Let’s set the scene. It was Sunday 19th May 2024, at 7am, and 12 of us met up at the office, ready to hop on the minibus and begin our journey to sunny Wales (sunny is an understatement it was 22º), to climb Snowdon for Alder Hey Children's Charity.
The journey there was full of enthusiasm, laughs, and talk about how we were feeling and what we were expecting.
The first part of the climb was filled with general chit chat and lots of snacks! As we started our ascent, we soon realised how massively we'd misjudged the heat, and within 10 minutes were already getting changing into our shorts.
Boots laced up and rucksacks back on, we continued the climb. The weather couldn't have been better and was definitely on our side. Although we were now getting pretty warm, there was not a cloud in sight and we were lathered in suncream (some of us anyway).
A few of us hadn't realised how fast we were going and so took a pit stop for a sip of water and the first snack break of many, to wait for the others to catch up. It was then I realised, I didn't have my phone.
After rummaging through my bag, the realisation hit that I put it down when changing into my shorts, and must have left it somewhere on the mountain. Rather than panicking I told Emma, our office mum, who called it and spoke to a lovely gentleman that had picked it up, and agreed to keep an eye out for us to return it. Stay tuned to find out if I got it back.
It started to get real as things got steeper and our legs were feeling the burn. By this point we were a lot more separated, so the troops at the front decided to make a stop for lunch (I say lunch it was about 10.30am). We perched on some rocks in the glorious sun with a breathtaking view. Digging out our packed lunches, we waited for the group to reunite.
After a final gulp of water, we continued with our climb. The next hour or so definitely consisted of more actual climbing as apposed to just walking, which mean the group well and truly dispersed. Trying to keep 12 people together up Snowdon is like trying to tell a toddler to sit still...near impossible.
During the last 40 minutes before getting to the top (not the top, top) we hit a bit of a wall. You know what that means...another snack break! We passed a beautiful lake and decided we were definitely going for a swim on the way back which spoiler alert, was amazing!
As we neared the summit, exhaustion started to set in. But seeing that peak in the distance gave us a second wind. With everyone spread out across the final half an hour, the first 5 arrived at the top. Following closely behind, another 2, and then finishing off with the final 5.
(For those still curious, I called my phone once again, to which the guys told us they would meet us at the top.)
We had a quick breather before one last push to the top, top. And before we knew it, we were there. The summit of Mount Snowdon!
It took a further 30 minutes to queue for the photo we were all waiting for but of course it was worth it. Let's face it, you can't climb Snowdon and not go right to the top.
Pictures taken we then celebrated with a refreshing bottle of Sol which as you can imagine, went down a treat.
By this point, we had rang my phone again to discover the people who had it couldn't find us, and were already on their way back down. It was then we decided it would be easier for them to leave it at the cafe at the bottom for me to collect.
We spent a good hour at the top exploring, nipping to the toilet so we didn't have to go for, let's just call it a wild wee, and finishing off the remainder of our lunches and snacks. Let me tell you, what a view it was.
The journey down was much more chilled, stopping for a minute to take everything in, and enjoying an incredible swim to cool down.
Ste was first in, diving head first into the amazing Llyn Llydaw Lake. Little did he know, a rather rectangular shaped device was in his back pocket, his phone. Luckily enough, he passed it to Gav and it was remarkably ok. Gav and I then joined Ste, cooling off in the blazing sun. The others were quick to join once they saw how much of a good idea it was, James swimming out right into the middle of the lake.
We dried off as much as we could, and tried not to groan when Freddi enlightened us that there was a good hour and a half to go. We set off for a final time, determined to get this done!
Reaching the end after thousands of steps, we finally saw the finishing line. Emma and I headed straight to the cafe, explained the situation and described my phone to the lady. And low and behold...there is was. My phone had been up and down Snowdon without me.
As we left the cafe we saw everyone else in the distance in dribs and drabs. Exhausted, drained, but also with a slight spring in their step, they too crossed the final gate and had completed the climb up Snowdon. 4 hours 12 minutes of moving time later, we had done it.
We hopped aboard the minibus ready to head back, which was when Gav revealed a lovely cool box full of rewarding drinks. Doors shut and seatbelts buckled we set off. Let's just say it was a lot more quiet than on the way there.
It wasn't until the following day back at the office that people realised the lack of suncream they had put on, and sore legs weren't the only painful thing to come out of the trip.
It's safe to say we faced some physical challenges, but thinking about the money we'd raised for Alder Hey made every step worth it. Speaking of which, are you ready for the amount raised?
We managed to raise a grand total of, drumroll please...£1,549, and as a company decided to match this from which gave us a final total of £3,098!
Until the next adventure!
