Mount Everest – 8,848 metres (29,029 feet)
The mountains of Snowdonia are more than just a playground. Some also come here to train for the bigger ranges, the best known example being the members of the successful 1953 Everest expedition – they even found time to write their names on the ceiling of the bar in the Pen y Gwryd Hotel, where the signatures can still be seen. If Snowdonia was good enough for the 1953 team, it was also good enough for Clare and Sarah!
Clare and Sarah set out from Pen y Pass on the PYG Track
The PYG Track sometimes looks like this ….
…. but for us it looked like this
Clare and Sarah are also off to Everest in October this year, but on a more modest fund-raising trek to the base camp. However, the trek is far from being a ‘walk in the park’, so they had booked a couple of days with me, walking the hills of Snowdonia in preparation. As they had never been here before I thought that Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) was a must – if you’re going for a big walk it might as well be up the biggest mountain in Wales.
The second ‘level’ section of the PYG Track
Rock slab crossed by the path (seen dead centre in the photo above)
Heading up towards the ‘Zig-Zags’
The last time I went to the summit of Yr Wyddfa I was with Ian and Barney (#39). We had followed the Rhyd Ddu path as a quieter alternative, but for Clare and Sarah I had suggested the PYG Track and Miners Track on the grounds that the views were better and the route was probably no more crowded than the Everest trek. Well, the views would have been better without the mist!
Sarah and Clare find a ‘money tree’ – coins hammered into a wooden post
‘Mist’ in the mist
Clare at the top of the ‘Zig-Zags’ before the final section to the summit
From Pen y Pass the route heads upwards, and the conversation waned on some of the steeper bits. The second section feels almost level in comparison, though it is still gaining height. The third section beyond the junction with the Miners Track gets steeper again, and includes a couple of zig-zags before easing in angle for the final section up to the summit.
Clare and Sarah at the summit ….
…. and at the visitor centre of ‘Hafod Eryri’ just below the summit
The view on the descent – what it looks like without mist!
Photos were taken at the summit, ‘cos that’s what you do on a mountain be it Everest or Yr Wyddfa. Clare and Sarah then checked out the ‘Hafod Eryri’ visitor centre while Border Collie ‘Mist’ checked out the contents of my sandwiches. That being done, it was time to return. The view for Clare and Sarah was the inside of a cloud, but as we lost height the visibility improved on the descent to Glaslyn via the Miners Track.
Looking down the descent to Glaslyn via the Miners Track
On the Miners Track
Almost at the lake of Glaslyn
We took the Miners Track for our return, on the grounds that a change is as good as a rest. By the time we reached the small lake of Glaslyn, Clare and Sarah were certainly ready for a rest! This was their first real mountain, and a 1085 metre mountain was beginning to feel like a big day out.
The return route via Llyn Llydaw
Wild goat above the track
After a break it was off again, following the track down by the lake of Llyn Llydaw, our progress being monitored by a small herd of wild goats. It had clearly been a long day for Clare and Sarah, but they had both put in a massive effort and arrived back at Pen y Pass in good style. They were, however, perhaps a little apprehensive as to what treat I had in store for the next day ….
Yr Wyddfa from Llyn Llydaw, the view that Clare and Sarah never saw
p.s. Bad weather and aching muscles don’t get in the way of a training walk – come back next week to see what Day 2 had in store.
Mount Everest Image © Pavel Novak and used under Creative Commons Licence
Text and all other images © Paul Shorrock
Paul Shorrock - One Man's Mountains AKA One Pillock's Hillocks 
Great article Paul, it is a very long time since I went up Snowdon…and this has brought back many memories…I must do it again someday.
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Thanks for that SP – despite all the paraphernalia of railway, visitor centre, crowds, etc it’s still a great hill!
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I wondered what you’d been up to when I saw the initial photo! A great looking day, wondering where you did take them on the next trip…
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Glad the first pic had you wondering 🙂
All will be revealed next Monday re Day 2, but I was kind on them 🙂 Considering that neither had done any mountain walking before, they put in a wonderful effort on Day 1.
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Surely you can reveal all before next Monday,as i will not be here i will be in the Lakes doing a 5 day nightmare ml assessment
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Hey, Mark – good to hear from you mate!!
OK, just for you (and about 2 Billion Internet users) we had a great walk round Llyn Idwal just off the Ogwen Valley – it’s a short walk, but fitted in well with a concept called ‘active recovery’, which is taking gentle exercise the day after you’ve had a big day out. The weather was crap, but we had a good walk.
Best of luck with that assessment – with the nav just slow things down, double check everything and don’t let ’em pressure you 🙂 Let me know how you get on!
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Well, well – I’ve never seen a gafr (goat) on Snowdon – thought they were always over Ogwen way!
I love the PYG track but don’t often bother with the Miners’ Track. I vividly remember once, before they stone-pitched the steep descent down to Llyn Glaslyn and we used to slide down a loose rock chute, there was a lady descending that section in a skirt (albeit a quite long one) – took quite a bit of effort for her to preserve her dignity down the slabs and so on!
Must go and read your Rhyd Ddu/Bwlch Main route now – my favourite route on the mountain! 🙂
Carol.
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First time I’ve seen a goat on the Snowdon Range – perhaps they were having a day out 😀
I’d go to the PYG/Miners Tracks for the views, but it gets really crowded on a good day – Bwlch Main has views that are as good and it tends to be quieter 🙂
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Maybe the goats were on a day out! LOL… did they have a guide though? 😉 Or perhaps they are the new Snowdon mountain guides
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😀 😀 😀
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