Our route to the Summit with family members aged between 9 and 70.
We climbed Snowdon as our family were gathering in North Wales for the Easter break. The weather forecast was good so three generations of Climb it Rangers set off to conquer Snowdon.
We took the Llanberis path as two of the members of the party were children (aged 9 and 12) and had no experience of climbing a mountain. Although this path is longer than the others (there are six routes in total) it is also less steep and so it feels more manageable.
We began our climb through woodland. There is a stile opposite the Royal Victoria Hotel in Llanberis which leads you to the Pen Ceunant Café . The woodland path perversely dips at times. You feel yourself losing height rather than gaining it. You know that these wasted metres will soon have to be made up. You therefore want the climb to start properly.
We soon reached Pen Ceunant café http://www.snowdoncafe.com/ in Llanberis. Here details were displayed of the weather. According to the report it was 12 degrees here at the café but much cooler (around 7 degrees) at the summit. We were all well prepared with warm clothing and plenty of water packed into our day sacks. We turned left at the café and continued upwards along the Llanberis path.
You soon feel the muscles in the back of your legs strain and pull. Both you and the path meander and climb, carrying you up the mountain and away from Llanberis which shrinks in size as the distance and height between you and your starting point lengthens.
You pass the Half Way house café 570 metres up which opens during peak season. You want to stop, rest and enjoy the tea and cakes on offer, but you press on, knowing that they will taste that much better on the way down, once you have achieved your main objective.You press on and convince yourself that the second half of your climb will be easier than the first.
In a way it is…you pace yourself. Picking achievable milestones and objectives in the distance and giving yourself praise and boosting confidence when you reach and surpass them.
The younger members of our team seemed to have an abundance of energy and strength as they storm off in front, only to tire and flag in the latter stages of the climb when mental strength and experience are needed to drive you forward.
After about three hours (and countless false horizons) you reach the summit. You know you are there because suddenly there are so many more people, brought up to the top by the Snowdon Mountain Railway. You can’t help feeling a little spiteful knowing that they have reached the same destination without expending the same energy. These negative feelings soon recede when you realise that they will never experience the same sense of achievement and pride as you.
You mingle with the railway trippers and queue up for your hot drink at the café. Alas on this occasion there was no hot water so no celebratory tea or coffee at the top for us.
After taking in the breathtaking views we begin the descent.
Easy, we thought.
Then we realised that down is often as hard as up. Not so much on the muscles but the repetitive pounding and impact puts your knees and joints under strain and pressure. You also realise just how far you have climbed as you retrace your steps down the mountain.
It was a long day. We began our climb at 10 am and were back in Llanberis by 5.00 pm. A hard day and a day to remember for all our team. We were exhausted and we felt tired but three generations of our family had made it to the summit of Snowdon.
Afterwards we headed for the Galt y Glyn in Llanberis a child friendly pub which is well known for its pizza and free pint and admired the views of Snowdon.http://www.gallt-y-glyn.co.uk/restaurant.html
We sell a range of Snowdon T shirts including Kids (pictured below)
http://www.climbitrange.co.uk/shop-product.asp?ProductID=197
http://www.climbitrange.co.uk/shop-product?ProductID=57
T shirts are also available at various outlets in North Wales including Pen y Pass café, Snowdonia Adventure and Crib Goch Outdoor world shop in Llanberis