on behalf of LOROS, the Leicestershire and Rutland hospice
Steve McRobb, 16 July 2008
Tim and I were doing this for Wendy – my wife and his mum – who died from cancer last October. Together with three other volunteers, Nicci, Andy and Geoff, we successfully completed the challenge within the allowed time. The group time was (from memory) 23 hrs 17, so 43 mins to spare. Nicci had real trouble with blisters which began on Scafell Pike, but she struggled on to the finish. Andy fought through real pain on the descent from Snowdon. And Tim found he just hates descents. Well, and ascents too, come to that. But no-one gave up, and we all finished together. Geoff just never seemed to tire, and led a lot of the way. He was first up Snowdon with a personal time of 23 hrs 08 mins.
At the end we were all utterly exhausted, but overall in fair shape considering. During the three ascents and the mad motorway dashes we really bonded as a team and that helped enormously. There was a lot of laughter and teasing, and we helped each other out when the going was tough -- i.e. a lot of the time. Naturally I was a bit proud of myself as the others are all around half my age! My training clearly worked well. I'm aching a bit and it was hard to get going this morning (when I surfaced to see Tim off at about 11:30) but after a long bath I feel OK. Not to say I'm ready for another mountain just yet, though. I think maybe a beach in France...
Perhaps the worst time was before we even started, when our minibus hit a tailback at Ballacchulish Bridge (just 10 miles short of Fort William). There had been a double-fatality accident on the road ahead, fire and ambulance crews were still in attendance and the police had closed the road as a crime scene -- we were told for at least 5 hours. We decided to walk round the road block via the beach, and get a taxi on the other side. Then the taxi cancelled because another accident closed the road at the Fort William end. We began accosting anyone we found with a vehicle for help. If we didn't get a lift, plan B was to walk to the mountain (12 miles of tarmac) and then see what shape we were in and how much light was left. I think that would have scuppered the first peak, maybe the whole challenge. But we were very very fortunate (or maybe it was Nicci's persuasive charms). Within minutes all 8 of us (5 walkers plus 3 support crew) had lifts to Fort William. We started up Ben Nevis just one hour late at 6pm. Many other 3 Peakers caught in the tailback were less lucky. Coming down Snowdon on Sunday we met a group who started up the Ben at 8 pm but turned back well short of the summit because of failing light. They were gutted to have missed it, but if they were inexperienced at night descents I think they definitely made the right call.
It was a real hussle to fit everything into the time. Our walks were, again from memory, Ben Nevis 5:45, Scafell Pike 4:20, and Snowdon 2:17 to the peak. These all seem pretty respectable times taken on their own. (Apparently the rules we were playing by don't require you to get down the last mountain, just reach the top. Not sure we could have made it if descent also counted against the clock).
Two volunteer guides, Seth and Richard came with us on the walks, Seth to lead and navigate and Rich as back marker, to keep the party together and assist / encourage anyone who was struggling. Both were absolutely brilliant in their roles and made a real contribution to our success. In fact, they simply became part of the team, which is the best tribute to their utter professionalism. When decisions had to be made about pace, navigation, etc, we discussed them together, everyone had a say and everyone listened. From the first, there was never a 'them and us' feeling among the walkers. It was a real shame that Rich got travel sick on the drives and wasn't well enough for Snowdon, but it was Seth's first 3 Peaks Challenge too, so he shared in our elation at the end.
The driving/support team, Adrian, Dave and Christian, also did a great job of getting us from one mountain to the next in the minimum time, and greeted us with soup, coffee, porridge, etc after each descent -- and a glass or two of bubbly at the end. I think they probably got even less sleep than us, especially since their job really began about 10 hours before ours and only finished about 6 hours after we collapsed into the minibus at Llanberis. They did their best to give us maximum time on the mountains and it worked.
I also really appreciate my friend Sue's gesture (which was also a gesture in Wendy's memory): Sue drove all the way from Leicester to climb Snowdon with us. It was her first mountain in 2 years, and she hadn't trained, so her plan B was always to turn back if she fell behind. But she kept pace all the way up and down, and it was fantastic to have her moral support on the last leg.
Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike let us down a little. Both summits were shrouded in thick mists, though we did have some great views lower down. Snowdon was kinder and mainly in sunshine, so we got good summit views there too. All three peaks were cold, and we didn't stay long. But overall we were really lucky with the weather as it didn't rain once, just some heavy Scots mist on the Ben -- really not enough to get the cagoule out. You will see some of this in my photos in due course. I didn't take as many pictures as I would normally, because of the constant hurry. But there are some, and you can see them here.
Finally, what it was all really about. At a rough estimate, I think between the five of us we raised around £6,500 for LOROS including gift aid. That is totally tremendous, and it's all down to each and every one of you who pledged, contributed and sent messages of encouragement and support. I can't begin to thank you enough, so I'll just say one heartfelt thanks, and leave it there.