The training had gone well until the last week prior to the challenge. Never have I had an achilles problems until now, apart from trying to learn the Bob Dylan classic “Temporary like Achilles”. I hoped and prayed that this affliction was just that…
I have wrote before that exhaustion does funny things to ones spacial awareness, and indeed it does as we trampled over moor & heather on the 2011 Nine Edges Endurance Challenge.
Russ and I had made it to Baslow Edge, but with feet stinging like a jellyfish, and after Severn edges and Severn climbs; my brain had started to break up like a smashed crab.
The morning has begun crisp dry and very healthy as we set off at 07:30am from Fairholmes Car Park at Derwent Resevoir, up the big hill towards Dovestones Edge. This was the start of the 3rd challenge I had accepted for Edale Mountain Rescue - a 23-mile choice of hiking/biking and or climbing each edge from Derwent to Birchin Edge, finishing at the Robin Hood Pub.
I opted to hike & not climb – that was Russ’s job. However my job was to be Wingman Goose to his Pilot Maverick (Top Gun Fans). We made it up to Back Tor in good time and Russ soloed a nice Severe in his big boots, and that set the scene for our yomp down Stanage.
Stanage is a long edge, walk it sometime and marvel on how diverse it is – one thing though, it really does trash your feet!
We ate jellybabies religiously stomping over to Burbage and then to the Grouse Inn, where we avoided the tempting foaming pints in favour of bananas & more jelly babies!
Froggatt and Curbar. A hastily re-arranged route for Russ was the classic Doglegged Crack – (VD) and we struggled on towards Baslow where it all started to go wrong... again…
Russ had just climbed Wobble Block (D) and after some brief moments of respite, I realised my legs had stopped working and no longer wished to carry on…
That was the beginning of the end. My Dad had just finished the hike and was on his first pint – and so decided to ring me at that point to gloat about how good it tasted… Thanks for the support Dad… We were by now mentally shagged and managed to stumble on to Gardoms.
This was whereabouts Russ’s Brain decided to take charge and lead him in the direction of Birchin Edge – it was clearly not wanting to take in a climb at Gardoms! I eventually after much protestation, managed to direct him to the actual direction of the Crag and on to NMC Crack (VD). After knocking the bastard off – we trudged painfully up to Birchin where Russ just managed Trafalgar Crack / Wall (VD).
The Walk down from the crag to the Robin Hood Pub, was again physically the hardest thing I have ever had to do, and the sight of the end and the pub was so welcome!
Pint in hand and new Nine Edges T-Shirts, we started to dream of hot baths and take in what we had just achieved and the reasons for actually doing it.
That being the great work that Mountain Rescue do and I would bet that pretty much everyone who reads this will either have been rescued or know someone who has needed their service at some point. To get involved in the Nine Edges Endurance Challenge for Edale Mountain Rescue 2012 keep an eye out for registration in the New Year at: www.nineedges.co.uk Will we do it again next year in 2012? You bet! But get your registration in ASAP - It gets full quick!
