Summits 1-6

Bright eyed and bushy tailed first summit.
Helen came with me for the first one, we arrived at the top at 18.50hrs having left the car park dead on 18.00hrs.
The plan was for Helen to make sure I didn't set off at an unsustainable pace - it worked!



Summit number 2 at 20.34 with the light fading fast. Still easy peesy at this stage. I took a few photos of the sunset on my way up which can be seen on my flickr site (link on home page)










The fog descended, the stars disappeared and the head torch was a waste of time as the light simply bounced off the fog and blinded me. I couldn't see my feet and started to worry whether I'd be able to keep going at this point. But, summit number 3 was bagged at 22.32hrs.

Ghosts!!! No they were just some unfortunate night-walkers who I frightened *hitless by appearing on the summit (for the 4th time) at 01.02hrs with no lights on, just the unusual and unexpected sound of two walking poles click-clacking away on the rocks. They camped at the summit and shouted at me on two subsequent summits for waking them up with my click-clacks :-)
Bang on 03.00hrs and summit number ....well you can count. Still in the fog, really windy and my mind was playing tricks on me at this stage. I began thinking that the shadows created by clumps of reeds and sheep were people - SAS maybe??!! No they were just reeds and sheep but still scary! I felt good otherwise, no fatigue, aches or pains so it was all going well. Once back at the car I had to force down some tuna pasta bake, a mars bar and cheap 'n nasty energy drink. I was ahead of schedule after eating so I took the opportunity to sit for 10 minutes with my boots off. Just as I was getting ready to start ascent number 6 my phone rang. It was 04.30hrs and Linley decided to join me!! Lunatic.

So I "nipped up" and bagged another one before he arrived. Now this photo was taken of summit number 6 at 05.27hrs, by yet another lunatic who was walking up there: a) to train for his Kilimanjaro attempt in September 2010 and b) to photograph the sunrise??!!
In fairness it was clear at the car park.