Story
<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.</p>
<p>The mission was for Kirsty, Nicola, Roger & Ian to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, the 3 highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales. </p>
<p>All in 24 hours.</p>
<p>And what a mission it was. Little did we know that the Weather Gods were plotting and scheming to add some extra challenges to the mix.</p>
<p>On our 5h 15min slog up and down Ben Nevis, we were lulled into initial false hope by the spectacular sight of the sun piercing through the clouds over Loch Linnhe. But as we climbed higher, it got greyer and increasingly grim, until we found ourselves trudging through snow in a full-on blizzard, finally flying the flag for Scotland on the summit in a white-out. And to add to the pain, we were treated to hailstones on our descent!</p>
<p>After a lengthy drive to the Lake District with the windscreen wipers on the fast setting, we emerged from the van at an ungodly hour before dawn and nearly reached breaking point on the 4hr 45min relentlessly steep rocky slopes of Scafell Pike with torrential rain and strong winds throughout. The English flag was nearly ripped from our hands on the world's fastest photo shoot at the summit.</p>
<p>The Welsh weather gods were initially kinder, with the first two thirds of Snowdon comparatively tropical; that is, it wasn't raining, windy, hailing or snowing. But as we reached the almost vertical final third, we were enveloped in thick cloud and battled against strong winds to the summit, where flying the Welsh flag nearly pulled us off our feet. After 4h 50mins, we staggered to the finish, broken but elated and knowing we'd accomplished something truly amazing.</p>
<p>One day, 27 miles of walking and climbing and approx 1,300 miles of driving. We are officially HARDCORE!</p>
<p>Photos to follow on this site soon...</p>
<p>There's still time to sponsor us, so please dig deep. The homeless charity, Crisis, will benefit from your generosity. Crisis don't just provide shelter for people on the streets; they also help women fleeing violent partners and the 'hidden homeless' who have run out of options and can no longer rely on sleeping on friends' floors or in temporary accommodation. Through providing initial shelter, Crisis helps people rebuild their lives, giving them health, employment and skills support so that they can live self-sufficiently, in dignity and without fear. Having volunteered at the women's refuge over the past two Christmases, Kirsty has witnessed first hand the amazing work this charity does and seen women leave the shelter with renewed hope. </p>
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