I have been hiking since I was very young. As a child we used to go off for walks locally with my parents’ best friends, my Godparents. At 10 years old, my first pair of ‘proper’ walking boots were purchased whilst holidaying in the Lake District and off I went with my Godfather to climb Helvellyn, England’s second highest mountain, incorporating Striding Edge & Swirral Edge. Quite a long, tough seven hour walk for a ten year old. That memory still holds strong today and I can pinpoint that time as being when I caught the ‘walking’ bug. Although it took a few more years and a bit of maturity to set in for me to really realise it.
When I was 12 years old we got a dog. I used to love our long walks with him. We’d go to a variety of places. Local to where we lived but public footpaths taking us on routes on the map that I’d previously had no idea about. We’d do coastal walks whilst holidaying in Dorset. Various parts of The Jurassic Way along the Dorset coastline, being a favourite. Clifftop views, the sea in all its glory. At 16 years old we returned to the Lake District and more mountains were climbed, more wonderful memories made and more belief in my abilities cemented.
The number of miles covered didn’t matter, it wasn’t necessarily about that. It was just the joy of walking that I loved. The time and head space to let my imagination wander. The natural and often hidden beauty all around that I could really see, drink in. From watching the corn in the fields swaying gently in a summer breeze whilst the sun set in the distance, through to the walks and mountain climbs in the heaviest rain storms and low rolling cloud reducing visibility to nil, the magical wonders of mother nature accompanying us on every walk. Along with the sense of achievement, I find the satisfaction immense.
Through my later 20’s and thirties, I hung up the walking boots. Life took over, as it does. Work, house, raising children and no longer any dogs in the family to provide an excuse. Although the opportunities to hike didn’t present themselves very often, those feelings that walking & hiking gave me, never left. Always burning away in the background, I knew one day I’d get back out there.
That time came a few years ago. I’d been particularly poorly and diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (*a whole different Blog…check it out*). That was a wake-up call if ever there was one! It felt like the universe was telling me, “you need to get out there, do it whilst you can”. I knew I didn’t want to look back with regret, so the decision to start walking again was an easy one. However, I was recovering from a severe MS Relapse so had to start really gently. I started to join my good friend and her dog on their walks, once or twice a week. I had to build really slowly in order not to tip my balance or let fatigue take a hold. It took some careful managing but with time and alongside my weekly Pilates classes increasing my core and muscle strength, my walking stamina began to boost. We gradually increased pace, length and the number of times per week I would walk.
In June 2017, an opportunity presented itself to take part in a 6K walk, around beautiful parkland in Oxford, for charity. Not just any charity but for the Alzheimer’s association which seemed so fitting considering that, not only had I lost one of my Grandmothers to Alzheimer’s disease but my dear Godfather, the wonderful man that introduced me to walking all those years ago and took me on so many adventures, was also now suffering from Alzheimer’s disease himself.
This was to be my first ‘big’ walk. 6k equates to 3.7 miles which, at the time, was a challenge for me but I felt confident even with the added pressure, (or motivator) of sponsorship. My son supported me in my decision to take part by walking alongside me and we joined my cousin and 2 of her good friends. I remember how great it felt to be part of something so big and for such a worthy cause.
Alzheimer’s Disease eventually steals everything from its sufferers, but it wasn’t stealing that huge sense of comradery from the hundreds of wonderful people that turned up to walk that day. Those that had lost their loved ones to the awful disease and those still caring for theirs. People of all shapes, sizes and from all areas of life, came together for the cause. The sun was shining, the backdrop around us was beautiful. The pace was fairly fast……but we did it! I don’t know the final total figures that were raised that day but I do know that my son and I, through our wonderful support network of donations contributed over £1000 to the total. I also know that the sense of achievement, belief and drive it gave me in terms of my walking capabilities was invaluable.
Very soon after this accomplishment, we made the decision as a family to fulfil another one of my dreams. A dog of my own! And now there was no excuse. I HAD to walk and I had to walk every day! My best buddy was relying on me. The first year of dog ownership was about building upon our walking together due to his puppy limitations and growing bones, which obviously worked perfectly for my needs too.
Once he had reached a year old, we were both strong together and so the miles and the exploring every day, built. Due to medication and more experienced management of my MS and symptoms, I was steadily accomplishing 5-6 miles per day and mostly feeling good & strong with it. I found several local walking countryside routes which we’d either walk alone or with friends and at this point I had started to enlist my brother and my parents to walk along with us too. Re-introducing them to the walking we all once loved all those years ago.
It didn’t take long for my brother to ‘re-catch’ the walking bug and we often talked about those walking holidays as children and the desire to climb mountains again. So, when the Alzheimer’s Society marketing email landed in my inbox, for one of their next fundraisers – climbing Snowdon in Wales – it immediately grabbed both our interest. What a challenge! What an achievement that would be at this stage. As we looked into it, we discovered that there were a couple of options. A standard day time climb……OR… ‘The Midnight Challenge’. Climbing Snowdon at Midnight, reaching the summit in the early hours and descending as the sun rises. Now, that sounded awesome. If I was going to ask for sponsorship donations again, it needed to be something special. Go big or go home right?
So, we signed up!
And that’s where my Walking and Hiking diary really begins. There is so much more to come. Join me on my adventures.
Check out My Blog; “Snowdon at Midnight”
