Wow, do my feet hurt…

I’m aching, my legs feel like blocks of wood, blisters coat the soles of my feet and my toes feel like they’ve been through a wringer. But it was all, totally, completely worth it.

On the 6th August, I managed to take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks. This consists of a circular route climbing Pen-Y-Ghent (694m altitude), Whernside (736m), and Ingleborough (723m), all one after the other, in one day. This was part of an organised event on behalf of the Selfish Spirits Company, to raise money for the mental health charity Mind. A team of myself and 10 others decided to take on this challenge, to raise money to do some good, and for our own personal achievements.

The hike was originally planned for the 5th of August on the Saturday. However, typically this was exactly the date when Storm Antoni was declared and was to hit the British Mainland. This storm prompted a yellow warning from the met office and was labelled as a ‘danger to life’ by various news outlets. This was a serious disappointment, as I knew that the team had booked this time off work months in advance, and now there was every possibility it wouldn’t happen. There was a period where I considered braving the wind and rain, but ultimately decided it just wasn’t worth it. The path can be quite treacherous in certain places, and the increased wind and rain had every chance to cause someone to lose their balance and suffer a potentially serious injury. So, we cancelled and decided to do it the next day. Thankfully, everyone moved their calendars around and it was time to try again!

We arrived at the starting point all eager, bright-eyed and bushy tailed. We were excited to get started! A few minutes double checking our bags, making sure the ground crew had all their gear (including the cocktails!), a few pictures and we were off! My dad even brought his drone to take some scenic shots before the first peak.

We made it up the first peak with no complications, and our spirits were high. We rested at the top, took some more pictures, and of course drank our cocktails – our first being an Espresso Rumtini, for a caffeine and sugar hit! But from the top of Pen-Y-Ghent, it was clear just how big of a challenge this was going to be. From atop that peak, you can see the heights of the others, and, just as worse, the distance between them. It was going to be a long day.

We descended Pen-Y-Ghent and began the trek to Whernside. This was when we got the chance to truly appreciate the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales. Walking through those rolling fields, crossing idyllic streams and passing beautiful waterfalls. At this point we still had the energy to appreciate it for what it was. But then began the hike up Whernside, which was a slow, steady, gruelling process. Unlike the other two peaks, there was no steep incline, and I felt that was worse. Almost like it was hard to tell if we had managed to make any progress. But, again we did it, we reached the top and had our second cocktail: a Dark Mojito! A few more pictures, and then time for the descent. You’d have thought walking down a hill would be easier, but constantly catching yourself with each step was a different kind of pain, a pain my toes are still blaming me for.

There was one peak left, and boy could I not wait for it to be over. I kept up appearances and held onto my chirpy attitude for the team, even though I was exhausted. We had a quick pit-stop rest, thanks to my family who drove to meet us and provided drinks and sustenance. But this time, there were some dark clouds looming overhead. The rain was coming!

We set off, and lo-and-behold, the heavens opened just as we reached the bottom of Ingleborough. This was when the discipline really had to kick in. It was not enjoyable. No one spoke to each other; we were already tired; we were now soddened. It was just a case of one foot in front of the other to get this done. The torrential rain made the paths through the bogs even more treacherous, and the deep puddles were enough to get our feet wet.

We started climbing the steep incline. But thank goodness, this was when the rain chose to stop, and we were greeted with glorious sunshine, twinkling off the freshly made puddles in the rock formations. From here on out, our efforts were unimpeded, and we made it to the top of the last peak. We were ecstatic, if not a bit tired. We finally managed to complete the challenge, raising an incredible £2600 for Mind. We took in the view one last time, before we began the descent and made our way home after a successful day.

I was super proud of myself for completing this challenge, and even more proud of the whole team for doing it too. It was an incredible feat to achieve, and I’m so happy Selfish Spirits did its part to do some good. It was a difficult test, and it would have been so easy to give up. But none of us even entertained the idea, not even when it was pouring it down. We’d set ourselves the challenge, and there was no way we weren’t completing it. And that’s exactly what we did, and we smashed it. Not only was it a challenge of the body, but of the mind as well. Your mentality in completing this challenge is just as important as your physical prowess. But now, it’s time to rest.

And time to start thinking about what to do for the next challenge!