Climb Every Mountain

A bit of a change of subject for today's blog following a cracking weekend in the Brecon Beacons. Allow me to introduce you to the Mountain Trail Challenge arranged for the second consecutive year by good friends of mine Mike and Cat. The basic concept is that several hundred nutters walk (the really crazy run) 30 miles if the full route is selected or 20 miles for the short (short, 20 miles, there's a misnomer if ever one was). The route covers some of the most beautiful and awe inspiring scenery imaginable all within the Brecon national park and includes Pen-y-Fan, the highest point in South Wales, although the more immature (that's everyone involved then) enjoy Fan-y-Big much more.


However, for the second consecutive year, I was marshalling along with Tina and the kids. In simple terms, the job of the marshals is to simply assist Mike in ensuring that everyone that starts the challenge somehow ends up at the finish as well. Last year, we stayed up to greet the last finishers at 4am, this year it was a much more sociable midnight.


The event is extremely well organised and, it has to be said, a great deal of fun, at least for the marshals. The atmosphere and the camararderie is second to none between all the walkers and marshals alike; with the possible exception of one couple, the wife had enough and packed up the tent and drove off leaving other half on the mountains somewhere oblivious to this.

For much of the event this year, Victoria, Anthony and I set ourselves up along with Caroline in Checkpoint 3, the last before the end 5 or 7 miles away depending on which route you were walking. From this vantage point you would see most of the range of human emotion - elation for those relishing the last leg to those already on their last legs. I was driving the retirement vehicle for people that couldn't carry on. Reasons varying from blisters the size of a watermelon, to vomitting to one lady who was four months pregnant! Huge Kudos must go to one young lady who had a myriad of blisters on each ankle where her socks were. She removed her socks, had her legs bandaged, borrowed another pair of socks from Caroline and swapped shoes with her friend because they were lower cut. She carried on and completed the full course.


The kids also had a whale of a time. To all those who don't believe kids do anything more energetic than watch TV should have seen Vic and Anthony climb Pen-Y-Fan and carry on providing great help along with Beth and Jayne right up to the last walkers returned. If evidence were required, here they are at the top.

If a sense of irony were required, after volunteering at least in part as a first aider, Tina herself ended up sampling the best of Merthyr Tydfill's A&E department after her middle finger lost a fight with the caravan roof vent. Despite fears that it may be broken, it seems it had been dislocated leaving some soft flesh damage and an inability to now give the V sign with her right hand.

Apart from the fun and the challenge of the event, there is another side. The event is assisted by the Central Brecons mountain rescue team, Army Cadet Force and a number of local groups and organisations, all of whom recieve a donation in exchange for their help.

So, thanks to Mike and Cat for arranging another fantastic event. If it does (and I hope it does) make it to a third consecutive year, Tina and I are more than willing to help with anything we can and there is a ready supply of very eager small marshals. Oh,and Mike, if you read this, I intend to walk it next year.