Moutaineering

For some time now he has been threatening to join GG (NAG) on a training climb of Scafell Pike (GG (NAG) is doing the 3 peaks challenge later in the summer) always with the secret hope that the training climb would never actually happen but disasterously last weekend the dreaded climb finally arrived.

As is to be expected some proper preparation was thrown well out of the window and having met up with GG (NAG) and the rest of his team for the challenge (Tom, Lucas and Maurizio) at the Scafell hotel on Friday night they sat up until the early hours (much to the irritation of the landlord) slowly drinking themselves into a stupor.

Despite this they stil managed to be up at 0630 ready to start their assault on the mountain at 0700. A quick dash up in some splendid weather saw them on top of the mountain by 0900 (despite GG(NAG)'s efforts to lead them to the summit of Esk Pike instead only saved by some quality map reading from our subject).

As this was a training climb the only option was then to run down and off they set. 40 minutes later there they were at the bottom of the mountain wondering where the car was. A quick discussion with a local later and they realised they had come down the wrong side of the mountain and their only option was to climb back over and down again.

It is fair to record that our subject had hit his personal wall and blown all his energy on the run down and the climb back over and down was very slow and dull but eventually around 1300 they finally found the car again much to his relief.

GG (NAG) astonishingly suggested that the fault for this lay with some shoddy map reading by our subject and it would be right of us to record that he did indeed have the map when they set off on their run down. Idiot.