National Three Peaks Challenge

[Copepod]

Hope Scafell Pike is less wet and windy for you than it was this weekend just gone! I was support driving for a pair in Old County Tops Fell Race (37 miles & 10000ft ascent, Great Langdale, Helvellyn, Scafell Pike, Conistion Old Man, Great Langdale) plus walking much of Old Dungeon Ghyll Fell race to take photos and find a few geocaches. Make sure you go up Scafell Pike (978m), not Scafell (964m) alone, as there's a difference of some 14 metres in altitude, with the 2 divided by col of Mickledore.

Presumably you took hand luggage only, making costs of carrying poles too high? If travelling in a group, packing all poles into 1 bag (or 3 sets of touring skis & poles into 1 bag) can save lots of money, but that depends on travelling together. Folding poles fit inside many rucksacks / kit bags - pole dimensions are something I consider when deciding on which bag to buy / take on trips.

 

[Northerner]

Great blog aymes! 🙂 I'm a one pole person - I've got a telescopic one that fits into a rucksack. I originally got it when I was recovering from my broken leg as my balance was quite badly affected for a while and I found it really helpful. The Lake District is fickle - I was there in 1986 when we had a heatwave all week! It was the same week as fell runner Joss Naylor ran the Wainwrights (all of them!) in 3 days/nights - goodness knows how he managed it! Hope the training continues well, I will be following your progress! 🙂

 

[Robster65]

Excellent going Aymes.🙂

If you can avoid injuries, you'll breeze it. Have you set a date for the big push ?

Rob

 

[Lizzzie]

Hi Aymes

I've done it, but it took 23 and a half hours! - there were 20-odd of us, we used a rattly old mini-bus and the driving was very slow.

Actually, I have to say I wouldn't recommend it as a 'walking experience' - most people go up and down the most boring, 'motorway' paths on each of the three hills, miss the beautiful bits (especially true of the Ben) and we did a fair amount of walking in the dark. The driving is exhausting. 24 hours of much more pleasant, satisfying walking can be found by staying in Scotland.

BUT we knew all this and did it anyway - you do it for the challenge!

Tips then.

Lots and lots and a VARIETY of interesting, motivating snacks - save the big meal for a survivors breakfast (or dinner depending how you organise your timings).

Make an effort to remember things to help you to relax while travelling, whether it's pillows / MP3 player etc. This is the killer.

Sing or something - if only to yourself - going up those hideous endless Ben Nevis zig-zags (assuming you don't choose the more interesting route). Or count them. Gives you somthing to aim for, and you can say in a geeky voice 'we did 678 (or however many!) switch-backs gonig up there' when you get to the top.

if you have time, pick a more interesting route up your last hill (if it's Snowdon, look at pyg vs Miners - but avoid crib goch unless you're extremely hardcore)

You are likely to be going straight up and straight down again, quite quickly. Obviously you need to take enough to keep you warm and fed and able to cope if stuff goes wrong, but don't burden yourself with masses of unnecessary stuff. Weigh up weight vs usefulness of everything and leave a sack in the vehicle.

Poles are a really individual thing. I'm lucky and have strong ankles and knees - also like my hands free - so I save extra weight for stuff to support my dodgy pancreas. Some people in my group would usually use them, didn't take them and regretted it. The orthopaedic surgeons say take two - but then you can't use your hands!

Take a map of your own and look at it, if someone else is navigating. It's much more interesting knowing where you're going and spotting things on the way, than following the boots in front

Most of all - don't forget to enjoy it.

All the best, and keep us posted !

 

[Copepod]

I must speak up for using poles - you can use ypour hands, just let poles hang from loops round your wrists when you need to do something, and watch where the tips are pointing to avoid spiking or tripping fellow walkers.

I tend to use them more often when walking alone than when with others, particularly when I may cross rough rocky ground or stream without bridges (falling, hitting head on stone, then landing facedown in water would be fatal alone!), which I often have to do when marshalling checkpoints. Having said that, I didn't take them for my trek up Dungeon Ghyll and Stickle Ghyll from Langdale this weekend, and didn't even get my feet wet in 2 well chosen stream crossings with stones, but did bring them to finish of Old County Tops Fell Race (37 miles & 10000ft ascent) in case either my partner or his race mate needed poles to walk the last 1/2 mile to the campsite.

 

[aymes]

Thanks everyone!

Excellent going Aymes.🙂

If you can avoid injuries, you'll breeze it. Have you set a date for the big push ?

Rob

24th September!!

 

[Robster65]

Don't forget to wave when you get to Snowdon.

Rob

 

[aymes]

Now it's less than three weeks to go (well, in three weeks time I should be somewhere near the top of Snowdon all being well) I just thought I'd check in with a bit of an update.

Training going well in the most part, this weekend is the last big push before I start tapering off leading up to the big day, did a 13 mile training walk on Friday, 10 miles (of cliffs and beach = painful!) yesterday and planning another 10/12 today. Suffering a bit with hypos at the moment which I haven't really had a problem in earlier training, hoping it's just the warmer weather. What remains really is to finish sorting out what I'm taking, what's going in each pocket, keep pushing the fundraising and buy lots of jelly babies! I seem to be mid-way between excitement and fear at the moment - I'm telling myself this is a good place to be....

Just another plug for my blog if I may...
http://amysthreepeaks.blogspot.com/

Will let you all know how it goes in three weeks......

 

[Robster65]

Having just had a look at your blog for the first time in a long while, it sounds like you're as prepared as you can be, considering the lack of mountains to practice on local to you.

We're away on your big day, but will be wishing you well. Keep us all updated as the day approaches.

Are you going to set up a twitter account or something similar that you can update as you go ?

Rob

 

[aymes]

Are you going to set up a twitter account or something similar that you can update as you go ?

Rob

Yes, hoping to, for as long as my phone battery lasts anyway! I set up a Twitter account to record my training but that's not really happened but planning to use it on the day itself - @amys3peaks if anyone wants to follow my progress!

 

[Northerner]

Yes, hoping to, for as long as my phone battery lasts anyway! I set up a Twitter account to record my training but that's not really happened but planning to use it on the day itself - @amys3peaks if anyone wants to follow my progress!

I've been following the blog aymes, will follow the twitter too. I think you have done extremely well with your training - especially the day you took it upon yourself to do three walks! You'll do great! 🙂

 

[Robster65]

Will follow and see how you do. We're off to Cheshire for the day but will look in once home again.

Good luck with the final weeks of training.🙂

Rob

 

[aymes]

Thanks both - new blog post up - it's been a long weekend!

 

[Northerner]

Thanks both - new blog post up - it's been a long weekend!

Don't worry, not many of 'them' up Scafell Pike! 😱 It wouldn't let me comment on your blog post, so I hope you understand this! 🙂

 

[aymes]

Just an update, unfortunately I'm still unwell, have had a blood test and it turns out I have glandular fever. I spent a few hours today considering ignoring the doctor's advice but have had to go with the sensible decision and pull out of the challenge this weekend. I would hate to, because of my own stubbornness, be a potential burden on Mountain Rescue and ruin the experience for the rest of the group, let alone the risks to my own health. Really so undescribingly disappointed but will be signing up to do it as soon as I can, the next opportunity is likely to be June so ages away but guess I need to focus on getting well and then keep training so I can aim for and even better time in June....

 

[Robster65]

Have seen you tweet about it. Really sorry to hear it and wish you a speedy recovery, but nothing will console your disappointment I'm sure.

Good that you get a 2nd chance next year. Weather will be better for one thing. Less time in the dark and a chance to see a view or two.🙂

Meantime, take up rock climbing and you can take the more direct route

Rob

 

[Copepod]

Sensible, but tough decision. Good luck for June. Actually, longer daylight is a mixed blessing if weather is warm / hot.

 

[Northerner]

Very sorry to hear this Aymes Given the circumstances and the enormity of the challenge, you have definitely made the right decision. I know how hard it is to pull out of events, but I hope that you recover quickly and get some good walking in over the months to come so you can hit those mountains with renewed vigour next year. Might be worth entering a no-pressure event before then to keep you fit and focused. Get well soon! 🙂

 

[Nyadach]

Sorry to hear about the illness, but on the good side Scafell this weekend is looking like it'll be monsoon season with nasty winds thrown in. So a much more sensible idea for June it seems and you'd have to be a nutter to consider it this weekend coming. Good luck though for when you do do it.

 

[aymes]

Thanks guys. Strangely not feeling as disappointed today as I was, feeling pretty ill so think that's the focus for me and I now know for sure it was the only real option. Ventured two minutes down the road for ice cream and I'm exhausted so there's no way I could have taken part.