The alarm went off..it was 4 o'clock in the morning! I wanted to stay longer in the cosy bed but knew that we had to get away within one hour to make it in time for the start of the North Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge. The drive to Yorkshire from Warrington was quick and pleasant. Sonal took opportunity to grab extra sleep.Shiv and Aravind chatted away excitedly in the back whilst the rest of us enjoyed the glorious sunrise as the drab Motorway gave way to winding country road through the Penines.
We arrived at Horton-in-Ribblesdale with 30 mins to spare. This time was well spent renewing old acquaintances and wrapping up with extra layers as the morning chill warned that it would be much colder high up the hills. There was a briefing by the organisers and with a resounding "Vishwa Dharma Ki Jai!" we were off. Jai,Sonal,Shiv and Aravind raced ahead as they intended to complete all The 3 peaks. Salilji, Priti and myself adopted a leisurely pace as we chatted with old friends and made new ones along the way. As Pen-y-Ghent loomed ahead of us our chatting became less pronounced as we started using our precious energy for the climb. Gradually the cluster of walkers became a single file as the track became steeper. More we climbed higher the more we got rewarded by spectacular views as North Yorkshire Moors. Having climbed in the Himalayas, I knew it is best to keep a steady pace and breath rhythmically in order not to get puffed out. The last stage of the climb was almost vertical where we had to use hand to scramble up. The wind was now getting dangerous. It was strong enough to blow you around and it was obvious that the light weight trekkers were having real problems steadying themselves! Finally, with one enormous burst of effort we reached the summit of Pen-y-Ghent 694m (2,277ft). A well deserved break of sandwiches, chocolates and energy drinks was had.
The descent was a welcome relief as we were shielded from the biting winds on the other side of the peak. As we descended, conversations again started which nicely distracted the pain from now aching limbs.Suddenly, a bunch of Indian trekkers approached us walking in the opposite direction...it was Debkantji and friends! They had decided to do the trek the other way round. A pleasant cup of tea and Kit-Kats were waiting for us at our return.
Suryaji,Priyaji,Akshay,Vinod and Naveenji,Bipasaji,Anant and Aryaman had decided to attempt one peak and were ready and waiting to go up Ingleborough. I will let them describe their experiences in a separate blog.
We all had a fantastic time climbing the peaks, meeting and making friends along the way.
418 individuals took part in the trek raising £ 3273.21 for the Charity Sewa International
Vishwa Dharma Ki Jai!
Individual achievements:
All 3 Peaks - Jai & Shiv
2 Peaks - Sonal, Debkantji, Aravind, Hasmukhji
1 Peak - Pritiji, Salilji, Suryaji, Priyaji, Akhshay, Vinod
- Naveenji, Bipashaji, Anant, Aryaman
Hasmukh Dahyabhai Mistry
Warrington Vivekananda Shakha
