On the 9th of October a small band of slightly insane people will slip quietly up the M6 bound for Fort William in a Renault Minibus. Our mission is to finish the 3 Peaks challenge in 24hrs. We are racing clock to raise money for the North West Air Ambulance Service.
The weather forecast is NOT good, Ben Nevis has forecast snow, hail and sleet along with 50-60mph winds and a chill factor of -10............ Great! and Scarfell is not much better. O well it's called a challenge for a reason.
It’s been set back due to
work/holiday commitments and the thought of a mad winter challenge with
lots of driving rain, dark tracks, navigational difficulties and getting
lost just seemed to appeal. I’m supporting the North West Air Ambulance Service and
trying to raise as much sponsorship money as possible for the guys here who
provide Medical Air Emergency Support and receive NO mainstream funding. The
Operation costs just over £3.5 Million a year to maintain, the NWAA covers all
major motorway incidents, and areas that have poor and restricted road access.
You can read more about them at www.northwestairambulance.com
In order to complete the challange we have a team of fit, agile
athletes. A team with endurance, stamina, a tough robust team ethos and
above all fitness. Unfortunately that team is not available so we have:
1 x Driver - Jonathan Nolan . Usually
found in a bar somewhere in Kirkby Lonsdale or keeping our office alive with his faultless impressions, Jono will be in charge of logistics and negotiating the M6,
A74 and M56 and no pressure but if we fail it will be down to his driving skills or lack of them.
1 x One man motivator - Ed Preston. Usually
found in a dream like state, Ed's natural positive spirit will be the
key to our success particularly at 05.00 on Saturday when we've got to
slog up Scafell Pike.
2 x Handsome Geordies (his words by the way) vital to any mountaineering expedition
(Mallory didn't even have one on Everest)! Paul Charlton and Richard Turk
will be in charge of humour, ridicule and mickey taking, oh and Turkish
will be carrying the biggest Bergen (Team First Aid, Bivvie etc).
2 x Charismatic Frenchmen (it wouldn't be a Renault Challenge without them), Alex Talbot and Seb Brechon will be responsible for a general air of superiority and aloofness. Flambouyance and style will be supplied in abundance.
1 x Brummie Blonde Claire Jackson
will maintaining the 'multitasking', getting on with it without
complaining and generally putting the rest of the team to shame.
How can we possibly fail?
The plan for the challenge is below.
Climb the highest 3 mountains in the in under 24 Hours. In this tough legendary challenge. The 24-hours includes the walking and driving time and to make it more of a challenge we will complete the full horse shoe of the final mountain Snowdonia.
Friday
At around 5pm, we will start the climb and begin the 1344m ascent of the. The walk up and down takes around 5 – 6 hours and we will arrive back at the car well into the dark night at about 11pm.
Next come’s the long drive
through the night, returning to and onto Scarfell
Pike in the .
Saturday
It’s an early start, departing to climb in the dark. A hike rewarded by watching dawn break over as we make our way to the summit. The round walk is about 4 hours and needs concentration on the navigation near the top. Next comes the drive to for the final leg of the challenge -
Starting at about 1pm we will have 4-hours to complete the 24-hour challenge. Taking the direct approach, the Pyg Track climbs steeply to reach the summit at 1,085m. Take-in the breathtaking views and bask in the glory of completion (HOPEFULLY). The challenge can finish at the top but we’ll include the descent to base for the full achievement – and a well-deserved cold beer or cup of tea!3 Peaks – 3400metres – 11’178 feet - 3 Countries – 500 miles driving – 10 hours driving – 14 hours climbing – All in 24 Hours
I’ve given up the beer and started training by climbing my first peak which was High Spy at 755 metres in in the . If all my friend and contacts donated just a pound or two it wouldn’t take long to achieve my target of £1000.00. 100% of your donations go to the North West Air Ambulance Service and all cost’s involved in the Challenge including kit, boots, fuel etc will be paid for by me so you know that all your donations will go to the good cause.
Please follow my progress on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=570584601&ref=profile#/group.php?gid=90064252832&ref=mf join my group and keep up to date with blogs and see some amazing pictures. You can also donate through the link on this group. Please join my group and ask your friends too!!
Or you can donate direct and also view my latest pictures at
www.justgiving.com/darrengodbert
I've done some serious practice, Striding Edge - Helvellyn - The Calf - High
Spy - Borrowdale - Scafell Pike and more.
The legs are bigger and the belly smaller so you
never know if this doesn’t kill me it might actually do me some good.
Wish me luck!
Kind regards
Darren
