Climbing Mountains...
" Only look back to see how far you have come"
Arriving in Caernarfon, North Wales, the evening before the challenge for food and drinks allowed old and new friends to come together and discuss what we were actually letting ourselves in for. There was a lot of laughter mixed in with a lot more nerves. Nevertheless, we were as ready as we were ever going to be and the 3.30am alarm clock soon came around for us to start our challenge on 6th May 2023.
Before starting this challenge, as a team we all explained what we were most looking forward to. For me it was seeing the landscape areas of Wales I had never seen before. However, on reflection after undergoing this challenge there are so many more memories I will cherish forever. The views were definitely incredible, but the journey was so much more.
The variety of people we got to meet along each mountain climb was inspiring. Scaling up each mountain path we were greeted with so much encouragement from individuals who could see we were struggling in parts. Each telling us to keep going, we've done the worst part and the fact that we didn't have much further to go. Once we had reached the summits of each mountain and began our descend back down, we noticed that the roles had started to reverse and that we were now the ones giving the motivation and words of encouragement to those who were walking the same paths we had done a few hours earlier. It was definitely human nature at its best!
As a group, as well as on a one-to-one basis whilst we walked, we chatted about many things. For me this was usually on the way back down the mountains because on the way up my full focus was on making sure I was still breathing and ensuring I was able to put one foot in front of the other to reach the bl***y top!
We discussed our pasts, our futures as well as our current situations and plans. Stories which were happy and of course stories which were sad. Yet it was the confidence we all felt that we could share them between us that made us realise everyone in life goes through mental challenges of some sort. We all have battles at certain points in our lives and the fact that we had all encountered them made us stronger as a team to raise money in order to help those who are struggling in the future get the help and support they need. There is so much power in just listening to other peoples life journeys and understanding the reasons why they have grown into the person that they are today with the dreams and ambitions they wish to achieve.
I said a few weeks before this challenge, that just like climbing mountains, managing your mental health goes through a number of peaks and troughs. Oh boy did I experience some troughs on this challenge. Did I fight some cruel words racing through my mind at certain points. I wanted to quit, I wanted to quit so so badly but nevertheless, for the team and for the rural community I kept going and the peaks I saw once I reached the top were absolutely breath-taking. I pushed my body in ways I have never pushed it before and I learnt a huge amount about myself along the way too.
This challenge. This team. These memories. This experience is one I will never forget in my lifetime. I seriously thought I knew a lot about myself before this Welsh three peaks challenge however, it appears I still have so much more to learn.
'The best view comes after the hardest climb'
Keep going!
Until next time.
Hx
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