Four Mountains, a Ferry, and a Trip to Kerry

A Diary of the 4 Peaks Challenge through the eyes of Mark Phelan

Day 1 30th June 2005. The alarm rings at 4.30am. I jump out of bed and prepare to drive to Dublin Airport to catch our 8am flight to Prestwick Airport in Scotland. My brother volunteered to drop us to the Airport and on the way we picked up Enda O Neill, my fellow climber. We are buzzing with excitement but underneath we are very apprehensive, as we just do not know what to expect and how the next three days are going to pan out. Thoughts such as ‘have we prepared enough, have we done the mileage necessary’ to get us through this keep flashing through my mind.

We board our flight and arrive at Prestwick on time. There to meet us is our fellow climber Joe Duane and our team driver Tim Lynch. Joe is a native of Newbridge but now lives in Nottingham. Tim in from Kent in UK and was roped in by Joe to be our driver and slave for the trip.

We walk out to the car park and see our transport for the trip. A brand new Vauxhall Vectra estate. The car was green and emblazoned with all the major event sponsors. Vauxhall & Irish Ferries to name but a few. It was at this point I realised how big an event this was and how well it was organised. We hopped in, Tim Driving, Joe in front passenger seat, Enda behind Tim and I took up station behind Joe. This space was to be our home for the next three days. We headed north through Glasgow and into the highlands, as we thought. Up the west coast of Loch Lomond massive mountains appeared on both sides. We looked at them thinking, do we have to go up one of them!!! Another hour down the road we can across a sign ‘Welcome to the Highlands’. We all laughed our sides sore as the mountains we saw previous were just the foothills. Enda looked at me and I could tell from his expression that he now realised the enormity of what we were about to do. Little did he know, that the realisation hit home with me at that same point in time?

Three hours driving and we reached Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis. We drove into the car park of the local leisure centre where most of the 60 teams had already arrived. We proceeded to registration and signed in. We were given all our equipment, which included rainwear and climbing shirts, one long sleeve and one short. We had not eaten since late last night so we made a quick dart around the corner to McDonalds. Little did we know that this would be our first of many trips to this fine eating establishment over the next few days.

“Ok!! Its time to rock and roll” came the rallying call from Team leader GI Joe. We changed into our climbing gear and went to the team briefing in the leisure centre. Here we were given the list of do’s and don’ts from the organisers and we met the other teams for the first time. What a great bunch of people.

3pm and it's time to load up and head to the foot of our first climb Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in UK and Ireland. We arrived at the car park at the foot of the mountain. Thanks God it was misted over at the top as I'm sure many teams would have turned around and just went home at that point. We got geared up, “Safety blanket” check, “Flare” check, “Compass” check, “High Energy Bars” Check, “Wet Gear” Check, “Carb drinks” Check, “First Aid Kit” Check.

“All in order lads” says Joe, “lets go”. We proceeded to the start gate for out departure time of 4.10pm. At the gate we went through the rigorous check procedure performed by the marshals. “No whistles, lads” We all looked at each other. We forgot the whistles. We could not be allowed on the mountain without one each. Tim and I rushed back into town and bought some in the local fishing tackle shop and rushed back to the start gate. We were just in time and we eventually got away last of the 60 teams.

We started off at a very gentle pace but before long found ourselves catching up on several teams that had started before us. We started to grow in confidence when we saw this happening. Little did we know that some of these teams would not even reach the summit. We continued up Ben Nevis and started to hit some really difficult steep terrain and, my god, the legs started to ache at this point. We found ourselves having to rest every couple of minutes. Enda in particular was suffering. His back and quads were giving him problems. But we are a team and we worked as a team and we moved up the mountain steadily as a team. The mountain just went on and on and moral started to take a beating. But everyone on the mountain helped everyone else and we struggled on as a group.

Several packets of skittles and 2 litres of carb drink later we were within shouting distance of the top. At this point the weather turned for the worst. The mist closed in and climbing conditions became almost unbearable. We struggled on. Enda began to suffer again but Joe and I had to continue and let him go his own pace. If we stopped and waited we would start to freeze. We eventually got close to the summit and together as a team we reached the summit check point. At this point we were seeing snow. I could not believe it. Only a few hours ago in the valley it was 28 degrees. That shows how high this mountain was!!

We checked in and proceeded down the mountain. We had to get out of there as quick as possible as the weather was really turning nasty. On the way down we got a bit of a surge of energy and started to jog. In hindsight this was silly as both Joe and Enda twisted their ankles on that decent. But they kept going to their credit. They would never give up. Two great team members to have on board. We continued to pass teams out on the decent and when we eventually got to the bottom, 4.5 hours later we had picked up 13 places. Not bad, we thought, for a bunch of paddies.

Back to the leisure centre then for a shower and ahead of us now was the long haul to The Lake District. We were buzzing after completing Ben Nevis so sleep was not really on the cards. We would never have got asleep anyway as Tim was still struggling to get to grips with the automatic transmission of the car so the rumble strips at the edges of the roads were visited on many occasions.

We arrived at the Cricket Club near our next Mountain, Hellvelyn, at 2am. Out with the sleeping bags. We all crammed into the Vauxhall tent on the grass and tried to sleep. Due to the symphony of snoring I only got 2 hours sleep.

Day 2 1st July 2005. 5am and the cow bell rings for everyone to get up. I never heard so many moans and groans in my life. There were a lot of stiff bodies in that tent. We dragged ourselves out of our sleeping bags, loaded the car and proceeded to the check in gate at the base of Hellvelyn. The car park was so small that we could only be dropped of and Tim had to leave with the car and head back to the cricket club. Tim’s duty today was to get all the wet gear from yesterday dry. We checked in immediately and without delay we started into our second climb Hellvelyn.

All reports said that this second day is the easiest as the two mountains we were to climb were the smallest. Never listen to what they say!!!! Hellvelyn should just be shortened to Hell. That’s my opinion anyway. From the outset it is straight up. All bar the last half km is stepped. We as a team really suffered on this climb. I personally found the ascent back breaking. It was all steps. One after another, step after step. This climb required massive power in your quads. Some that I am blessed with. It’s just a Phelan family trait. The ascent was such a struggle and it was impossible to pass or be passed, as the trail was so narrow. This ascent was our first personal encounter with the other teams close up. Characters such as Mr Motivator, Emma from The Quick Chicks and The Old Scottish pair we experienced for the first time on the ascent of Hellvelyn. We struggled to the top and again the summit was clouded over. No views for us today lads.

We started the descent and managed to jog some of the ridge back to the steps. This is where it all went wrong for our team. Joe and Enda suffered agony on this descent. There knees could not take the jarring on the steps and they feel behind. I had to keep going at my pace, as the trail was narrow so when you found a climber on your pace you descended with them. My luck was in for this one. I descended with Pauline from The Quick Chicks. We chatted and got each other down that gruelling mountain. I waited near the bottom for the lads and they arrived just a few minutes behind. Honesty, I was shocked to see them struggle down those steps. But again they did it where other men would have given up. However, I do blame them for all the midget bites I got as I was eaten alive at that point waiting for them. We crossed the line together and there was not much talk after that. We were exhausted as a team.

Back to the cricket club where breakfast was laid on. Tim had all our gear dry and we stuffed ourselves with sausages, beans, bacon and bread. Joe even found time for a massage which was laid on by the sponsors. I got a text through at that point from my mum asking me what time we started today. I replied “Jaysus ma, we were up at 5am climbed Hellvelyn and had breakfast all by 9am and not a child washed in the house”.
We loaded up at 10am and headed south.

“Snowdon next lads and we're half way there” was the rallying call from team leader Joe. I managed to catch an hour’s sleep on that drive south. A bomb would not have woken me. A quick stop at Mc Donald’s on the way. This was the third visit this trip so far. God Bless the big M.

We arrived at Snowdon early. This was ideal as it gave us a chance to dry more wet gear. A tribute to Vauxhall engineering my friends. We came up with the idea of leaving the car running and putting all the wet gear inside the engine bay. We also turned the heating up full blast and closed all the doors. Our car became a mobile tumble dryer without the tumbling of course. The Vauxhall management could not believe what we were doing and even took photos. I would hazard a guess that those pictures will turn up in some advertising campaign somewhere.

Our start time for Snowdon was 4.30pm. We arrived at the start and it started to rain. We geared up with our rain gear and in 5,4,3,2,1 we were off. It was miserable weather. We set of at a very fast pace. Little did we know it but this would come back to haunt us in a few hours time. The rain kept coming and the winds got higher. It was like God said, “paddy is on the mountain, lets see what he is made of”.

We slogged on and Snowdon began to show its teeth. Steeper and steeper it got. OH MY GOD was the cry from behind. ARE WE F**KING MAD. Secretly I was agreeing with those sentiments. Eventually we made it to the top of the ridge where we got our first sight of the tourist railway, which comes up from the valley the opposite side of our ascent. We plodded onto the summit and got our card stamped. A quick packet of skittles down the neck and off down we went.

From the outset this became a chore. We could not cope with this descent. It was too difficult and the morning’s exploit up Hellvelyn were taking their toll. This is where Enda came into his own and he proceeded to make us laugh as he only can. Every episode of Father Ted was meticulously told with all accents as good as I have ever heard. We even got a good Irish dose of Pat Shorts D’unbelieveables. Enda got us down that mountain single handedly. We eventually got down 3 hours 15 minutes after we started. We were well and truly shattered. Tim, god bless him, had a hot cup of tea waiting for us. He will never understand how much that cup of tea meant to us.

We had to change out of our wet gear in the car park and head straight off to Hollyhead to catch the Ferry to Dublin for the last leg. Of course we had our compulsory Mc Donald’s stop on the way.

We were the first to arrive at Hollyhead. We got there at 10pm. We parked up and got the mobile tumble dryer going again. Within 3 hours all our gear was dry again. Our ferry was not until 2am so as teams arrived this was another good chance to chat to all our fellow ‘peakers’ we eventually boarded the ferry at 2am and left the berth at 2.30am. Again we all had to find whatever space was free on the floor and curl up in our bags and try and get some shuteye.

Day 3 2nd July 2005. 3 hours later the hooter on the ferry sounds and the voice on the tannoy says we will be docking in half an hour. Like a swarm of bees we all descended to the car deck to prepare to leave. The stairs down to this deck was a struggle in itself as everyone was suffering with cramp and stiff muscles. We were first to drive off the ferry and every one of the 60 teams follow team paddy, with our tricolour flying, through the streets of Dublin out to the N7. We stopped at the Newbridge junction to get some sponsor logos for our vehicle. We stuck them on and proceeded on the road to Kerry. I feel asleep on this section of the trip and did not wake until we got to Newcastlewest. God, I needed that.

We had a quick breakfast from the local service station and proceeded down to Killarney. We arrived at base camp at 11am and after an interview on Radio Kerry we were on the start gate by 11.30. “This is it lads” says Joe. “The final leg, the final push up Carrantuohill.”

God the weather was horrific once again. We started off and before long we were wading through 2 rivers and Enda even got stuck in a bog hole right up to his waist. He struggled to get out of that and there was no way Joe or I was going in to help him. We checked in at the base of the Devils ladder and stood there looking up at what we were about to try and ascend. I turned to Enda and said, “Have we really to go up that?” He was asking the same question but never opened his mouth. I could see it in his eyes.

On with the climbing hats for this section and off we went. The Devil's Ladder is basically a waterfall coming of the top ridge of the mountain that has been gouged out over centuries. We started the ascent and before long Joe and I were cruising up this ascent. We loved it, this suited but of us down to the ground. It suited our physique and we found it a doddle. Enda, on the other hand, would have a different story to tell about it.

We all got to the top and what greeted us was nothing less that a storm. The winds up there were sweeping us off our feet and it was not a nice experience. We checked in with the marshal and proceeded to head up the ridge to the summit. This was the worst experience of the whole trip for me personally and as a team. We struggled, bent forward, into the wind. Slowly making our way onward and upward. The pain in my legs was excruciating. I stopped at one point to wait for the others but within seconds I started to stiffen up. It was so cold that I started to seize up. I had to keep plodding on slowly and eventually Joe and Enda came up to me and we reached the summit together.

It was so cold and miserable up there that our camera would not work. Every climber that went up that mountain that day suffered and I mean really suffered. We started back down and got to the top of the Devil's Ladder. As we did when we were at the bottom we looked at each other and asked, without words, have we to go down that again?

As soon as we started to descend I got a new lease of life and got down the ladder in a quick time. Joe was not far behind either. Joe got to the bottom and I said to him that we are on a fast one here, Joe. We are well up the pecking order. Now where is Enda?

Looking back we could not see him. I eventually spotted him almost half way back up. He was struggling and struggling bad. We could see by his posture that his back and knee were playing up again. We waited and he made it in typical Enda fashion, ripping the helmet off his head and shouting expletives into the Kerry sky. He performs best like this. He knew he was struggling but we knew he would never give up. What a guy to have on your team.

Even with this delay we still felt we were on a good one. We continued on down to the finish. More Father Ted along the way and I'm sure they could hear us laughing back up the valley. We saw the finish approaching and Joe produced the Irish Tricolour out of his bag. “Grab this lads and lets go in as a team as we have done throughout”

That’s what we did. We crossed that line and instinctively had a group hug. Champagne burst open and we had a good Irish slug out of the bottle along with a burger from the barby. We were so wet that the first thing we needed to do was get into dry clothes. Again Tim had everything laid out for us. A quick change and off to the Hotel Europe in Killarney.
Here we checked in and sorted out all the wet clothes etc. At 7pm everyone started to gather in the bar before the main awards ceremony. Everyone wearing his or her supplied 4 peaks shirt. We sat down for dinner at 7.30pm and enjoyed a fabulous meal after which the awards ceremony began.

With all the pomp and flair imaginable we were introduced and each member went up to collect their medal. Every other peaker was standing up applauding. The night continued with much drinking and merriment. A traditional Irish band played jigs and reels into the wee small hours and people who were struggling to walk only hours previously were now attempting to re-enact riverdance. Now that was funny. No sleep was had that night. The next morning everyone gathered in the foyer of the hotel and picked up their achievement certificates. At that point we realised that we finished 28 out of 60 teams and on the final mountain we came home in 16th place. Our gut feeling was right, it was a quick one indeed. We all packed up at midday and headed off. We were lucky. We just had to go back to Kildare. All the other teams had to head back to the ferry and disperse from there to their homes throughout the UK.

In summary it was an exhausting trip. People have asked me which was the hardest mountain and which was the easiest. My answer was that they were all hard, so hard that it is indescribable. Easy is not a word that enters your mind when talking about this event. What this event was was a triumph of human endeavour. People going through the pain barrier to help others and in particular young disadvantaged children. This drove us on and its something that I am immensely proud of.

I must pay tribute to my teammates Enda, Joe and Tim. These guys are immense people and they suffered to achieve and complete this challenge. Together we scaled over 15000 feet in total and drove in excess of 1900 miles. I applaud them, as they are giants amongst men in my eyes. I pay tribute to all the organisers and marshals. Never before have I seen an event so well prepared and organised. Finally to all my sponsors. You know who you are and you have made a difference. In total €500,000 was raised and that, my friends, is amazing.

I will be back to do it again. So until next year…..

Mark Phelan.