Well the proof was in the pudding, and I'll let you know the pudding was good! We may well have had some disjointed starts to Saturday and Sunday's hikes, but what unveiled, was testing on all levels.
Saturday was fresh, with ground well covered by snow, and clear blue skies, it was almost as good as watching sky HD. Our first test came in the form of the icy c roads (Salt didn't seem to have reached these parts), and negotiation with a local farmer for car parking (interesting!). Two hurdles I feel were cleared well. So onto the main event. Scaling Pen y Fan at 886m was as good a days test as we could have wanted. The snow, sometimes reaching above your knees, had all the qualities to make you slip, trip and fall on your face (always lifting the spirits of others!).
Sadly due to the closing in of the weather (in about five minutes), we had to turn back at about the three quarter mark. Rescue helicopters seemed to be everywhere, but fortunately they were training. Amazing scenes all around. More comedy on the way down, as our youngster's (BJ) patience wore thin, and he decided that rolling down the slope would be far more productive! I also had the fortune of following Curry as he slid and slipped his way from one leg to other.
Sunday. They couldn't possibly be late this time. I had further to travel, and they had less, so surely the half nine meet would be easy! Mmm... No! My naivety of thought had me concluding that these relatively intelligent team mates of mine would have learnt from their first day map reading issues, and made a prompt arrival at the meet point. Well needless to say, we headed off at 10:45am, with me well versed in Cymru FM!
In the itinerary, this was an easier walk than Saturdays, and as we set off into the Beacons along the well trodden tourist trail, i felt we were in for a breezy day. Little did i know that we would be heading off the well trodden trail into the depths of forest and beyond. Initially as on the first day, banter was everpresent, with close relation chat being passed almost as a matter of course between Tooves and JB. However, things did pan out a little different. Map reading stops seemed to be more frequent as the day wore on, and mutterings started to brew amongst the squad. The snow was falling, fatigue was starting to kick in, and we hadn't seen a decent path for a while. There was probably an hour to an hour and halves light left, and the sense of humour had long gone. Luckily a path was found, and we all lived happily ever after.
A super weekend that tested the body and mind.
