hours later they were en route to Scafell Pike to tackle the highest peak in England and by tea time on Wednesday 24th they had travelled to Scotland and were climbing Ben Nevis (needless to say the last ascent was in the rain!!). By completing the Three Peaks Challenge, the three highest peaks in Britain in ‘one go’, Vanessa, Chris and Helen walked 42km of horizontal distance and 3,000 vertical meters! Which parts were the toughest we have yet to hear but without doubt the physical demands were heightened as the team didn’t get to their beds until 2am on Thursday morning. Their challenge was aided by the team drivers and on-the-ground supporters, Liz Moir and Bob and Penny Allen. Whilst they soak in hot baths, sleep and catch up on hot food, please sponsor them generously.

Their efforts were to raise vital funds for the St Martin’s Community Resource Centre. In 2013 a new community resource centre will open at 232 Dalry Road. Run by the community for the community, this centre will provide a welcoming hub at the centre of Gorgie Dalry. There will be modern facilities, different spaces for events and a hub of community offices and treatment rooms, including offices for Health All Round, Spokes and St Martin’s Church. When you make your donation, please could you add “3P” after your name so that we can let the team know how much their sore legs and blisters and their sterling efforts raised. THANK YOU for your support.

 

Vanessa tells the story of the climb:

The 3 Peaks Challenge

Job done!  My legs hurt… :)  For those of you who are interested, here’s the story of our climbs.

We set off from Edinburgh at 12.29 on Tuesday, pausing at Tebay to collect Helen, our guide and comrade.  The drive on down to Wales is scenic (Big Lush Castle, amusing newspaper billboard) and we arrive at Snowdon at 19:15.

Our first challenging climb begins at 19:30.  Chris and I stride along to keep pace with Helen, who is really rather sickeningly fit.  My new Camelbak drinking system plays up.  I wonder why I spent so much money on it.  Meanwhile, the light is beginning to fade and we are coming to the really steep bit of Snowdon.  I wonder what on earth I was thinking deciding to do this challenge and vow that I will take up something less strenuous in aid of the St. Martin’s Community Resource Centre.  Knitting perhaps.  I’m breathing like a labouring pony.  Helen points out a distant man up on the ridge and says we can stop when we get there.  He/she is awfully high up and a long way off.  I curse all hills and hillwalking.

We reach the top of the ridge in darkness.  The man turns out to be a stone pillar, pointing the way for the final stretch – mercifully much less steep.  We eat Chomps and Muiread’s fruitcake that she made for Chris.  Camelbak still dysfunctional.  I curse and put my headtorch on.  Compliments are given on my headtorch, it is very bright.  Thank you David (husband of our nanny Sam), who lent it to me.  It goes well with my Hi-Vis waterproof.

At the top of Snowdon we take pictures of each other and Teddy (Naoise’s bear who is joining us as the fourth climber, although getting to the top in my backpack hardly counts as climbing) and make phone calls to various parties to say we are up.  It is completely dark now.  We follow Helen off the summit, she is bounding along at speed.  I think ‘Helen wants to get us down quickly – I think she’s really keen we do this in less than 24 hours!’  Then we get a bit lost and I learn why Helen wants us down quickly.  Being on a mountain in the dark is not usually something to recommend.  I learn a vital lesson about paying attention to landmarks when climbing.

We arrive in the car park at 23:03 and take time to do a complete change of clothes.  This really helps us feel comfortable as Liz begins the next leg of the drive, the long haul up to Scafell Pike.  We reach Wasdale Head at 04.50 and exchange pleasantries with another group who are also doing the 3 Peaks Challenge.  They set off in front of us and we are left to contemplate the weather, which is worsening.  ’Please don’t let it rain’ I think, whilst tugging on waterproof outer trousers as a precaution.  We set off at 05.10.  It rains.  Hard.  My backpacks integrated rain-cover (!) makes its first appearance.  I ponder the merits of my shiny new backpack, bought in preparation for the challenge, versus my Camelbak, which is still not working.

Mercifully it stops tipping it down.  However relief turns to fear as I gaze up at a devilishly steep, stepped path which seems to go vertically upward.  The paths on Scafell Pike are not considerate to a tired, unfit walker with a hip that is beginning to burn.  Getting up this section is a real struggle and I lean hard on the walking pole Chris has lent me.  Helen recommends taking some ibuprofen.  I inform her that my Camelbak isn’t working properly, sucking on the tube in vain.  She looks in my bag and turns it the right way up.  Dear God, what am I on this mountain for?!

Thankfully, the rest of the climb up the Pike is less punishing and we reach the summit at 07:28.  More snaps of Teddy and then a fast trot down, reaching the bottom at 08.50.  We have made it off the mountain at the same time as the team who began before us, which makes me feel smug.  2 down, one to go.

And what a one!  After a 6 hour drive we reach Ben Nevis.  It looks all roundy and not very high looking – a breeze, I think.  It’s not much bigger than the other 2, we can zip up here and finish inside 24 hours – what champions we will be!

We set off at 15:17.  Ben Nevis is unending.  It thumbs its nose at me, saying ‘Ha!  You amateur!  I’m actually pretty damn high and you aren’t climbing me so easily!’  Every corner we go round I expect to see a flattish bit, or even, possibly, the summit.  But no.  We go on and on and on and we are still ascending.  Chris and I are slowed to a snail’s pace.  The weather is crap.  I am so thankful that this is the final peak.  Finally, after 2 hours of climbing, we have a break.  I am drenched through to the skin, a mixture of sweat and rain.  Helen offers chocolate.  I am ravenous and exhausted, but the chocolate seems to do the trick and boosts us all for the final push.  Well, final-ish push.  We reach the summit at 18:15, in just under 3 hours.  It is remarkably still, but the cold works into our bones quickly and we leave just as visibility begins to fade.  I can’t believe how quickly conditions change on these hills.

We begin our descent, moving as quickly as our exhausted bodies allow.  As we descend, the cloud clears and we are rewarded with a breathtaking view of the mountains that eluded us for the whole climb up.  I know we are trying to get down for 19:30, but I have to stop and take a picture.  I feel on top of the world.

In the end, we were down by 20:00, making Ben Nevis a climb time of 4 hours 43 minutes.  Liz, our intrepid driver, and Bob and Penny, intrepid support drivers, cheered us on as we came off the mountain and greeted us with fizzy bubbles.  It felt brilliant to be down, and to have made such good time.  We climbed all 3 Peaks in a total of 11 hours 56 minutes, under the recommended time of 13 hours!

Vanessa, Chris and Helen: 1.  3 Peaks Challenge: 0.

Fantastic. :)

 

And here’s that view as Vanessa, Chris and Helen came down from Ben Nevis: