View from the Summit of Mera Peak of Five of the Six highest Mountains in the World!

I’ve been writing this blog for exactly five years, changing the title according to the walk or climb I was about to do next. It’s a record of my thoughts, opinions and aspirations before and during whatever trip I was about to embark on or just returned from. It was meant for my use and amusement, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how many people appear to have read some of it. For me, it’s a diary, a place to look back, a place for me to see what state of mind I was in and whether in hindsight I could have made different choices. It wasn’t for me to learn from any of the decisions that I made as those were always right at the time and I have to look at them that way. I wrote the blog purely to see how I was feeling and why at the time.

The 2am Early Morning Starts

Writing this reminds me of a quote that I commented on in 2015, from an outdoor magazine that I was reading on the way to Kathmandu,  ‘What we are encouraging you to do here is to leave your comfort zone behind, move beyond the boundaries of your known experience and challenge yourself in a field where you are less sure of yourself, of what you are capable of and of how you will cope’ I said at the time ‘what a load of crap’ and three years on I have to say, that I feel exactly the same. The other quote regularly shoved down our throats is ‘Life is a  journey, not a destination’ (Ralph Waldo Emerson, probably a very misused quote as he was talking about his faith)…surely life is what you want it to be and on many occasions, the destination is extremely important. You try telling a climber on Everest that the summit isn’t important! His journey is ALL about the destination. For me, as important as the summit is, enjoyment, pleasure and the scenery is what really matters. The summit is a place to aim for but not, for me, the be all and end all. The Blog’s title change is to reflect that thought. I don’t consider the mountains a challenge, I don’t want to be at odds with them and fight for every foot gained, I just want to enjoy the many moods and the serenity that they offer, without a thought of any destination or journey!

Again the Early Morning Starts – but Wow…Everest and Lhotse in the centre

Good grief, that was a bit serious!! Anyway, Carolynn and I are off to meet Andrew, Caroline and Lottie in early February, as we continue our quest to complete the South West Coast Path. 150 miles or so completed and I don’t do long distance! And Carolynn has rarely walked more than a few miles in a day since we got married over 30 years ago…to say that I’m impressed is an understatement. We’re starting from Padstow this time and hopefully, I’m back making up the famous five. My plantar fasciitis is improving but is being annoyingly stubborn. My bum is sore from training on a bike and I’m looking forward to getting back on my own two feet. I have to wonder at these top cyclist, like Bradley Wiggins, numb balls, sore bum…not at all comfortable or pleasurable!

The Cairngorms – Stob Coire an t-Sneathda

The SWCP aside, there is one trip already booked and contemplating another. The first is to Mont Blanc in early June and a practise session with John Lyall a British Mountain Guide, in the Cairngorms at the end of February.

The other trip is a little more contentious! While there have been no deaths on this mountain and the success rate is fairly high, with over 200 climbers having reached the summit and with a height of just 4,892 metres, it is in one of the most remote places on earth. A place that is still pristine and where at the end of every expedition ALL waste is removed. Sitting just 600 miles from the South Pole lies Mount Vinson, the highest mountain in Antarctica. Technically it’s not a difficult climb, but the extreme weather can cause problems, with temperatures as low as -30 degrees and wind chill taking that down even lower. It is the coldest of major summits.

Rim Ice on the edge of the Cairngorm Plateau

Icelandic Mountain Guides, who I used for the trip to Greenland, recommended Adventure Consultants. A New Zealand company who have had many years experience in expeditions in many of the greater mountain ranges and the only company to provide three trips a year to Mount Vinson. Aaron at Adventure Consultants has, after looking at my climbing CV, given me the thumbs up. The expedition would mean about five weeks away from home, that’s three weeks on Mount Vinson and a further two weeks climbing little or unclimbed peaks in the Ellsworth Mountains, which the Vinson Massif is part.

Park House Hill in the White Peak area of the Peak District

On the plus side, it’s a place that is still unique in a world that has few really wild places left and a place that appears to be calling my name! And would it not be a real test for all my photographic equipment?

A More Unusual View of Snowdon from Moel Ellio

The photographs for this blog are from the High Himalaya to the beautiful snowy tops of the Scottish Highlands the larger than life hills of the Peak District and my favourite haunt, Snowdonia.

A Sunrise view towards Yr Aran from Yr Wyddfa (Summit of Snowdon)