Hi again, for those of you out there who may be interested in the progress of the training for this climb I will fill you in on what has been happening over the last month or so.
The first major training climbs were done in Connemara. On the ‘Twelve Pins,’ well on seven of the twelve at least!
The weather was good and the views spectacular. The day really was full of ups and downs and at the end of the tenth hour of walking everyone was glad there were no more ups! David as usual was up with the leaders for most of the climbs and impressed the guides with his determination and stamina. Not only that but also his sure footedness on some of the rougher terrain. The same could not be said of some others, on one decent down a scree slope someone dislodged a large boulder which narrowly missed those below.
The following weekend we decided to stay more local and headed to Broadford with a view to walk cross country on the Broadford hills (Slieve Bearnagh) for around five hours. We did our own map reading and compass work and had another enjoyable day. After which we walked down to the road to meet our prearranged lift back to the car and home for a well-deserved rest. Again the weather was kind which always makes a great difference to your state of mind!
Next came the big one, Carrantuohill. We had studied routes and photographs on the internet during the week which scared us a bit. Names like the Devil’s Ladder which was no longer recommended as a route, but was the route we were to use made us more nervous than we needed to be. After all we had Ian McKeever one of the most experienced climbers in the World as one of our guides.
The weather again was good, but cold. When we reached the summit there was a layer of snow and we could not resist the temptation of a snow ball fight on the highest point in Ireland! After that it was time to head back down which seemed worse as your legs are getting tired and there are far too many loose rocks!
Catch! Bye for now and thanks for your support. Special thanks to all our
volunteer bagpackers who helped us raise 2185 euro for ventilators for babies in Crumlin hospital. We couldn’t have done it without you!!
