Simon was young, fit and healthy. Just weeks
before he died, he had completed the 3 Peaks Challenge to
raise money for The Lord’s Taverners.
Soon after Simon’s death, we - along with a
group of Simon’s friends from Durham University; and from
Nottingham, where he grew up - decided to complete the 3
Peaks Challenge in his honour.
So
it was that we found ourselves on Friday 18th
September 2009 beginning the long trek up to Fort William to
start the hike up Ben Nevis.
It started hot and sunny, but by the time we
finished (5 hours later) it was pitch black (thank goodness
for the head torches). My Dad said we looked like miners
returning from the pit!
The amazing support team were ready and
waiting for us with hot drinks, bacon butties and soup -
how would we have survived without them?
Then it was back into the mini buses for the
long drive through the night to Scafell Pike in the Lake
District.
Despite sleeping bags, eye masks and travel
pillows, very few of us got any sleep and it was soon time
to pile out of the buses and start climbing Scafell Pike at
4.30am (head torches on again as the sun didn’t rise until
we neared the peak around 6.30am). A good bit of singing
kept all 17 of us going despite the dark, lack of sleep and
lack of proper food.
We completed Scafell in 4 hours and piled
back into the buses (after some much appreciated sustenance
from our support team). Final drive to North Wales to tackle
Snowdon. Despite this supposedly being the ‘easiest’ of the
3 peaks, the other peaks and long drives had taken their
toll, and everyone was incredibly weak and tired by this
point. But, with a few additions to the group as support,
and yet more singing along the way, we made it to the top.
It
was there on the top of the final mountain that we met and
talked to Mike Gatting, ex-England cricket captain and
immediate Past President of The Lord's Taverners, the
charity Simon had supported during his 3 Peaks Challenge
only 15 months previously.
Was it fate that he was there or just a
massive coincidence? To our group it felt as though Simon
was there himself, watching over us and telling us how proud
he was of our success.
We took time to have a bit of bubbly at the
top of Snowdon before making our way down for the final
time. Two hours later we made it back to the mini buses.
We had made it – challenge completed as a
full team.
It was an incredibly draining challenge,
mentally and physically, but at the same time the most
fantastic and amazing experience for all of us. I have
never known such a brilliant team effort – an already close
group of friends are now just that bit closer.
Never has a shower and bed been so
welcoming. Now we’re all back home and back to work – a few
minor injuries and many aching muscles. So far, we have
raised almost £3,000 for CRY – well worth every
painful step!
