Michelle's Chile Trek 2002
'The Ben' Oct 20th 2001
 Ok I was posing, but it was in the name of publicity for the Chile Trek. This is on the way up, whilst we still had view, probably not even halfway up - haven't a clue really! It was just below the cloud line and before the rain started again. |
 This really was the summit that day, the black and white takes nothing away from it. Totally hats off to 'Crazy' Craig Beaumont, braving the conditions to snap this. |
 Astrid and me: The Ben's behind us, can't you tell, isn't it obvious? Relief and hysteria got the better of us on the way down - one of our number even started pirouetting.weird! |
There was much relief on finding out that I was not the only novice on the mountain that momentous day. I started off with too many layers on, taking too bigger steps, trying and failing to keep up with the middle, let alone the front of our group of 15, including 2 experienced instructors. Basically I was struggling and that was after about 30 minutes.
It had been raining, but we had a brief respite at the beginning of our 'walk', it was merely damp and cold. We had been told that Ben Nevis, the UK's highest mountain at approx.1469m (4406 ft), was 5 times the size of a seemingly massive mountain near our hostel, but they all looked the same that day, disappearing up into the blanket of cloud. We were reliant on our guides to steer us onto the famous Ben itself.
I had to accept that I had to go a lot slower and took some layers off. I did get into a comfortable rhythm, but it was tough, I don't think I had even really thought about what I was embarking on. Aside from Astrid, I didn't know anyone else there, and the introductory conversations served to divert the mind from the constant complaining of my legs, stepping up an endless set of irregular rocks that made up the track affectionately known as 'the Tourist Route'.
The rain re-started, to become our companion for most of the day, one thing it didn't dampen was our spirits. After donning the waterproofs, I looked like a colourful Michelin lady, its good job I've never been a huge slave to fashion.
Our guides were very professional, encouraging us and keeping us all together. If anything had gone wrong or the conditions had been too adverse; they had the expertise to get us all down safely. This was extremely reassuring and at no time did I feel unsafe. I found the day and the hike challenging, but in a good way, there was great company and it was amazing how quickly our little group really pulled together under those conditions.
I had to concentrate on each step to keep my momentum. Trivial everyday worries soon evaporated and were replaced by the joy of being out an amazing natural environment. I knew it was out there, although above the cloud line we could have been literally anywhere as the visibility was reduced. I also discovered a love of singing (or accurately: murdering the same few lines of a song repeatedly at varying volumes), perhaps it was a diversionary tactic of my brain. Whatever it was, Andy Williams' "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" will forever remind me (& probably a few others as well) of Ben Nevis, rain, wind and above all a fantastic experience.
Things did get worse towards the summit; the mountain tested our merit with gusts of 45mph plus winds, which drove the rain, almost horizontally into us from the side. The sheer determination to reach the top took over and my legs were working surprising well at this stage, it must have been the promise of a rest, some shelter and the chance to eat. The five-minute subdued celebration at the top involved putting on another layer, wringing out my drenched gloves and eating a heavenly squashed roll filled with processed cheese.
Going up had taken 4.5 hours and our descent took 3, with numb legs but very high spirits our bedraggled band eventually found a pub and that pint was wonderful! Our instructors were full of praise, saying that we'd experienced a very tough day on the mountain and that they had found it hard (it hadn't showed). I do believe it was said out of a genuine pride for us, it was great to hear anyway.
Even with my very limited experience, I know you don't conquer a mountain, if it allows you onto it then the battle is with yourself - you dig in and your world shrinks down to each step. So our ascent time was no record-breaker, the conditions were not favourable, but all of our party achieved the summit. The sense of comradeship and accomplishment was amazing. I believe my experience on the Chile Trek will top it.... and that's saying something.
