Blog 1, and I guess this first encounter should really tell you, the blog-reader (is there a "proper" term for them? If so, then please let me know because I really need to be kept on the straight and narrow with this type of thing!) where this whole crazy idea started and where it initially intended to go.
Bit of background first I guess. I'm Cumbrian born and bred, and like so many of us, I never truly really appreciated what was on my doorstep. Sure, we spent family days in the Lakes when I was young; Inflatable "Woolworths" dinghy's on the shores of Ullswater, my Uncle Ian (and his set of small, black & white books about the Lake District, but more of that later) lifting me effortlessly on to his shoulder's as we rambled though Kentmere. Then there was camping with scouts in the cold, dense forests of Lowther, and of course the compulsory school geology field-trips into deepest Lakeland to see how Continental drift and Igneous intrusions had forged this magnificent landscape. (zzzzzzzzz - How on earth did I remember that?)
Did I appreciate it back then? Well, maybe I did, but only as much as a kid or a teenager could ever expect to. Hey, my time was dedicated to BMX bikes, accumulating a music collection to annoy my parents, and staring endlessly at a poster of the famous page-3 girl, Maria Whittaker on my bedroom wall. But times moved on, and so did my career and years spent moving from county to county, from Berkshire to Perthshire, and several places in between.
But in winter 2003, I moved back to the North-west, to northern Lancashire, and for me, as close to my original home as I would probably like to be. I was nearer to my family, and my good friends in Manchester, and of course the county of my birth, and the beautiful district it holds so proudly in its boundary, like an artist clutching their definitive masterpiece.
During the years and my various career moves, the Lake District had grown in to something different in my mind, something to be proud of and brag about to colleagues, something familiar and yet mysterious. And here I was, back on its doorstep, and eager to forge a new relationship with it, minus the woggles, text books and acne of course.
I'm not going to bore you with the gory details, but one can only describe that experience as an assault on every sense my body feels! "Shock and Awe" hardly seems strong enough in this instance. But this was a defining moment nonetheless, and it told me, in a language as blunt as the great Cumbrian dialect itself, that :- a) I love this place, and b) Thou's not in grand fettle Tim!
Two and bit years have now past since that sweat-drenched, lung-stretching, muscle-breaking, but more importantly - life changing day! Gone are the sleeveless Nike shirts, holiday shorts and market-leading chocolate bars. They have been replaced by Berghaus fleeces, Ronhill thermal layers, Camelbak ruck-sacs and Bananas. My love for the Lakeland mountains is serious, and to truly appreciate them, my attire had to step up to the mark too!
So when English Lakes Hotels announced it's commitment to Open Arms International http://www.openarmsinternational.com/ at the same time I joined the board of trustees for Primrose House http://the-holistic-centre.co.uk/content/view/3/5/ the answer to that ever-burning question - "How can I do my bit to help?" became as clear as a mountain-top view on a cloudless day! I've got to do the 3 peaks!
My sister had successfully done the challenge the previous year, but somehow I never felt I could rise to that kind of challenge. After all, she's been casually trotting up Sca Fell Pike and various other "Top 10" mountains for several years now! But my love of this pastime, combined with the desire to make a difference for those less fortunate than myself, led me to make a commitment. And now in my 30's, I really am conscious of my "101 things to do before I die", and this one ranks right up there with the best of them! And let's face it, who's gonna trust me with a Bugatti Veyron? Let's get realistic here!
So, here we are in March 2010, 3 months before the big "off", and we have now assembled a small but highly dedicated clan of 6 volunteers willing to give up hours, neigh, day after day of their precious free time to train hard, prepare, and actually "do" Britain's biggest mountain challenge.
As I sit here now, I feel a multitude of emotions about the whole thing. I'm excited sure! But I'm also nervous and apprehensive. Dazed and confused, Motivated, but melancholy. Is this the usual cocktail of feelings a "3-peaker" experiences? Maybe, maybe not. But we're going to do it, and do it properly. We're going to raise money for two great causes. I'm in no doubt that despite how much training we do between now and June, we're going to go way beyond any physical boundaries we may have previously set as our tolerable limit. I'm sure there will be sweat, tears and blood, but hey, the latter doesn't bother me on the basis we have one of Britain's best paramedics in tow.
So, I'm conscious that this first blog has very much been "my story", but this whole thing isn't about me. It's about a group of volunteers, who have made a commitment to raise money for two great charities, doing something they love! Well, saying that, you'd find that statement hard to believe if you heard the foul language that can emit from one's mouth when tackling a particularly steep and frustrating mountain path. I get the buzz from reaching the summit, others in the group get there's from the adrenaline-fuelled rush of stretching one's physical limit. We're all different, we do different things, in different ways, in different places. But we are bound by our charitable goals and a love of the Lakeland mountains.
So, if you're still reading this, "Congratulations!" You're either our biggest fan, or more probably, you've got bugger all else to do and "Corry" isn't on tonight. Stay tuned reader!
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