UPDATE - 29/06/2011 - 11:30
We did Snowdon in a comfortable 2hrs 28mins on Monday 27th June 2011, luckily the weather was overcast and not a scorcher like the rest of the country! Training is going well for both of us, even though Mr Barrett was lagging a touch! I couldn't believe how busy it was at the top and there was lots of people with walking poles and jeans on (really makes our blood boil) we dont't think we will be able to do it as quick next week, thank you so much for the support so far, it has been amazing! will keep you up to date, only a week 7 days and 8hrs 30 till we start it!! Bring it on!
Thank you for visiting the DI’s page (Dude’s Institute)
We are doing the National 3 Peaks on the 7th July 2011, we will be doing them in a 24hour period (including the driving). Here is the story behind why we have chosen to do it for Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team
Well I hope you are all sitting very comfortably…….
6 May 12 Noon
It was a clear day in the Braveheart car park, near the Glen Nevis Visitor centre, both Andy and I were very excited about the upcoming walk and the fact we would be wild camping! We had our big rucksacks on and were well equipped (luckily) although Andy’s rucksack was about the same size as my day sack, off we went!
It was a steady but fairly easy climb from the Glen Nevis visitor centre up the donkey trail (tourist route) of Ben Nevis, the weather was getting a bit windy and plenty of that fine rain that soaks you!
We got to where the path splits with the Donkey trail bending round to the right and up to the peak ziggy zaggy style, and then our path which branched off to the left. We found it lovely to start off with, going slightly down hill but what goes down must go up, we then got on the flat and branched round to the right into the valley and saw that it was quite foggy, we arrived at a hut in the middle of nowhere called the CIC memorial hut (Charles Inglis Clark) we stopped to take on some water and have some freddy frogs (Asda’s finest)
We wanted to hit the Carn Mor Dearg Arete track and picked a point, took a bearing and off we set!
The going was slow and tough, over big rocks, slippery surfaces, still a bit of snow, crossed a stream and the incline came gradually and then got more intense. The visibility was about 50 metres due to heavy fog. We started the climb which was getting quite steep now and seemed like we were going for hours, Andy got out his state of the art phone and it told us we were at 1150 Metres (about 3770 Feet). At this point the ground was like shale and we were struggling to keep our balance and not slip, never mind climb.
Andy was about 10 feet in front of me and slightly to the left, then we heard it, one of the most frightening things I have heard, falling rocks. Andy and I looked at each other scared and then quickly around to see if we could spot it. Then we saw it coming straight for us, the main one about the size of a portable telly and 2 smaller ones, what could we do?? If we jumped out of the way, we would have fallen back down the mountain, there was no cover nearby to get to.
As it was approaching us it was gathering speed and changing direction every time it hit a bigger rock. Luckily it missed Andy and then I realised it was coming straight for me, there was nothing I could do but duck to cover and protect my head and body, leaving my legs exposed, and the next thing I know is it hit my leg, and f**k me it hurt!
It had hit me right on the back of my calf (luckily) the problem was that I couldn’t walk on it or even put any pressure on it. it didn’t feel like I had broken anything, now what to do half way up a mountain and I couldn’t walk!
Andy dragged my bag to a small flat spot protected overhead by big rocks, and then I managed to crawl a little bit up to the ledge. We both sat down and had a think, Andy said that he was going to go and see if he could find the path, find someone. He was gone for about 20mins (so he said) it felt like ages, in that time I had prayed, cried and laughed! (Don’t know why laughed at the time) when he returned he said that he couldn’t see the path or anyone, but he had managed to call Mountain Rescue, time check 16:15.
The visibility was poor, there would be no way that a Helicopter would see us, but they said they would send one anyway to see and if not to drop the team off as near as possible. The ETA of Helicopter was around 18:15, we kept calling them with an update, and we gave them a 6 point grid reference to find us and then just waited. While we were waiting luckily for us, we had our roll mats, so we sat on them and took our sleeping bags out and got in them, also just a few days previously I had bought a Survival Bag which my sister and my partner both joked about as it was bright orange (amateurs, what do they know) it came in very handy, so I got in that as well and put all of our top layers on as the wind and rain was testing us. We talked and joked about Four Lions having both just watched the film the previous week and we're sure we saw a snow leopard! Maybe not.
When the rescue team arrived on foot they were brilliant and highly skilled, very friendly and jokey. They put me in a harness and then a mountain stretcher, I had no idea of time at this stage, they were lowering me down the mountain and I could see more and more rescuers arrived, Andy told me afterwards that there were around 12 rescuers, I couldn’t see much as I was strapped in tight to the stretcher, a bit too tight as the pain for my leg seemed to have gone and all that hurt was my left nut which was trapped in the harness! I tried to grin and bear it as I already felt like a right twat in this stretcher but I had to say something, so when we were on the flat they loosened it for me, what a relief, then my leg was uncomfortable again but I can put up with that if my nuts are ok!
We got on to the flat and they radioed in the helicopter, it came in quickly and they loaded me up in to it and a few people got in it. Andy was on the 2 lift.
It was a quick 5 minute flight to the Rescue centre and then into the back of a waiting ambulance and off to Hospital which again was only 5mins away. Luckily only soft tissue damage to my leg, when I looked at my watch in the hospital it was like 22:00, a very exciting and eventful day.
I would like to thank my best friend Andy so very much, he kept me going, and also a massive thank you to Lochaber Mountain Rescue team for getting us both off there, you are all heroes in my eyes and I hope by raising this money it will help and save further lives.
Thank you very much for sponsoring both myself and Andy, and thank you for taking time out to read my story.
Phil Johnson.
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