Author: Cstavri

Gorge walking

Posted on 31 October 2017 | By Cstavri

We started the day by receiving instructions to pack a spare change of clothes, waterproof trousers and waterproof coat. Then we were commanded to put on a fleece and wellington boots plus a helmet, belt and a life jacket. Then we departed in the mini bus and took a 45 minute drive to the gorge.

When we got there we were asked to follow the instructor to the bottom of the gorge. It was slow progress through the gorge for some people. We were told to not pull some one up if they were lower than us as we might fall on top of them but we were allowed to pull people at the same height. The surrounding environment was like something out of a movie with the curvy trees and the beautiful flowing river with the falling autumn leaves. Then we followed Mike’s track to avoid getting wet. But one person while traversing lost his grip and flopped into the freezing water, falling in waist deep and screaming about how cold he was.

We did not stop for any food whilst climbing the gorge as there was simply not enough time, although we did have a snack before we went up and half way through the journey.

The gorge had over 7 thousand people visit last year, we also learned that it was created in the ice age; when the ice melted the water would move and spin rocks creating a path.

Later, a few of us jumped off a tall rock into water, we had to judge the jump properly as close to our right were some underwater rocks. We also went into freezing water; it was so cold that we could barely move our fingers. Then there was the water slide, made by nature, with a strong enough current to propel us down a couple meters. A wellington boot was lost when Jake jumped into the water; the rest of us had shoes filled with freezing water.

It was a rather fun day overall and one we will remember

By: Kuba and Jake

Mountain Tryfan

Posted on 31 October 2017 | By Cstavri

Today we ventured up Tryfan, it wasn’t the biggest mountain we have been up but it was very frightening because of the sheer drops and rocky surfaces. Before we even started climbing Todd felt ill so we took the beginning slow. As we were half way up the first summit, we looked back to check on Todd and Mr Alderson, we saw Todd’s legs flip up to see him lying on the floor but he recovered quickly. We reached a point where it was necessary to use our hands and we started scrambling upwards with a few stumbles along the way.

After being deceived multiple times that we had reached the top, we stopped for lunch and regained our energy. Along the way we learnt to use the term ‘below’ if there were to be a loose rock to fall on the climber below. There were some challenging paths that we took to push ourselves like the big boulders with very few hand and foot holds, during these events we slowed down and were more cautious with our surroundings, we also had to check that the person behind us was ok so we could continue our route.

When we had finally reached the top, we were relieved, so we sat down by the Adam and Eve rocks and had a rest.

Just as we were on our way down, Ollie decided to follow Mason (not a good idea) and take a new route, as he thought he took the best shortcut… he stacked down a steep piece of rock resulting in laughter around the group and a few small bruises.

Everyone had a few stumbles on the descent but Harvey decided to have a little tumble himself! When we came out of the rocky area and onto the uneven stone pathway downhill Harvey decided to jump off one of the rocks not knowing, that in a few seconds, he would be running down the hill uncontrollably, he managed to stop himself by falling to the ground.

As the tiny minibus came into view, we came across muddy pathways, it started to become slippery and the squelching became frequent. As Mason was complaining about having to climb the next day too, he slipped on the mud and fell on his back, not causing himself any pain physically, but more upset about ruining his jumper! Mason seemed to do this frequently, but every time he managed to return to his feet we noticed that his joggers were gradually falling down! Luckily we had finished scampering down the mountain and his pride was to remain intact!

On the way home everyone was filled with exhaustion and most snoozed all the way back to KMC.

By: Izzy brown and Lucy Hickmott

Sea Level Traversing

Posted on 31 October 2017 | By Cstavri

Today we went to a beach with a new instructor called Jez. We travelled 45 minutes by mini-bus. We drove through the village which has the longest name in Europe and has 58 letters. It is called… llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

The beach we went to was called Cable Bay. This was because it was the first transatlantic communication cable from Britain to America. This meant that one transatlantic country could tele-communicate with another for the first time. Another fact that Jez informed us about, was that we were the closest you can get to the Gulf Stream from North Wales. This means that leatherback turtles travel from America to north Wales to eat and hunt jellyfish. They then return back to America to breed. The largest turtle (3 metres 9 feet) recorded, was found in September 1988, 4 miles from where we were traversing. It was found dead because the jellyfish were confused for plastic bags which ended up lining the turtle’s stomach. This meant that Wales was the first country to introduce payment of plastic bags and encouragement for recyclable materials to be used.

It’s safe to say that Jez is a knowledgeable instructor!

To make sure we were nice and warm but still able to move freely, we had to wear leggings or tracksuit bottoms, two tops, a fleece, a waterproof coat and trainers that we didn’t mind getting wet. Also, just in case we did get wet, we had to pack an extra set of clothes. When we arrived, we had to make sure we were safe; we had to wear buoyance-aids and helmets (also known as safety caps!)

We started off the traversing day by climbing up a small but rocky wall which then led up to a cliff edge. We then took turns to scramble down a narrow and rocky crevasse. This led to the main stretch of rocks that we clambered and jumped over crashing waves. After this we had lunch in the minibus.

After lunch we went along the cliff to a more harsh and windy area. This is where we had to put our harnesses on and attach our carabina clips. This is where Amelia and Holly decided to run down the hill attached to each other’s harnesses which sent Amelia tumbling! While we waited for Jez to set up our course, we all huddled together on the grass to keep out of the wind. We then made our way down and along the cliff face in threes, attached to a rope.

The final thing we did was the Tyrolean traverse. This is where we hung upside down on a rope and pulled ourselves along. If we wanted to we could do a flip in the middle of the two ends.

It was a refreshing day away from walking up the mountains and we are looking forward to the activities coming up.

By: Abbie Debling and Evie Anderson