Snowdon 2020 with photos aplenty - Come as you are but be prepared

I suppose this blog ought to have a musical theme. The current pandemic is wreaking havoc within an industry I love, and I have a huge amount of music to express but I can’t justify dedicating time to pursuing this expression at the moment. I have more pressing projects that are demanding my attention. This is my blog and I do love to write and perhaps reading it will take your mind off the everyday and inspire you to take to the hills or to find something that challenges you to the point of making you want to get up in the early hours because you have a mission to accomplish.
The pinnacle of my walking adventures

The pinnacle of my walking adventures

(The subtitle of this blog post refers to my feelings of inadequacy and subsequently acceptance before a significant walk)

At 6.59am last Friday 18th September I set off from the deserted car park in Llanberis opposite the tiny train station. I psyched myself up for a long hard climb, collecting my thoughts as I ate my banana meditatively and gulping the last of my now cold coffee.

Snowdon breakfast of champions.jpg

Still life with fruit

It was looking like a beautiful day, the sky a promising shade of early morning pale blue with hardly a cloud in sight. I’d researched Snowdon a lot, and I mean a lot, looking longingly at dozens of exciting photos on the internet and social media, visualising each different route. No amount of homework could have prepared me for the full Snowdon experience. I’d waited for this moment for months.

Snowdon Llwybr Llan.jpg

This way please

I took a right off the mini roundabout, reassured when I saw a man sporting a backpack wearing walking boots in the distance and the two men I’d seen assembling mountain bikes next to me in the car park. The path I chose is somewhat misleadingly called the tourist path. If I was a tourist aiming to do a gentle tourist type stroll, this isn’t a route I would take. I’d take the train!

Snowdon Bone White stones.jpg

Tourist path

Bone white stones

The initial incline from Llanberis was very steep, an excellent warm up for my legs and lungs. I wanted to stop as little as possible but walking uphill for 4.5 miles on not quite enough sleep was tough so I had plenty of mini breaks, making the most of the awe inspiring scenery to take photos and regulate my breathing.

Snowdon coin post.jpg

Post

bristling with coins embedded

I was alone for most of the ascent, passed by a few brave couples walking down, presumably having gone up in the dark to swoon at a spectacularly romantic sunrise. A couple of trail runners sauntered down effortlessly past me, their spindly legs carrying their lithe limber frames over weathered rocks and stones. I recognised that look in their eyes, one of gentle but complete focus. One false move…

After the first 20-30 minutes of any walk, I get into a zone. It’s a different time zone up a mountain anyway. Time seems to stand still and suddenly an hour has passed. And then another. My thoughts come and go. I wonder if I’ll ever make it, rounding a corner to see another intimidatingly steep slope. Be in the moment, don’t get ahead of yourself, I tell myself comfortingly. Remember all the other tough walks and hills.

Snowdon nearly there.jpg

The journey

It can be scary business walking up and down mountains and I always expect the unexpected. I kept my eyes peeled for Crib Goch just in case I took a wrong turn onto it. That perilous peak isn’t on my bucket list. I arrived at a small shuttered building, the halfway house. At two points on the tourist path with its twists and turns, the railway track crosses over the stony route.

Snowdon railway bridge.jpg

Bridge with a view

Arriving at the second bridge, I was blown violently by a very strong gust of wind. Hood up! Brace! I had a moment of panic seeing clusters of clouds billowing around at the same level as me and I regretted leaving my waterproofs in the car. Thankfully the rain held off. I struggled to stand up straight, buffeted sideways by the unpredictable gusts. I hadn’t accounted for the wind. This made progress a bit slower but exciting. There’s a vertiginous drop after that second little bridge, a vivid reminder of how dangerous Snowdon can be. I hugged the boulders to my right, enlightened by a heightened awareness of my mortality. People die on Snowdon.

I checked my watch. 4 miles done. Only another half mile to go. I still couldn’t see the summit. I sucked hard on 3 sweets for fast energy. I got to this little rock:

Snowdon summit quiet.jpg

A quiet time of day

and the trig point was in sight. I wanted to make this moment last, savouring the feeling of being above the clouds at the top of the highest mountain in Wales. It was windy and significantly cooler at the summit. Carefully choosing my moment, I arrived at the steps:

Snowdon stairway to heaven.jpg

Stairway to…

and up I went. I saw two big long fingered black birds careering playfully around the trig point. Engaged in their daredevil winged dance, they fought to stay in the air current before giving in to the wind, letting themselves be blown backwards a hundred metres at lightning speed and, dear readers, I got scared, very scared. I got to the last step and couldn’t stand up for the wind! I sat down, put my walking poles away and braced myself. I just couldn’t do it! To my right was a drop so sheer and so dramatically steep I couldn’t bring myself to look.

Snowdon wind hood.jpg

Hair raising

hood raising gusts

A small group of men were whooping gleefully around the trig as I, on my hands and knees, looked on hopelessly, almost tearful with frustration. I asked a man in a stripy orange beanie hat if he would hold my hand and help me up but I still couldn’t do it. Down the steps I went, exasperated. I gathered all my strength and willpower for a few minutes and gave it another go. The wind seemed even stronger. I tried again and again but I couldn’t stand up. After a moment’s reflection, I decided to call it quits. Snowdon, you win. This time. I’ll be back.

Snowdon trig hands and knees.jpg

The infamous Snowdon trig point

I’ll take on the trig another day, maybe next year. It really was enough for me to get to the top of Snowdon solo and see the views of all the surrounding mountains and lakes, and the sea in the distance, humbling reminders of my smallness and the magnitude of everything around me.

Snowdon disappointment.jpg

Disappointed much?

Anticlimax. Look how many people there were by now. I bet there was a queue by the time i was brunching in Llanberis

The summit visitor centre and facilities were shut so I decided to head back down as I was getting cold and it was getting busier. I greeted fellow walkers with a cheerful “Bore da!” as I made my way down. There were a few Welsh walkers. Some smiled and said Hello. Some people ignored me. How rude, I thought. Perhaps they were so breathless they couldn’t speak. Other people wanted a bit of a chat. I stopped every mile or so, again imprinting the scenery in my memory. There’s no place quite like Snowdonia.

Back down at halfway house, now transformed into a modest snack shop, I had an interesting chat with the shopkeeper, a friendly Welsh lady from Llanberis. She was concerned about the young woman she’d just served who seemed very inexperienced who was enquiring about taking the train back down once she got to the summit. She’d told her she wasn’t sure that was possible. When I got back down to town, the trains were fully booked and there weren’t many running anyway. A mile from Llanberis, two quite unfit people greeted me and said “Please tell us the summit’s just round that corner?!!” “The summit’s just round that corner” I obliged optimistically. Then I shook my head and regretfully informed them it was a fair way again and suggested they aim for halfway house. I bet there were sore feet and muscles that night but you have to start somewhere.

Snowdon gate with a story or two.jpg

A great slate gate post

My first serious long hill walk took place last September when I did a 9 mile circular walk around Stoodley Pike near Todmorden with my friends Gareth and Sue. It felt like an epic walk at the time. These days I feel hard done by unless I’m walking double figures and next year I’d like to go beyond 20 miles. There are so many mountains I’d like to discover, so many other peaks in Snowdonia not to mention Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike. Then there’s the Brecon Beacons, the Munros, the Wainwrights…

I bought myself a pair of trail running shoes for my birthday, and I wore them last Friday. I really love running downhill, so I couldn’t help but run a few of the smoother sections on Friday. That’s freedom and my idea of fun these days. That’s when I forget all my worries and problems.

Snowdon post exertion view.jpg

Meditative contemplation

Back down in bustling Llanberis by midday, I saw a giant glossy plastic statue of a whipped ice cream and I celebrated walking and running 1,002 miles so far in 2020 with an ice cold crispy creamy 99 for brunch. It’s all about the food too you know! I won’t stop now either - a rolling stone... It’s only September and I’m looking forward to walking and running in more challenging weather conditions. I ran in rain on Wednesday night, it’s very good for the immune system!

I’ve never been sporty. I was always one of the last kids to be picked for a sport team at school and with good reason. I had an unpredictable right hand throw and I couldn’t run far or fast. I still don’t see myself as a walker or a runner but when I’m out, I forget all my worries and I have loads of energy and a fresh outlook on my problems as soon as I’m back.

I used to drive to picturesque places and sit in the car admiring the views, feeling a bit frustrated that I didn’t have the confidence to get out and walk, wishing someone would hold my hand and walk with me. So going up Snowdon solo really was a big deal.

Another world

Another world

I realise that walking has temporarily replaced music in my life. I don’t have a business for the time being. My playing work has probably all disappeared this year but I seem to be taking it in my stride. I’m as passionate about the great outdoors as I am about music, it’s just that the world of music seems less accessible to me for now. The outdoors? Well, it’s quite literally right on my doorstep!

Hiraethus

Hiraethus

Climb Ev'ry Mountain

Imagine - above us only sky

Imagine - above us only sky

September has been a very busy month so far. Not busy in a musical sense but I’m optimistic that the situation for us freelance musicians will improve in the coming months and into 2021. People NEED events and weddings and celebrations with live music and I’ve heard talk of the void left by the lack of cultural stimulation that was previously filled by theatres and live music venues. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have my part time job at my little local Sainsbury’s to fall back on - what would I have done without that?!!

With talk last week of another local lockdown here in Kirklees, I decided it was the perfect time to visit my family in North Wales and attempt to tick a big 2020 box - walking up Snowdon. I’ve never been up, not even on the little train (call the NSPCC!! I think my parents were very busy) and at the beginning of last week I had run and walked 980 miles so far in 2020. I mused that getting to 1,000 miles on Snowdon would be an appropriate way to celebrate my accomplishment and so the planning commenced. I’ve accumulated quite a lot of essential equipment since I started pursuing my outdoor activities more seriously so I knew my gear was good to go. I checked the weather forecast for Llanberis obsessively all week and by Thursday, it was looking like a damn fine day with near perfect conditions for September.

Well, I did it! What’s this got to do with music and the harp? You may well ask but I’d rather be up a big mountain than laid in bed bemoaning my situation or drowning my sorrows with alcohol. I’ve missed practicing regularly for specific performances but most of all I’ve missed playing for my own pleasure and I’ll be delving my fingers deep into those resonant strings regularly from this week.

My next post here will be all about my Snowdon adventure, including photos! Here’s a taster:

snowdon preview.jpg

Mountains and sheep

I’m sure I gained a few greys by the time I got back down

I'm practicing again!

I’ve been bitten by the practice bug again big time so I won’t be blogging as much as usual over the next few weeks. See the poster below for one of the reasons. I’m really excited to be playing in this concert alongside some lovely talented local musicians. I played through my programme today and you might like it. Why not come along and hear me playing with fire? That’s the new subtitle for my website by the way. What do you think? Does it make me sound like a dragon? It’s meant to indicate that I play with passion, not that I’m a scary animal!

Netherthong poster 2019.jpg

Deadlines

Vic Baths changing room.jpg

Changing Room

Victoria Baths

I must admit I’m a fan of deadlines. They seem to push me beyond the expectations I have for myself. I love the reminder that, even as I approach 50, I’m still capable of learning quite a lot of new things and retaining a significant amount of information, some of it useful and some less so. At times, I think my memory is like a sieve (a couple of weeks ago, I locked myself out of my own house - in fairness, I was preoccupied with what seemed like 50,000 thoughts going on at once and I was very tired), but when I consider how much knowledge my brain has to retain, I think I’m doing alright. Soon, I might make a list of things I’ve learnt so far this year. I think I’d surprise myself.

I’ve had my orchestral harpist head on since Wednesday evening and I’m really enjoying being immersed in that world once again. I’ve got a rehearsal and concert at beautiful Wakefield Cathedral tomorrow. I’m playing as part of the Amici Ensemble accompanying the Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir directed by charismatic Andrew Padmore in two works by John Rutter, neither of which I’ve played before. I haven’t had the music for long and after an initial read through of notes and symbols that seemed to be written in a foreign language, I persevered, working as much and as often as time permitted.

To my relief, it finally started making sense last night. I started to breathe as I was able to bring longer passages together to form coherent intelligible lines and phrases. It’ll still be to the wire as there’s a lot of everyday busyness to be dealt with. The devil is in the detail and I’ve reached one of my favourite stages during which the music gets its technicolour finishing coat. The music sounds so very different by this stage with much more refinement. I kick myself gently yet firmly at something that proved so challenging that now seems a whole lot simpler once I’ve identified the cause of the difficulty. I’m almost enjoying the adrenaline that comes with my slightly augmented stress levels. In moderation, it’s a useful natural substance.

Vic Baths pool 1.jpg

Pre concert

The stage is set

It’s been rather a musical week all in all and I really love how the focus has shifted to my passion, one of my main “raisons d’être”. Music. I attended a really inspiring concert at the stunning Victoria Baths in Manchester last Friday. It was given by the Juniper Project, a duo created by harpist colleague and friend, Eira Lynn Jones and her flautist partner, Anna Rosa Mari. Sitting in the waterless pool, we were quite literally immersed in music. It’s one of three pools in this spectacular building. It’s under renovation and thank goodness for that. I love the juxtaposition of old and new buildings but it’s all too easy to resort to demolition rather than reviving our architectural treasures.

Vic Baths pool 2 well loved.jpg

Well loved

Indoor picnic

These two accomplished musicians regaled us with their stunningly simple musically sensitive interpretations of varied repertoire with an aquatic theme flowing throughout. There really was something for everyone, including a little bit of Rutter, funnily enough. His works certainly are popular and he always writes satisfyingly substantial harp parts.

Talking of deadlines, I’ve got 10 good minutes left before I fall into a sleepy stupor. I’ve got another deadline for Sunday evening, but more about that in another blog post.

Have a super smashing weekend with some wonderful music. I know I will, because, let’s face it - I love being in harpist mode!

Vic Baths pool 3.jpg

Kiss me quick!

A slightly bizarre scene in one of the pools

Photo Blog Post - Comic Relief

I’ve run out of written words this week so I thought I’d somewhat appropriately do a photo blog post for a change. It gives me the opportunity to shout about another one of my local heroes, photographer John Steel. I’ve known John since 2015. We met when I was playing at a wedding fayre in the village, and we’ve collaborated on several projects since. Working with giant John is always a pleasure. His photos are vivacious with a generous dash of fun and he captures rare moments, emotions and personalities. His style is unique, imaginative and artistic - if you like pretty posed portraits, then he’s probably not for you. If you like poetic, poignant, memorable (I ran out of p-words) images, he’s your man. Think brides jumping out of windows, newlyweds bouncing around on space hoppers, men sipping tea up a hill, and even a harpist with her harp on a boggy moor, and you’re there. Despite his stature, he’s discreet and professional, and he offers a personalised service to suit your requirements. Talk to him about skateboards and offer him a brew (milk, no sugar) and you’ll make him a very happy man. His creative work is fabulous and you can check it out by clicking on these buttons:

I asked John if he’d take a few photos of the goings on at Sainsbury’s on Red Nose Day and he was willing to help out. Let me know what you think of the results:

Rhian_comicrelief pie Gina.jpg

Manager Gina

Using her mobile as a microphone, and Grant from Wedding Fayres Yorkshire making a live video recording of the incredible pie eating contest

Rhian_comicrelief Ryan pie.jpg

Pie face

Manager Ryan

Rhian_comicrelief-KarAndElainebetter.jpg

Those lovely Sainsbury’s Local ladies

With an unsuspecting customer

Rhian_comicrelief-pie smirk.jpg

Bizarre and slightly surreal

You don’t see this kind of action every day at your local shop

Rhian_comicrelief-creamy smile.jpg

Just one more wafer thin squirt of cream…

Rhian_comicrelief-AndreaElaineNatKath.jpg

Selling scratch cards for a good cause

Rhian_comicrelief pie people smile.jpg

Well aisle be

Blog S Card.jpg

Sainsbury’s Local Holmfirth sure know how to give a warm welcome

Blog S card 2.jpg

The final tot up in my fundraising box was £107!

Thanks to everyone who came to support. You’re the stars!!