A night time reccie of the Glyders

It was after my successful Bob Graham Round that i first decided i was going to attempt the Paddy Buckley Round i was aware that route knowledge was going to be key, although there were people i new had attempted it, i also new i would have to learn the route myself and be prepared to navigate much of the route when it came down to it on the big day.

So over the following 2 and a half years and in my usual fashion i reconnoitered the route, all 60 miles and 47 mountain summits (although some of these summits are merely tiny bumps on a mountain ridge), i spent most of my free weekends either learning the route or making attempts to get around. Its during these reccies that you have to decide which section will be your “night leg” (or legs) and i decided that Aberglaslyn to PGC and on over to Llanberis were going to be my night sections. So i reccied them many times in day light, until i felt i new them well enough to reccie them solo at night, after all, who else did i know who was prepared to do this? (i don’t know anybody daft enough anyway).

Night time reccies in the Welsh mountains on your own may not seem like the most sensible thing to do but a 24hr challenge means you are going to cover some of the route in the dark and someone will have to navigate. True to form it took me many nights to get the route sorted and on the big day my knowledge certainly helped.

Recently i was asked to help out on the route over the Glyders section, obviously i was more than happy to agree and even offered to navigate.  Imagine my horror when i learned the Glyders were to be completed at night and low cloud was forecast. Shit, thats not ideal. (The Glyders are 2 mountain tops in Snowdonia national park Wales) So i reverted back to the formula that works for me, reccie the route at night in similar conditions. With only a week to do this i took the opportunity on a Wednesday evening after work to drive 2 1/2 hours down to Snowdonia and do it. The usual routine was followed, Debbie would meet me back at Ogwen in 3 hours and if i failed to arrive in a further 2 hrs she would put the flag up. (get help)

Setting off from Ogwen the plan was, walk up the Devils stair case, pick off Glyder Fawr, Glyder Fach and take the path next to Bristly Ridge, down and across to Tryfan, having done the route dozens of times in the day and a couple of times on clear nights i was happy enough to be doing this solo. I set off at 8.30 and as i walked up the Devils stair case i could see the clag starting to cover the summits, i needed to do this in poor weather so was happy to continue.

Reaching the top of the stair case it was fully dark and i had about 20 foot of visibility, i have been using Veiwranger mapping software on my smart phone recently and it had proved to be invaluable. The maps are Ordinance survey so very accurate, i also had a paper “back up” map in my bag of goodies. I ascended into the cloud and easily found the summit of Glyder Fawr, although the clag had gotten much worse and a fine mist was covering my glasses and making it difficult to see the screen of my phone.

I also became aware that i had perhaps chosen the wrong shoes as the rocks were very slippery and i was having trouble staying upright. (watching you would have thought i was drunk) Anyone who has been in the clag at night knows you get much better visibility if you keep you torch light below your eye line. So here i am heading towards Glyder Fach, torch in my right hand, phone with mapping software in my left, slipping and sliding over the rocks, looking over the top of my glasses at the rocky path and occasionally checking my phone to make sure i’m still on the path.

Having run/walked this route so many times before i recognised familiar clusters of rock and technical sections of path on the way over to Glyder Fach and although the mist on my glasses was becoming a problem, i knew i was heading the right direction, albeit much slower than i wanted.

The slippery rock was really challenging and slowing me down as i had to take extra care to stay vertical, aware that a fall with both hands full was not a good idea. About an hour slower that i hoped, i found the summit, taking stock of the weather and the extra time i had taken so far i decided to continue to the path near Bristley Ridge and follow it down past Tryfan and on to the road. Tryfan would have to wait for another time.

My partner would be waiting for me at Ogwen and i was already going to be an hour late. Our rule is to allow an extra 2 hours before raising the flag.

After wiping my glasses yet again and struggling to see my phone i found the route and carefully headed across the rock towards the final descent. Unfortunately, between my attempts to hold my torch, read my phone map and watch where i was heading, i managed to fall and smash the screen of my phone. So between the foggy glasses and damaged screen the phone was now almost useless.

Time to hunker down and get the map and compass out, not my best way of navigating but i usually manage to get by ok. I found shelter just off the path under a huge flat rock and grabbed a chewy bar whist i searched for the map, only to find i was still carrying a map of Fort William from the previous weeks run. Oh shit. Sitting under the rock, warm and dry i cleaned my glasses and managed to turn the phone so i could see about half of the map and decided to continue on, pretty sure in my mind that i was only 3 or 4 hundred yards from the top of the descent at Bristly Ridge.

Reading half of a phone screen with glasses covered in mist was really not working out for me, so after half an hour or so of wondering around in circles i was aware that things were getting serious. I know from previous experience in this area that there are many routes off Glyder Fach, most of them are too dangerous to even contemplate without climbing gear so after finding the top of a couple of paths and deciding it was just too dangerous to continue i found some shelter.

Shit, i was in a spot of bother and had to make my mind up what the safest course of action was, i had dry shelter and a change of clothes, full water proof body cover, a warm hat, gloves, food and a survival bag. I certainly had enough layers to stay warm and could hunker down until first light and probably find my way off quite easily. I had a double capacity battery in my phone and a spare so i could be in signal the whole time if things got worse. Or i could risk trying to find the path down.

There was a third option which is what i decided on, i would phone Debbie and tell her i had a situation and was calling Mountain Rescue for some advice, i was not in any real danger but all this could change if the weather turned. The Mountain Rescue people told me to stay put and they would discuss the best course of action and come back to me.

Happy that all would be well i hunkered down in my warm dry little hole and read a book on my phone, much easier with dry glasses even with only half a screen. I resolved to stay until first light and then take the safer miners path down to the main road. Being warm and relatively comfortable i had a short sleep and was woken by my phone ringing, it was mountain rescue, they informed me that the weather was not due to improve until late morning or early afternoon so they would be sending 2 people up to guide me off the mountain. This would take a couple of hours so i settled down for a little more sleep and wait to be “rescued”.

Obviously sleep was not happening, i was very embarrassed about having to call Mountain Rescue and felt that i was wasting their time. However i resolved that they knew their stuff and if they were sending people up for me they must feel that this was necessary. True to their word it took about 2 hours and i was greeted by 2 guys who were to guide me back to safety. It took us an hour and a half to get back to “Foggy base” (Mountain Rescue headquarters), the guys were kind and helpful and made sure i was ok. After a couple of warm cups of tea i was driven back to the bunkhouse, much to the relief of my partner Debbie.

I was well prepared for the conditions, i had plenty of clothing, full body waterproof clothing, food, drinks, a backup torch, spare phone battery and plenty of experience of the route. The mistakes i made were, wrong backup map, no GPS watch (which has the route on and big arrows to follow) and perhaps the wrong choice of foot wear. Although i’m not sure any foot wear would have helped much, the Brooks Cascadia 7’s were shite.

2 days later i was back in the Glyders at night, in the clag and was safely navigated through by the 3 other people with me, the correct map and a GPS unit really do make all the difference. 

Now i have to put up with crappy news paper stories about the idiot that went up a mountain in Wales with a map of Scotland and try to rebuild my confidence. I may also have to put up with having the piss taken by friends but thank fully the only damaged caused was to my phone and my pride. However, the lesson i learned was much bigger.