After over a week of anticipation, Friday FINALLY came! My class finished at 11am, so no worries, I had lots of time to get ready...WRONG! I managed to waste my day once again and rush to get my stuff together around 3:30 in order to leave just after 4 to be at the Union by 5pm departure. It was quite anti-climatic the first night. I recognized most of the people, but they were busy loading the buses and such, that I just stood around with the newbies that didn't know what to do but continue to stand. What I was told would take 5 hrs. only to 3hrs., so I was pleasantly surprised to arrive there just before 9pm. It gets dark by 4:30pm now, so we arrived in darkness in this parking lots next to a nice looking cabin. Only, little did I know that our lodging was at the top of the hill and not nearly as nice looking.
After a trek up the steep hill, making sure I didn't step in a pothole, we all had to wait in the cold b/c the person with the key was still at the bottom of the hill! It was a rectangular brick building and looked to me like an army barracks or something. There was a long line of connected bunk beds on the bottom floor, connected beds on the top, and a small kitchen. Not nearly as cozy and welcoming as Duddon. But that didn't matter because once the food was brought up, we all went to the pub which was a 5 min. walk down the road. I talked to the new girls--OHHHH, one of whom was on my "Meet and Greet" service shuttle bus to the Uni when I first arrived in Leeds with my dad!! Her name is Lauren and she's also from Toronto! She even remembered I was from Mississauga! Then there was Willa, a very peppy, giggly (very similar to me) American, another from Alaska named Alison, Marina (also very giggly) from Brazil--I knew her from Duddon, and a postgrad from the UK named Elaine. We walked together on the Saturday and it was soooo much fun! There were 9 of us girls.
I can't pronounce, rather remember the name of the mountain we climbed, but the day was absolutely PERFECT and clear, and no wind and good company! I think this time around climbing a 3000ft. my mind was more prepared and I wasn't so tired by the end. We had great fun playing around on all the rocks at the top of the mountain. It was also really cold up there, because once you stop walking, you really start to feel the cold. We were teasing the boys later saying we were strip hiking--which we kind of were, because every 10 min. you would get so hot you had to peel off another layer. We were in t-shirts and shorts by the top..and then you'd have to hurry to put your layers back on before you froze to death.
Marina itching her butt. haha, well it looks like it!!
Although it's called Snowdonia there was no snow--thank goodness! They was a bit of ice that crystallized and looked like snow.
a reflection..sigh.
Cathryn and her crazy rock climbing skills! yikes!
ommmmm (that's me)
Marina and me. Marina has this great picture of us where I'm taking one of the both of us, only it was set as "movie ", so we have 10 sec. of us smiling cheesely for the camera wondering why the picture wasn't being taken! It's realllly funny!That night we all went to the pub again. It was a lot of fun because we played BALDERDASH!!! First it was 4 of us girls, and then it was like 15 people playing! Willa and I gave ourselves a pat on the back for starting a trend! haha. It was so funny, some of the answers were so random. Willa's always had something to do with royalty or far away lands, that I couldn't help but laugh when reading hers out. I never seen so many board games in a pub, but it was good fun! 3 guys who were dropped of the night before to hike 3 massive 1000m/3000ft. peaks in 20 hrs. (over night and w/o sleep!) finally returned and joined us at the pub. I don't know how they were still standing and awake, but that's the thing about beer and pubs in England, you can never be too tired to go! I, on the other hand, was exhausted and couldn't keep my eyes open so left with a group fairly early. The first night I didn't sleep more than 2 hrs. and to much of people's gossip, it was because I was cold and don't sleep well in new places! So you can imagine I was very happy to sleep and wake up to the alarm in the morning, knowing I got a full night's sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment