Three Peaks Challenge Success!

BEN NEVIS

On Saturday afternoon the six of us set off from the car park at the foot of Ben Nevis - the start of our National Three Peaks Challenge attempt. We began at a great pace towards the snow topped summit and reached the highest point in the UK within 2.5 hours! The weather was certainly in our favour, with the subsequent descent giving us a stunning sunset over the surrounding mountain range and the first flavour of what pressures awaited our knees over the coming 24 hours. A hasty meal ensued back at ‘Big Bird’ (the aptly named ReachOut! minibus) before departing for Scafell Pike at 9 pm. SCAFELL PIKE

With little sleep, plenty of ‘relentless’ and the bit between our teeth we arrived at Wasdale Head at 3 am on Sunday. The early morning ascent was a sight to behold as we lit up the path to the summit with our head torches. It was blowing a gale by the time we reached the summit but we were duly rewarded with a spectacular sunrise that few of us will forget. Fatigue and difficult conditions meant a slow descent but we made it back to Big Bird and were soon on our way to Wales.
SNOWDON

We began our ascent of Snowdon shortly before noon and were soon making our way along the Miners’ track. The flat, gentle walk around lake Llyn Llydow was a pleasant arrival for our weary legs. It didn’t last long however as the path soon began a steep climb to the summit. Ignoring the now numerous children that were overtaking us, we eventually made the summit, the last of the three. There was a great sense of achievement and relief, all that remained was to make our descent before the 24 hours was up. The way down was slow and exhausting but we arrived back at Big Bird 22 hours and 40 minutes after we set off from the base of Ben Nevis. Success!
The challenge was hard, both physically and mentally, but the sense of achievement was worth it. The team’s camaraderie and support certainly made this challenge in 24 hours possible and we finished the weekend with a drink to all of our generous sponsors who helped us raise over £2000 for ReachOut!

By Chris Ellis

A massive congratulations and thank you from ReachOut! to all the Three Peaks team - Jonathan Devaney, George Holdstock, Paul Leader-Williams, Tom Lloyd-Hughes, Joe Morgan and Chris Ellis (left to right below). What an amazing feat! Thanks also to everyone who sponsored them. If you haven’t got round to it yet, it’s not too late! Just visit http://www.justgiving.com/reachout3peaks Thanks again!