Though i enjoyed the christmas celebrations, little did i realize that the best part was yet to come...the most incredible trek i ve ever had...to conquer the Snowdon peak! Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, located in the Snowdonia National Park (Welsh: Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri) in the county of Gwynedd. Its summit rises to 1,085 m (3,560 feet) and is known as Yr Wyddfa (old Welsh: "the grave/tomb"). The whole park is very popular with tourists, especially for hiking, and Snowdon is understandably the greatest attraction. Once again for those interested..here is a link to a webcam on the net showing you the Snowdon peak. (weather permitting of course..and open the link in a new window)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/sites/webcams/pages/snowdon.shtml
We drove down to the foot of the hills..a litlle bit groggy from the overnight celebrations....but the amazing views set it all straight....it was simply breathtaking...there were mountains on all sides, covered in snow and looking spectacular for the effect. Although i must say that standing at the foot and realizing that its a long way to the top is exhausting as the trek itself.
We had heard in the news about the destruction of the Tsunami and while admiring the incredible beauty of nature i realized that there was a thin line dividing the incredible from the terrifying in nature. This realization would become more apparent as we neared the summit with its incredibly terrifying ledges and almost gale force winds. I take this opportunity to express my deepest sympathy with the people affected by the tsunami....i hope all of you and your families are safe.
To take you back to the trek....even though did get a bit of snow the previous day...this was simply amazing...as we climbed, the snow became more plentiful and thicker...there were places, off the trekking path whch were more than knee deep...wow...there i was waiting almost 25 years to see my first snow...and by the time i finished this trek..i`d feel as though i was born in it!....it was just incredible to feel it under my shoes at the start, rolling snowballs, carrying it and throwing it, blocking up small streams by pushing snow into it, falling into it and of course snow ball fights......all theses snow based entertainment kept us occupied as we climbed the incredibly long pathway leading up to Snowdon...half way there and we were really exhausted but the thrill of the summit waiting to be conquered, kept us going...while we were struggling up...i must say there were people who would walk past us as if they were hurrying to office...whew...the incredibles!
Anyway...as we neared the top...the scenery got amazing, and so did the cold and the wind....the effects of the wind on snow was in itself quite a sight to behold. The paths got more narrow..the daylight started failing and the ledges fell of to a thousand feet below...but the sight of the summit kept us going.... finally when we were meters away from the tip, there began an incredibly strong wind, which i must confess would have blown me off like a leaf if i didnt hold on to the rocks.. i began to get a taste of what it would have been for the people going up the Everest and other places where this would have been child s play in comparison...
When indeed we did make it to the top...the conditions were really treacherous with the strong winds , a shoe bite and danger of night approaching on the way back , that all we had time for at the top was to grab some quick snaps and beat retreat.
The walk down was never ending and tiring but it felt awesome to have been at the top....and i felt humbled as a human being to have seen the incredible artistry of mother nature... This will remain as one of the foremost adventures in my life.(but who knows what is to come)
The next day we returned to Doncaster, to my cousins place and spend the following days there. I was to return on the 30th and little did i know that yet another adventure awaited me for the journey...to make it short, i caught the wrong train and ended up in London...and had to set things right before i could resume the journey to Plymouth... I had more than half a mind to set out to explore London but time and money have constraints on the spirit of adventure and i had to make do with a train journey to Plymouth going over the incredible experiences of the past week.
Thats it from me for now...i wish all of you an Incredible New year and i do hope you will all enjoy it as much as i have done over the past week.
Before all of you sign off...i request you to leave a comment in my guest book which can be accessed by clicking the link on the top, right beneath the photo...it would be a nice way to keep in touch if you dont have the time to mail and i would love to know what you think of these updates...just a few words would do. Thanks...
With Lots of Love
Thomas
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