The Trip, 3rd day:
Summary: Distance: 15.10 km
Total ascent: 1352.50 m
Maps (Ordnance Survey):
I woke to find the usual thick fog outside but there was no rain. I used this opportunity to pack quickly and shoot off. I swiftly found my way back to the stone fence I was following yesterday and continued to do just that. The weather turned catastrophic even before I was over my first ascent. It started raining which would have not been a big issue in itself but it was accompanied by such stormy, strong, horizontal gusts that I was pushed aside, forced to all fours and sometimes even on steep downhill I was forced to stop. Mind you I was following on the ridge line, but didn't dare leaving the fence running there with the fog being so thick everywhere. I've been trudging in these conditions for almost an hour when I got suspicious about the many downhill parts. Finally there was a gap in the fog and I glimpsed at a valley way too close to me and downhill all the way there. It seemed I managed to mess up something seriously in the morning fog. I needed 10 minutes until I absorbed fully that out of the two choices in the morning I only nearly managed to pick the right one but not quite. This meant I've been walking in the wrong direction for an hour and that I was very close to Llyn Dinas lake. To this I could only react with the followings: "But no, it's not possible, no, but why, why this, not this, whyy, noooo?!" After a bit of system freezing I managed to reboot, turn on my heels and walk back the way I came from. This was a nice little experience that on a foggy morning it's useful to take a look at your compass even if you remember directions from the previous day very clearly. On the way back I found a faint path on the lee of the mountain and I rather followed this even if it lead across really wet area. By 8.30 I found my way back to Bwlch Cwm Llan at the foot of Snowdon at 500 metres of altitude, leaving me 250 metres lower and a pile of energy shorter compared to yesterday.
after the morning's unnecessary lap in the right direction once again
The top of Snowdon lay 2.5 kms away, even if at 1085 metres so almost 600 metres higher, so I didn't really start thinking about turning back because any signs of a civilization were hours away and even those were only camp sites. I passed a hotel yesterday at 5 pm but anything more serious I'll only find in Llanberis on the other side of Snowdon.
Therefore I started climbing. My tummy couldn't really handle the exertion, so I employed the practice that after every 50 steps I laid down on my bag to rest until it got settled. After a short while I felt so weak I fell asleep at every stop and got woken by the cold reminding me to go on. These stops took minutes only because I got completely soaked to the bone while roaming around.Uphill there was a pile of rock climbing and an average 24% gradient. By the time I finally reached the cafe close to the summit it was almost midday, so this section of the ascent took 3 hours.
Comparing this with the section from yesterday with roughly the same length and 34% gradient I completed within just a bit more than an hour I could aptly call this sleep climbing...but only retrospectively because right at that moment I didn't even have that much going on in my head as I usually do. Well, I was almost up on the summit so it was time for a longer rest in a warm place. At least I thought so, but not the owner of the cafe. The fortress like metal structure welcoming me proved to be the closed cafe.
in the relative shelter of the cafe
To my great disappointment I couldn't sit down in the cafe which was even more frustrating because I ran out of water about halfway up the mountain, so in spite of the pouring rain I was getting dehydrated.
On the way uphill I heard the mountain railway's whistle and even back then I was planning to get down from here with it, so I get some rest, save energy and still move ahead. So I asked the people taking shelter nearby about railway.
After a couple of "I don't know." I was informed the last one's already left for today, possibly the one I've heard myself. This was an other blow because I've already imagined myself on the train and that the walking is basically over for today and I found it rather odd to have closed at midday in an tourist area.
But the cafe was closed too, so I had to accept the situation. I steeled myself to withstand the combination of fog-pouring rain-stormy wind for a couple of more hours, I looked up a spring and shot off.
First i started with steep uphill to check out the summit even though there was not much to see in these conditions. Quick picture at the Ordnance Survey pillar marking the 1085 metre height, then downhill.
Looking back I calmed down that everything was still covered with thick fog, so it wasn't only an unfortunate timing on my part, I just simple walked out of the high altitude fog. From here on I was able to look around and time went by quicker, so I was at the spring swiftly and I wasn't even thirsty afterwards. Halfway down I stopped at the aptly named Halfway House cafe. It was crowded but i managed to sit down by lady's table from Netherlands. She told me with a smile on her face they're spending their holiday there and his husband went to climb the summit while she got off the train here to wait for him. I'm not entirely sure who made the better decision...I tried to eat from my delicious looking ham sandwich without much success, after a couple of crumbles I gave up. After a short while in spite of the warmth of the cafe I started to feel cold so it was time to go. On my way down I glimpsed at the mountain railway chugging uphill, but I've already set my mind not to get on it, especially when the sun was close to emerging from the clouds.
So I descended to Llanberis with frequent rests, by this time even my clothes got quite dry and the sun appeared on the sky.
On the way uphill I heard the mountain railway's whistle and even back then I was planning to get down from here with it, so I get some rest, save energy and still move ahead. So I asked the people taking shelter nearby about railway.
After a couple of "I don't know." I was informed the last one's already left for today, possibly the one I've heard myself. This was an other blow because I've already imagined myself on the train and that the walking is basically over for today and I found it rather odd to have closed at midday in an tourist area.
But the cafe was closed too, so I had to accept the situation. I steeled myself to withstand the combination of fog-pouring rain-stormy wind for a couple of more hours, I looked up a spring and shot off.
First i started with steep uphill to check out the summit even though there was not much to see in these conditions. Quick picture at the Ordnance Survey pillar marking the 1085 metre height, then downhill.
the summit from the cafe
at 1085 metres, smashing, let's go already
A perfect, manmade track lead downhill with even gradient, not really the loose rocky terrain with rock climbing here and there category, on top of which I had downwind so I had a rather pleasant descent.
man-made track downhill
Most of the people I met downwards thought to have a quick stroll up the highest mountain in Wales when they set off from the foot of the mountain. They didn't seem to have expected conditions like these. I passed several families with crying kids, people wearing shorts, t-shirts, without a cap, with shaking dogs on leads. None of their faces told tales of pure enjoyment at all. As soon as the track passed under the rail lines at Clogwyn station the fog disappeared and features further away became visible.
scenery out of the fog
Llyn Du'r Arddu lake
mountain train from Llanberis
 |
| ruins of Dolbadarn Castle |
at the foot of the mountain witnessing a bit of a herding exercise
bugaboo Snowdon already behind me
I strolled down to lake Llyn Padarn and had a bit of a nap in the afternoon sunshine.
in Llanberis at the mountain railway terminal
bus stops
Dolbadarn Castle from Llanberis
Electric Mountain - former mine used as a power station and museum now
at the shore of Llyn Padarn lake
Apparently the locals are used to the sight of homeless looking hikers because I didn't get looked at weirdly ... most often. In the information centre I cleaned up myself and headed to the local GP to get something for my continuous nausea. I finished within an hour in which time I managed to pick up some Welsh vocabulary while half asleep. A 7 pm I got on the Sherpa 85 bus that took me to Bangor where the coach was to depart from. I went to the hospital here because my dehydration symptoms were getting pretty bad. After a load of waiting I got this one sorted too. A week has passed since this and I can eat almost normally, however the outer side of my toes are still quite numb.
Epilogue
Well, this is the story of my trip in Snowdonia. In good weather everything was astonishingly beautiful, but when it wasn't anything could be really trying. And if you manage to overexert yourself of to possibly pick up some bacteria on your way and fall ill, than...
I'm really glad I made this journey but probably that'll do from the mountains for this year.
I'm really glad I made this journey but probably that'll do from the mountains for this year.
Browsing the internet afterwards I found out i climbed 10 of the Welsh mountains above 3000 feet (914 m) without any intentional planning in this direction. Back then I was only looking for longer connecting ridges. The Welsh 3000's challenge includes all 14 (16) summits above the earlier mentioned height to be climbed within 24 hours. It sounds really harsh, I'd rather leave this fun for others to enjoy.
And finally a panorama movie from the top of Carnedd Ddafydd.