I hope today's update finds you all well. What a fantastic if very tiring weekend we have had! There are more photo's in the gallery and more will be added over the week - so keep checking if you want to view our adventure.
Thank you to Richard, Sarah, Lizzie, Pete and Valerie from www.lostearthadventures.co.uk for leading us on this epic and very tough walk. You are a great group of mountain leaders who only added to the whole day of adventure, I and War on Cancer look forward to collaborating with you in the near future!, it's a massive thank you from the whole group who have taken you into their hearts, as have I.
Saturday just gone ( June 2nd ) saw a team of 23 people set off at 8.00am from the Station Inn at Ribblehead Viaduct ( some pictured above ) on a really tough and grueling walk around Yorkshire's 3 Peaks all in the name of charity. These friends and family took on Yorkshire's 3 highest peaks for War on Cancer's first annual sponsored challenge in aid of this years chosen charities - Walk the Walk breast cancer and Clic Sargent children's cancer charities. Thank you to those who traveled in some cases half the length of the country to come support the challenge.
For the majority of us who didn't stay over the night before, our day started early with a drive over to Ribblehead, most of these drives were an hour or two long. When we got to the pub and checked out the weather, there was low lying clouds and mist. We couldn't even see the top of Whernside which was the one closest to the viaduct. The local weather forecast expected the cloud to lift and the sun to burn through around 10.00am. Going into the pub I met up with Richard who runs Lost Earth Adventures and his team of mountain leaders for the day. A great bunch of guys and girls who were going to be out there making sure we were all safe and enjoying ourselves. He introduced me to Sarah ( his wife ) who was to be our support vehicle driver in case we needed it. The other members of Richard's team were Lizzie, Pete and a volunteer friend of theirs Valerie who is in training to become a mountain leader.
After our introductions it was time for breakfast ( all part of War on Cancers package ) so bacon, sausage and egg butties all round, and veggie sausages for our vegetarian team mate Bec! Cup of tea and coffee's consumed and the team were ready for the off!
We all set off towards Whernside first, the circular route for our climb today was Whernside, Ingleborough and then Pen-Y-Ghent, Whernside is the highest of the 3 and has a winding climb up to the summit and a sharp steep decent, it took over two hours to reach the summit and it was a whiteout, the sun hadn't managed to break through. We had photo's taken then set off for a steep decent.
After this, was a long walk over to the second of the peaks Ingleborough...this had a very steep climb up to the summit that would take an hour to possibly two to climb and then onto the last Pen-Y-Ghent....this whole days walking was to take around 12 hours.
I very sadly was ill on the first of the peaks Whernside, I was very breathless on the ascent of Whernside - a problem that I'd noticed getting worse and more frequent in the gym, I'd mentioned to members of my family that I would mention it next time I'm at the doctors....well I think after my experience on Whernside that I need to make an appointment and get it checked out. I rightly or wrongly had not told anyone about some pains I'd been having in my kidney area, I thought it would be okay ( everytime I get this pain and get it checked out, it turns up nothing ) . I made to the summit with two of my cousins hanging back to walk with me - thank you Andrea and Susan :). It was not bad as we were only 5 minutes behind a couple of the team. We had a couple of photo's taken and were off on the decent. The decent very quickly becomes very steep. Just before this, I had to take some tramadol for the pains in my kidney area, this was really starting to bother me, I felt like my mid section was getting squeezed in a vice.
Then it all started going downhill very rapidly from here for me ( always the case ),I was sick...but didn't think I'd brought up the pain killer I'd literally taken 10 minutes before, my sister Caroline and brother Graham along with Richard from Lost Earth Adventures stayed close by and back with me. Then I was sick again, stood up and then was sick again...my sister and I both agreed the painkillers must have come up by now. We started down the really steep decent and not long after that, I came over really light-headed...I was swaying all over the place and managed to lean back and grab a rock...I called to my sister who was just a little in front of me that I was going...I steadied myself just and then sat down.My sister came back up to me and sat with me, Graham and Richard were a little further down but stopped and waited. I seemed to settle, had some more water and set off climbing back down. This happened a couple more times on the way down, we reached my brother who said to me, so you're going to stop after this" ? where of course my answer was no.
I was light headed again on the way down and was sick that many times, I in all honesty couldn't tell you how many in total. We finally made it off the steep section and carried on on rough terrain making our way off Whernside. My brother quite rightly so, asked me again to stop my 3 peak challenge..... I was truthfully really struggling to walk, the pains around my kidney area were pretty intense, I was still light headed and still vomiting....he said to me, I know if this was life threatening you could do it, but it isn't and you are only going to make yourself worse if you try to carry on, my sister then said you've only been off the cancer med a short number of weeks and in the gym for a few weeks, this after a really tough year healthwise. So with a heavy heart I agreed to stop. I know I did one,and it was the right choice, but I'm still devastated about not been able to complete the challenge.
Sarah came with the support vehicle and my sister Caroline said she would stop and stay with me. I finally stopped been sick around 15.00pm. I started coming around then.
The team had split into two teams after I'd had to stop, a fast team and then a second team who were just behind them. I couldn't be more proud of everyone who take part if I'd given birth to them all myself!!! 19 member of the team of 23 completed all the 3 peaks....a massive well done to you all... They made it back to the Station Inn ( which I'm sure for them felt like they'd set off from it a million lifetimes ago ) to welcoming hot homemade vegetable soup and sandwiches....both of which were gorgeous. Some went to their rooms if they'd booked in to shower and change before eating, some ate and then set off driving back and some stayed in the pub to celebrate with a pint, and some live music!
The whole day went off without an itch and on behalf of myself, War on Cancer and Lost Earth Adventures, I gladly gave all participants a certificate to commemorate a fantastic day's climbing and great personal achievements. Every single person in that group, worked together, encouraged each other and made sure everyone was safe. It's down to you all that this first annual challenge was such a massive success and I thank each and every one of you for the part you all played.
Every member of our new friends from Lost Earth Adventures said they had had a great day with us even if the weather had not been in our favour. They told me they had not been out with a group of people who all pulled together and looked after each other. You all made a great impression...I told Richard that I wasn't surprised in the least as you are all fantastic people anyway.
I want to thank all of you for not only doing the challenge, but really embracing it and getting into the spirit in which I first thought of it....hard work but fun!.....you all made this first annual challenge, and I could not have wished for a better group of people to kick off the annual event!
Valerie the volunteer training mountain leader told me when you were all back safe that she had been overwhelmed by you all and the fact you all dug deep and pushed on to complete it for me....she said she was happy and proud she had been able to be part of a wonderful day where a team of people wanted to make sure my dream came true as I had sadly had to stop for my health.
I told her I hope she will be around next year when we do the next annual challenge - she said she would like that too. I thanked her for helping out and volunteering her day, and she said it had been her pleasure and she felt inspired by it all.
Richard, Sarah,Lizzie,Pete and Valerie - thank you so much for looking after everyone, encouraging and waiting when people needed to rest - you and Lost Earth Adventures made a lot of new friends on Saturday and I and War on Cancer look forward to many more collaborations with you all for years to come!
I myself was very overwhelmed by all the praise, been told I was an inspiration, that I'd inspired someone to carry on etc....and even though I believe it to be misplaced, I can't deny the warm feeling it has left me with. So I humbly thank you all for you very kind words and actions.
I look forward to announcing the War on Cancer challenge 2013 in the coming months...and if the response is anything like 2012's, then we are on a winner!
Until next time
Tracy
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