Friday
7th September, 2am
An overwhelming sense of adventure
filled the air. Heading off into the dark abyss not knowing what we were to
face was exciting. Were we to succumb to the altitude? Fall into a crevasse?
Would the legs give up? Not knowing how tough it would be excited me. What I
did know is that as long as you keep a positive mental attitude then you can
always achieve more. I didn’t just want to get to the top, I wanted to do it
with a huge smile on my face.
Crampons, head torch and ice axe at
the ready we set off under the night sky up the mountain.
We made it over the first dome and
onto the next. Trudging through the snow, foot after foot in some sort of
sleepy meditative state. It was
peaceful.
As we hit the brow of the Dome du
Goutêr I was suddenly hit with an overwhelming realisation of what we were
doing. It is so easy to get caught up in the details, the timing of things, kit
check, body management etc. But when I walked over that dome I was awestruck.
Above me towered the summit of Mont Blanc, standing like a timeless giant
silhouetted in the night sky. The dull grey surface of it, glowing in the
moonlight, a narrow snake like trail of headlamps slowly making its way up the
steep face like a stairway of stars to the sky. The dull glow of sun pink
rising on the mountains to our left, coating the frozen mountaintops in a warm
blanket. It was incredible and in moment I was totally alive, in the present
with not a care in the world. No leg ache or tiredness, just a full
appreciation for nature and the world we live in.
It drove me on step after step all
the way to the summit and made me think of all the brave adventurers over time
who have risked their lives to push our understanding of the world. The
challenges people face in the world always come to mind when I am doing
something like this and it always makes me put things in perspective: ‘So what
if my legs hurt and I am exhausted? This pain will be short lived and soon
enough it will be over’. This is not a luxury for a lot of people and the idea
of that pushes me on to do my best. It is also what Big Change is really about:
helping people overcome challenges however big or small they might seem and
this climb really reminded me of that. Don't forget to check out the website
and there are more pics on the Big Change facebook page
Big thanks to our sponsor and suppliers because
without them this expedition would not have been possible:
Sponsor:
Suppliers:
Clothing from Bergans
(www.bergans.com)
Accommodation from Hip Chalets (www.hipchalets.com)
Equipment from Grivel
(www.grivel.com)
Boots from Scarpa (www.scarpa.com)
Sunglasses from Adidas Eyewear (www.adidas.com/eyewear)
Chamonix Tourist Office (www.chamonix.com)
Photos from Martin Hartley
(www.martinhartley.com)
