Climbing Snowdon for Midwives and Maternity Support Workers (MSWs)
In four weeks I retire. In six weeks I will be climbing Snowdon with eight colleagues. By then they will be ex colleagues. We will be one team of many raising money for The Cavell Trust. Cavell supports nurses, midwives and support workers, both working and retired, when they are suffering personal or financial hardship. This is often due to illness, disability, old age and more recently the impact of the coronavirus.
Midwives and Maternity Support Workers (MSWs) have been on the front line during the pandemic. They have cared for pregnant women suffering from the virus and a few have cared for women that have died. Maternity workers have also died. It has been a tough few months. There will be some that will need the Cavell Trust to get them through.
Which is why it is so important to raise money at this time.
This will be the third time I have climbed Snowdon in three years. I climbed it first as the third mountain in the Three Peak Challenge (Ben Nevis, Scarfell Pike, Snowdon) and on the second occasion as the first mountain in the Welsh Three Peak Challenge (Snowdon, Cadair Idris, Pen-y-Fan). Both have been very different experiences.
On both occasions I have gone up on the Miner’s Track which is considered the sixth most difficult path. It starts of fairly easily lulling you into a false sense of security. It then becomes ‘reasonably tough’ with a fair amount of scrambling over large boulders.
On my first outing I came down the Llanberis Path considered the easiest path as it has a steady gradient all the way down. But it is the longest path. As the third descent in the same number of days my thighs were screaming for mercy by the time we got to the bottom.
On my second descent I came down the Watkin Path. The second hardest path. The descent at the start is tough. Being told by the guide to keep your distance from the person in front in case you fall immediately gives you an idea what you are in for. But the steeper the path the quicker the journey.
On this occasion we will be ascending and descending by the Llanberis Path. Not hard but long and relentless. I’m expecting my thighs to be sulking during the final few metres.
Fingers crossed that the weather is kind to us. And it should be fun. Doing something that I love, with people that I have worked with for years and all for a good cause. Bring it on.
Every little helps so please donate. I’ll let you know how my thighs get on.