3YP2016 the Three Yorkshire Peaks Challenge – report
Well the day finally arrived for the 2016 challenge, Saturday 19th November 2016. Normally we do this in summer or early autumn in midweek but for various
reasons this year we did it in November on a weekend. For the first time I was actually trying to raise money for a good cause, instead of just doing the hike because it's there and we can, which is our usual reason. The good cause in question was the Castlebrae Police Treatment Centre at Aucherarder, Scotland. This is were I went for much needed rehab treatment and physiotherapy following a bad leg break and damaged ligaments in September 2015, the tale of which is documented elsewhere on the blog. I owe much to the wonderful staff there who literally got me back on my feet, teaching me to walk properly again, and without the limp that the NHS physio promised I would have. They are trying to raise £42000 for a zero gravity treadmill, which will help police officers and staff with lower limb and hip injuries maintain a level of fitness during recovery from injuries, preventing muscle wastage and speeding recovery by allowing them to exercise with up to 70% of their body weight reduced, avoiding stressing the injury. It is a most worthy cause and you can still donate if you are inspired by this tale to do so, simply visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Y3PC2016 or https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/tnpctc/castlebraealterg?utm_campaign=20161031_83763&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ExactTarget to make a donation online, and don;t forget to Gift Aid it if you are a taxpayer as this makes an extra £2.50 for every £10 donated
Right that's the begging bit done, back to the story.
The only remaining team members taking part from our original line up of 8 or 9 years ago were myself and
Dave Selby, with relative newcomer Supermarket manager Pete also on board - Petes done it probably four times with us now. Dave
had roped in a team of unknowns from the police training department to join us
so we had sufficient hikers to make a decent team. In the event, with poor
weather forecasts and the usual last minute drop outs only a few turned up.
The Humberside Police team then consisted of myself, Dave,
Peter, Charlie, John and Kevin, the latter three being trainers. Statistically
that gave an average age of 47, John being the oldest at 54 with Dave and Pete
the youngsters at 39.
Arriving at the bunkbarn that would be our overnight
accommodation there was snow aplenty on the hills and a fine dusting had
covered the roads making the drive up through Selside on the ungritted roads
entertaining, a little mini rally stage, which was fun. With more snow forecast throughout the evening, overnight and into Saturdaythe hike was going to be much tougher
than usual.
Once we had booked in we met Martin and Joe who were sharing the bunkbarn with us. They had arranged
to do the walk with workmates from Andrew Page motor factors, but like us they
had been let down at last minute by people dropping out and afraid of the
weather. Although both had walked the Peaks once before and were well equipped
they were considering aborting rather than tackling it as a pair, simply due tot he bad weather, so we
suggested they tag along with us – safety in numbers and all that. Joe was raising money for a Prostrate Cancer charity, a cause he felt strongly for having had many of the male members of his family touched by the cancer one way or the other.
After the customary few beers it was to bed for an early
rise on Saturday morning. A 5 a.m. alarm
call allowed time to park the safety car at Ribblehead and a quick breakfast
before setting off, in true "Top Gear" style at exactly 0609 hours to complete the first leg up to
Pen-Y-Ghent in the dark. At ground level in the Bracken Bottom valley there was
just a dusting of snow, maybe 1/2 inch to an inch, but as soon as we left the metalled road and started up
the ascent we stepped into two inches of snow, which got steadily deeper as we
climbed higher. The temperature was hovering at about zero, and windchill took
this down considerably, but all dressed for the weather we were warm to the
point of Dave and Pete removing layers and continuing in shorts! Where the path
meets the Pennine Way that changed as the winds increased and the temperature
dropped further. The south eastern face of Pen-Y-Ghent always catches the wind, and it was bitter to say the least.
Pen-y-ghent has a long relatively shallow ascent with an
abrupt climb to the summit. In the summer this can be achieved from Horton In Ribblesdale in under an
hour. It took us at least an extra half hour, nearer three quarters of an hour and the sun was breaking through as we reached the sharp ascent, which was a
challenge all of its own. The track is indistinct there at the best of times,
and it is a case of picking your way up with the best handholds and steps you
can see. It is in effect a climb rather than a walk, albeit only for a short
distance, with three points of contact recommended at all times. With the entire outcrop covered in snow it was a two hands on climb,
checking each grip and foothold before daring to transfer weight, and with both
feet and hands slipping sending the heart racing. The very real risk was of a
slip sending you down and it’s quite a drop, with jagged rocks and the sheer
height no amount of snow depth would have prevented a serious injury.
Regardless we all made it to the top, but John was clearly finding it hard
going. Martin and Joe later admitted that had they not had us to guide them and
coax them on they would have abandoned at that point.
Arriving at the trig point the entire summit was white over
with a fine mist of snow blowing. With only the wall and the trig point it was
a case of using experience and instinct to know which way to go, the map
wouldn’t help without a reference point although we could have used compass
bearing. John tried his military grade Magellan but due to the thick cloud
cover couldn’t get a fix on any satellite. It really was hopeless at that point everything was white, with the sky merging into the ground. We struck on regardless, picking out
clues to the route as we went along, the old trace of a footprint here, a trace of the trail there and within a mile or so had lost enough
height to get under the cloudbase and see familiar landmarks again – and we
were spot on course. Instinct and experience, knowledge of the route and terrain had seen us through. Dropping past Hull Pot we soon reached the T junction
where you can turn back to Horton in Ribblesdale or continue along the new
track towards Ribblehead. The going was still tough, and everybody had ended up
on their backside at least once with the slippery conditions.
We continued to the second bail out point and here John made
the sensible decision to retire gracefully back to Horton In Ribblesdale via
the 1 ½ mile route. Although making better progress and thoroughly enjoying the
hike Kevin also decided to bail out at this point. Being diabetic he was
concerned he was burning up so many calories that he could be in trouble later.
No shame at all in achieving only the one peak though, and both have already
declared their interest in returning to take part 2017 – but in the summer.
Having ditched the wrinklies and with the average age slightly reduced we were down to a group of six
but could pick up the pace a little. The hike across to Whernside was
relatively uneventful, each participant taking the lead and the rear at various
points as strengths and weaknesses came to the fore. I am fine on the flat and
level but due to the ankle injury and a pre-existing knee injury I struggle on
downhill stretches particularly where it is loose and rocky surfaces. When it
comes to the upwards slopes I aren’t the fastest, but not the slowest either,
and can plod on indefinitely – well almost. We made good progress and despite
the snowy showers and the cold even Dave wasn’t cursing repetitively, he
actually seemed to be enjoying it.
Arriving at Ribblehead Viaduct we were amazed to see the refreshments
van there and grabbed a warm drink whilst we changed into dry socks from the
backup car and replenished water supplies. A heavy shower of sleet accompanied
our lunch, and looking at Whernside was spirit dampening too. A thick black
snow laden cloud was settling over it, and Ingleborough itself was banked in snow and fog, the little of it we could see had snow blowing up and over the sides and
top, bring some doubt as to whether it would be safely accessible without ropes
and crampons. Ingleborough has a very steep climb up the edge of a waterfall –
which we couldn’t even see in the conditions.
After a 30 minute R & R we set off up Whernside, again
suffering a blast of sleet which tapered off as we turned into the wind and
started the ascent. The path was discernible at first but as we made the turn
towards the first of its many false peaks it became more and more difficult to
see any track at all – it was just a case of following the drystone wall –
except the wall wasn’t visible, only the fence posts and wire netting that
stands on top of the 3 foot wall could be seen; the snow was drifting, covering
the track with anything from 18 inches to 3 feet or more of heavily packed
snow. Besides a hard pack of snow where previous hikers must have tread the
snow was softer, and more than once my walking poles slipped in deep, sending
me off balance. At one point I tested the depth with my fully extended pole and
didn’t reach the bottom – around 3 ½ feet minimum of snow. By now we were again
loosing all reference points the white foreground of snow merging seamlessly
into the white grey sky. A single foot width track had been beaten through the
snow by other hikers and it crossed the wall to take advantage of the shallower
snow on the other side. As Dave and I took it in turns leading it began to snow
again, and the wind picked up drifting the snow and smudging the trail. Charlie,
in the middle, a short distance behind later reported that our footprints were
disappearing almost before he got to them. He was only around 30 feet behind us,
and I couldn’t see the other Martin and Jo at the back, although we kept stopping for
them to catch up. As conditions worsened further we agreed that we needed to
slow up and keep in visual range. With
the poor visibility it was difficult to gauge how far we were walking and we
were beginning to think we had missed the trig point when I saw it looming out
of the fog.
Time for a Bovril and a few photos before we set off on the
right side of the wall this time, the drifts not being quite so steep but still
tough going. We passed through a gate that neither I or Dave remember being
there last time we did Whernside, last year, but on checking the map it was there, so
that’s just our memories playing up.
The descent down the steep unevenly spaced steps down
Whernside is always a killer for my left knee joint, but this year the right
was worse. Slippery snow and slush meant foot placement was critical, and
several times I slipped, either jarring the knees or the ankle or falling over
completely. Dave and Joe meanwhile had decided that the quickest way down was
on their backsides. It looked like it might be fun, but I didn’t fancy walking
the remainder of the hike with wet trousers, so I soldiered on with dignity, if
at a somewhat reduced pace.
Once back on the flat it was simple a case of following the
trail which was pretty clear of snow by then. By now it was 3 pm and the
chances of completing Ingleborough in daylight were nil. Knowing the decent
from Ingleborough to be a boulder field I didn’t relish the prospect of crossing
it in the dark with a thick layer of snow covering the rocks – it would be like
crossing a minefield. Looking across the valley at the steep ascent we could
see snow blowing in drifts up the sides, the trail was covered in a deep layer
of snow and ice and visibility was nil. I just didn't want to risk snapping a leg or ankle and ending up back in a wheelchair again. That settled it, and we reset course
for Ribblehead again and the prospect of a warm by the fire and a pint in the
Station Pub. Ingleborough will still be there in the summer when we take the
challenge again next year.
The walk back to the viaduct proved uneventful except for a
flooded gateway on the path just ½ a mile or so from the finish. With the
choice of a detour around it or wet feet I opted for the later and waded
through, the depth coming just over my boot tops. Dave waded through with
aplomb at top speed ahead of me, whilst the remainder detoured a short distance
to a lower section of dry stone wall and climbed over – why didn’t I think of
that?
The final time was 8 hours 55 minutes for 18.77 miles of the
26 mile total, and we were losing daylight as we arrived at the pub, 200 yards
from the safety car. Given the conditions the energy expended is probably akin
to doing the full walk in decent weather anyway. We normally finish in around
10 ½ hours, but there is no way we could have done Ingleborough in under an
hour and a half to match that, there was still a good 3 hours walking and
climbing in those conditions.
It remains however our fastest time for two out of three in
heavy snow wintry conditions, and that is something of an achievement.
At the time of writing we have raised around £135 so far, towards the Castlebrae Appeal, which with the gift aid contribution added equals around about £170, and by encouraging Joe and Martin in the own endeavours have inadvertently helped towards their cause the Prostrate Cancer Research charity, raising a further £100 or so.
If any of my sponsors feel cheated because I didn't complete the three peaks then they can rest assured I will be back to do it in better weather conditions, and I might well go back and do Ingleborough in the snow in daylight just for the hell of it. Had it been achievable I would have done it, but in the conditions we had it would have potentially risked lives, not only of those taking part, but of those brave and selfless souls who thanklessly take part in rescues when things go wrong. The hills have been their for centuries, and they'll still be there next year - as will I.
Finally a big thank you to all those who donated, and a thank you to the team for their support and encouragement on the day.