Page 135 - AGC_Journal 2018(FINAL)_Neat

AGC JOURNAL 2018
Exercise Tiger
Ascent
The Three Peaks
Challenge
By Corporal Adam Davies
Fourteen members from 47th Regiment Royal Artillery took on the challenge
of climbing the three tallest peaks in the United Kingdom between the 24th
and 28th September 2018.
Travel to Scotland
The trip began with a lengthy ten hour journey
from Larkhill to Fort William. The team stayed
in a basic, but comfortable hostel in Fort
William that night before rising the following
morning to news of wet and deteriorating
weather conditions. This forecast was quickly
dismissed however, with a hearty breakfast and
strong coff ee.
Ben Nevis
The team set off for the summit of Ben Nevis
in high spirits under dry and mild weather
conditions. The wind picked up a few hours
in, as we crossed an exposed ridge forcing
everybody to stop and put on their warm
clothing. Luckily the rain was light so morale
remained high as we drove on together. The
weather further deteriorated as we got closer
to the summit with heavier rain and stronger
winds. There were even patches of snow at the
very top. The drop in temperature and driving
wind made the ascent quite challenging, but
everybody worked as a team and helped each
other along. After a short celebration at the
summit, we headed to lower ground, keen to
get out of the wind, but even more desperate to
avoid the heavier rain that had been forecast.
The whole team completed the climb in
six hours and were glad to get the fi rst one
under our belts. It had tested us all and a few
were feeling cold, wet and slightly sorry for
themselves. However, these feelings were
quickly forgotten when we looked at the sad
state of some civilians that had attempted the
climb, completely unprepared wearing jeans
or even a tracksuit. We then headed South to
military accommodation at Carlisle Castle, with
Ascending
Ben Nevis the luxury of steaming hot showers and piping
radiators to dry our clothes and wet boots.
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Scafell Pike
On the Wednesday morning, we enjoyed a full
cooked breakfast before heading off to Scafell Pike.
Everything was running smoothly, until we realised
that we had been dropped off at the wrong car
park and had to take a detour. Three miles later we
arrived at the correct start point; this leg of journey
generating a salvo of sneers and jibes as instructors
blamed drivers, who in turn blamed the organisers.
After fi nally agreeing to call it a sensible ‘warm-up’,
we set off on the correct route.
We soon realised how diffi cult the task ahead
of was. Although not as high, Scafell Pike had a
much steeper incline and the weather was poor.
Visibility was limited to a few metres and the rain
was constant. This meant that the stone path was
very slippery and had to be negotiated carefully,
especially as our legs were fatigued from the
previous day.
The summit We pushed on to reach the summit in good time.
of Ben Nevis
The Corps fl ag was again unfurled for the obligatory
photo and we forced a smile through the rain that
was lashing at our faces. The descent was very
slippery underfoot and we had to tread carefully.
Half way down we came to the aid of a civilian lady
that had fallen and injured her pelvis. We followed
the mountain rescue’s advice of administering some
pain relief and leaving her with her friends, for the
experts to deal with. We left her a survival bag to
keep her warm and made our way down. I think
there was both genuine disappointment and relief
that we couldn’t carry her in our folding stretcher.
After a four hour journey, we reached Capel Curig,
where two nights of not so luxury accommodation
awaited us. We were even treated to cold showers
and a transit block with no heating, but at least the
food was good and a promise that the weather was
improving.
Snowdon
Leaving Fort On Thursday, we woke up to glorious sunshine
William which brought an automatic smile and fresh
impetus to the group. Everyone was keen to get
onto Snowdon and complete the last challenge.
After breakfast, we set off on the short journey to
Snowdon. We climbed in blue skies and sunshine
to fantastic views which got better as we ascended
the mountain. We reached the summit, relieved
that we had passed the fi nal challenge. The sights
were stunning with a clear 360 degree view of North
Wales. After the obligatory team photo, we treated
ourselves to a hot drink in the coff ee shop before
attempting the descent.
Coming back down the mountain in the glorious
sunshine and working up a bit of sweat, a few brave,
or maybe naive individuals decided to strip down
to the bare minimum and go for a swim in one of
Snowdon’s many icy reservoirs. As inviting as the
water looked, no one could bear it for more than a
few seconds.
That evening, we went out into Betws-y-Coed for a
well deserved meal. This was the fi rst night where
Scafell we didn’t have any substantial travelling and could
Pike relax and unwind. A fantastic end to a fantastic
week.
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