Category: News

A DIFFERENT SNOWDON ADVENTURE

As a Physiotherapist, I had the privilege of working with some pretty remarkable people over the years and one particular individual came to mind last year, when a number of local residents shared their outdoor adventures. Henry was a gentleman with cerebral palsy resulting in considerable physical disabilities and he had been wheelchair dependent all his life. It was always a joy to visit him and listen to his stories and dreams. One day, he shared his lifelong dream of being on the summit of Wales’ highest mountain, Snowdon… I don’t think Henry had any concept of what might be involved to achieve this in relation to the organisation that would be involved in relation to his wheelchair, equipment, people power, transport, accommodation, let alone the height of the mountain and what that meant in reality and also any possible implications from the weather..
At the time Henry was 60 and required adapted wheelchair seating in order to accommodate his physical needs. The idea of him being able to access Snowdon was truly a dream for him but it sparked something in me to see if I could help him achieve that dream. I didn’t even consider him accessing the mountain by the train as that was not something that I would ever do. Climbing a mountain to me, meant just that – physically getting to the top.
My first challenge was to find someone who was mad/brave enough to contemplate such an undertaking with me and after asking a few people, I did manage to secure the support of a friend, big Chris, who at the time was undertaking his Mountain Leadership qualification but interestingly, had never been up Snowdon! We therefore did a recce visit and decided that the Pyg track should / could be possible to do with a wheelchair; and would also provide a suitable challenge worth fundraising for! (We also agreed then that, if necessary, Henry could descend the mountain via the train!)

Pyg Track

We knew that we would need a team who were trained in lifting (today known as moving and handling) and approached the South Wales Fire Service who offered fantastic support! We not only ended up with six volunteer firemen, but they also offered to loan us their big red fire service bus to transport the team to and from North Wales!
I approached the Department of Rehab and Engineering at Rookwood Hospital who kindly made and donated a specially-made wheelchair for the trip. Although not offering the ultimate comfort for Henry, it did have the facility to add ‘carry bars’ (making the wheelchair a bit like a sedan chair), for when the chair couldn’t be ‘pushed’ along the path.

Henry lived at the top of the Rhondda Valley and I remember on one of the trips back from a wheelchair fitting, he looked up at The Bwlch and mused whether being at the summit of Snowdon would be similar to being on top of The Bwlch (which I’m not sure that Henry had ever been at the top of either). I gently replied, “Not really!”, having experienced Snowdon in all its glories of rain, wind, sleet, snow and whiteouts as well as very occasional sunshine!
The team eventually consisted of about 22 of us in all including the 6 firemen, 6 members of Treherbert rugby youth team, big Chris and two of the youngsters he worked with, myself and a couple of climbers Chris knew, as we thought we might need to support Henry and the wheelchair with ropes along some of the scarier points of the track, as well as 3 other women. We did indeed make good use of the ropes when at one point, concentration waned or tiredness won or feet slipped on the rock and the wheelchair tipped! Luckily, Henry was safely secured by a lap belt and the ropes saved the wheelchair from toppling further!

Typical Section of Pyg Track

A pretty scary moment!! Out of all of us, only 4 had previously been up Snowdon so it was a real adventure and opportunity for most of the group. We had booked the Dinorwig bunk house for Friday and Saturday night and although had thought long and hard about how we would support Henry up the mountain, had given no thought to getting Henry in his wheelchair down the steep track to the bunkhouse in the pitch dark when we arrived! The adventure very nearly ended before it had even begun!
Amazingly, the Saturday dawned bright and clear and in fact remained so all day offering the most incredible views all the way to the summit! Henry was wrapped in a down sleeping bag to keep him warm before being secured in his chair, because although we all got pretty hot climbing and manoeuvring the wheelchair (and actually carrying it where necessary), Henry was of course stationary in the chair and therefore could potentially have got very very cold being unable to move. The whole team took it in turns to push and carry the chair giving everyone a chance to actually take part but also allowing much needed recovery times. It was quite strange to me, used to working with people with a disability, that at the rest points, no-one actually considered that Henry couldn’t appreciate the views unless his chair was turned to face them, whilst everyone else spread out along the path and rocks enjoying cups of tea, sandwiches and the incredible views – Snowdonia at its best! All the way up we were subject to some interested and varied comments from fellow intrepid climbers and when we finally made the summit, an enormous crowd had gathered to wait for and cheer Henry!

Henry did indeed come down the mountain on the train while most of us walked down alongside the railway track and all met in the pub in Llanberis where more than a few pints of beer were imbibed to celebrate resulting in a far more interesting descent of the track to the bunkhouse in the dark as very few of us were sure footed at that point! (There were of course other tales of that evening but perhaps not printable here!)

Nicola Harmer