Updated on May 10th 2012 at 11:48 PM from the JustGiving API

Alexander Freeland

Mission accomplished!

 

At 11:30hrs on Saturday 17th September 2011 we successfully summited Gran Paradiso (4061m), Italy's highest mountain, in the Graian Alps.  Day 2 was a long day - 13 hours in total.  Having crossed difficult terrain including bolders, scree, vertical rock and a dangerous glacier with enormous cravasses, we evenually made it to the top of the mountain. After some photos and some Powerbar consumption we began our descent through bergshrund land, onto the via ferrata and down the mountain.  We encountered a brief thunder storm on our way down but eventually made it back to Pont Valsavarenche before returning to Chamonix (base camp). Suffered minor altitude sickness for two days but nothing serious enough to prevent me from taking a cold dip at 2735m!  In general the weather conditions were pretty good with sun and broken cloud.  Hearing of two fatalities on Mont Blanc the previous weekend and witnessing a fall where a colleague on my rope almost eneded up in a cravasse was a sobering moment and reminded us of the perils and dangers of climbing mountains in the Alps. 

We all arrived back safely in the UK on the 18th slightly lighter than we were when we first embarked!  Thank you all for your support and generous donations for a wonderful charity.  Dom