The Epic Climb

So I was planning on writing this great epic story about climbing Mount Snowdon, but then time got away with me at St. Deiniol’s and now we’re on our way to York already. Therefore, though maybe I’ll post a journal about it later, these highlights will have to suffice: (at least I’m consoled by knowing no words could truly recreate my experience, no matter how well crafted.)

1. Mount Snowdown is the highest mountain in Wales and is at an altitude of 1,085 meters (3,560 feet) above sea level. It took about 3.5 hours to climb to the summit and 1.5 hours to climb back down. We also found out that Mount Snowdon is typically climbed by those preparing to climb Mt. Everest for the first time…comforting.

2. After the first 15 minutes of hiking I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it to the top; it so happened however that the first 10 minutes or so was one of the steepest sections – talk about starting off on the wrong foot.

3. I ate a semi-gross cheese sandwich (packed for us by St. Deiniol’s) at the “halfway house” which was just a snack shack that wasn’t even open. You should know that this cheese sandwich was not a grilled cheese, nor simply bread with cheese. Think shredded cheese melted, cooled and slopped between two pieces of bread. Mm. (Please sense the sarcasm here.) But it was fuel.

4. Anna Schneider and I took an “exhausted” picture a little over half way up the mountain – little did we know the worst was still ahead.

5. No England Termer should ever come without waterproof pants. Let me tell you, it rained for a good chunk of the time – sideways! No kidding.

6. With a good hour or more to go we took pictures of the fabulous view only to turn around and walk in a cloud the rest of the way to the summit. Think suffocation by intensely white fog. Haha, ok so we could breathe fine, but we couldn’t see very far, so we just had to keep walking into the endless white abyss hoping we were making progress.

7. Have I mentioned the constant WIND?!?! Again, think sideways!

8. Fact: as altitude increases, you are getting farther away from the center of the earth, which makes the gravitational pull on your body stronger, consequently making it increasingly harder to walk UP.

9. Reaching the top was so rewarding! We took pictures at the top, which basically just gives evidence to the immense cloud we were smothered in – we couldn’t see any view, so neither can you. Thankfully there’s a café at the top where I refueled with an English interpretation of a panini (so not Panera) and hot chocolate! I even got to call my mom and leave a message for my dad because there was free wi-fi! What a treat!

10. The trip down, though finally engaging different muscles, was a killer on the knees. Thankfully it didn’t take as long. And after about 20 minutes there was a sudden sweeping over of the blanketing whiteness and we could actually see clearly! Which resulted in more photos of wind blown, wet, exhausted England Termers (but nevertheless smiling)! Reaching the bottom I could NOT believe I had just climbed a mountain. What a sublime dream.

The next few days were spent shuffling around St. Deiniol’s to class, to tea, to read, etc. in an attempt to stretch out our aching muscles. Suddenly everyone was moving much slower.

By Saturday I was getting antsy to reconnect with civilization (St. Deiniol’s is on the countryside of Wales), but Sunday and Monday turned out to be more therapeutic than anticipated. I went with a group to church at the Cathedral in Chester, and on to Bodnant Gardens that afternoon. It was nice to get out and have a change of scenery. I honestly didn’t think I was going to enjoy walking through trees and flowers, but I found my mind completely engaged with wandering on various paths and deciding on the best angles for photography. Monday I took a day trip to Chester on the bus with the goal of working on my Wordsworth paper. I spent two hours in a Starbucks, but then found myself drawn to the abundance of shopping available along the streets of Chester. Let’s just say it was a successful shopping trip.

Tuesday I spend nearly all day in my room working on my Wordsworth paper, and even though it took a while, I’m proud of the result. We’ll see if my professor agrees.

Wednesday we left St. Deiniol’s in the morning, stopped at the Bronte house in Haworth, and arrived in York by 3:30 PM. There we had a beautiful tour of the York Catahedral, a yummy dinner of fish and chips and some free time, which I used to start brainstorming for free travel. In the morning we went on a tour of the Jorvik Viking Center. (To all Bethel readers: I believe this intensely Scandinavian experience would rightly fit into the ILA curriculum and was much more interesting than “the Anderson”, haha.) Anyway, the rest of the day was spent on the bus driving to London.

And to bring you completely up-to-date: I’ve arrived in London, am currently very tired, and hoping this overly large city does not eat me alive tomorrow! London here I come!