Jane’s Mountain Adventure
If you received my out of office a few weeks ago you may have wondered what I was doing! Well, I had set myself a little challenge, which some of you may have been aware of, to climb Calder Idris. This is a mountain in Wales which is one of the Welsh 3 peaks.
I first saw the images of the scenic views and set myself a challenge that one day I would climb this. Not having achieved anything like this before or even set foot on a mountain, I decided to start working towards my personal goal. At the beginning of this journey, I set an image of the mountain as the screensaver on my phone just to remind me of the challenge I was working towards.
Being very inactive in my role sitting working on the laptop I knew that one of my first targets needed to be to get a little fitter. I purchased some walking boots and began walking in the evenings, just for half an hour to start off with, which then lead to an overall fitness overhaul.
One of my main challenges was finding the time however, with some structure and dedicated time set aside, I managed to start a routine that I still continue to use.
It was difficult to motivate myself, especially during the hot summer months, but I knew if I was to achieve my goals I had to continue.
Once I had set my goal and Idris was in my sights, I could focus on a date and how to achieve this. There were challenges along the way, which ranged from a blister from not wearing the correct socks, my sense of direction (Would I actually find my way up the mountain? And of course, back down the mountain?) Also, two weeks prior to the climb my lovely mum sadly passed away, and so all the final training that I had planned to complete went out the window. Still determined, my friend and I set off to Wales on Sunday ready for the epic adventure!
On Monday morning we made our picnic, packed up our rucksacks and set the satnav to the car park at the bottom of the mountain (I did say I didn’t have a sense of direction!) The satnav however did have a mind of her own and sent us the scenic way: up single-track roads with grass in the middle, and sheer 45° angles up the hill and down the valleys with sheer drops on either side! Once we arrived in the car park my pulse was already racing and that was without any exertion from climbing.
As we headed off with our backpacks, waterproofs, sunglasses, picnic, lots of water and of course my little first-aid kit (including blister plasters!) we saw several people ready for the same adventure, also having a common purpose of conquering Idris. We worked our way slowly through the paths, rocks and the openness of the environment with only the quiet stillness of the Welsh air. Luckily the weather was kind to us that day and we had such amazing views to keep us going on our journey. I struggled with some of the mountain, at some points even going up on my hands and knees (I don’t like heights either) however my drive and determination, as well as the stunning scenery, kept me on track. After three hours we reached the summit where we enjoyed our picnic and looked out at the breath-taking scenic views, the vast openness, and a sense of achievement. Super proud we took videos and pictures to capture the memory.
We then set off on our journey back hoping that we could reach the bottom and find where we parked the car. After 2 and 3/4 hours, we finally found ourselves back to civilisation and the car park. The boots came off and a realisation that my mission was accomplished!
I suppose, no matter what your own aspirations may be, with personal drive and determination, planning, breaking them down into smaller achievable goals, the right equipment and support, you can achieve anything you set yourself!
If you would have asked me six months ago would I have been able to climb up and down a mountain, I would have said no. However, if you ask me today what was my latest achievement, I would say to you ‘I have climbed Calder Idris’ 893 meters, 2930 feet! Also, now I have a screen saver on my phone, of the views that I took.’
Jane
Published 19/10/2018 & Filed in Blue Sky Blog
