Ben Nevis
Elevation: 4,409 ft (1,344m)
Status: Summited
Route: Main route over bridge across from Glen Nevis Youth Hostel
Weather Conditions: Cold in the morning, hot while ascending, foggy and damp at summit
Time: 4 hrs for ascent and descent
General comments: For a mountain I don’t generally classify as being very high, the walk to the summit is excruciating. It has been redone because of erosion/ bog land and forms hundreds of steps. If you think going up is the worst part, try descending. The summit of Ben Nevis is gorgeous and the remnants of an old weather station. The only thing that would of made the top more enjoyable is if I could of seen the views down below.
Snowdon
Elevation: 3,560 ft (1,085 m)
Status: Summited
Route: Main route from Llanberis car park
Weather Conditions: Left mid afternoonfoggy and damp the entire day even at summit
Time: 5 hrs for ascent and descent
General comments: It’s a beautiful hike to the top of Snowdon. Although the weather was incredibly awful, the lakes around every bend were incredible and the trail was well maintained. I found this hike to be the easiest out of all my UK hikes and I highly recommend it.
Tryfan
Elevation: 3,012 ft (918 m)
Status: Summited
Route: From car park, no set route
Weather Conditions: Sunny, no clouds, no wind
Time: 3 hrs for ascent and descent
General comments: Tryfan is reasonably technical for someone who doesn’t do a lot of hand work. To summit is almost a pure scramble. At the top there are to rocks named Adam and Eve, by jumping between these two cylindrical formed rocks you are said to gain the ” freedom of the Tryfan”. Its tricky and looks daunting, but dont let the shear cliff on the left side stop you. Also, while approaching the summit, you will come across a rock formation called the cannon, don’t forget to stop and take a picture. It looks out of place but remarkable. On the opposite side of the mountain is a are another two rock formations called Kane and Abel, apparently they are easily recognizable.
Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 19,341 ft (5,895m)
Status: Summited
Route: Lemosho (from the west)
Weather Conditions: Sunny, often two hours of rain
Time: 7 nights and 8 days for maximum acclimatization
General comments: I was in love with this mountain. Everyday you were exposed to different vegetation, heights and views. There were many people on the mountain during the month of June 2012 but it just made summiting feel like a team effort. It was a wonderful feeling turning back down at the mountain on summit day, at 1am, and seeing everyone with their headlamps, all with the same tired eyes, hungered feeling, sore limbs, but motivation to reach the summit. The sign at the top of Kilimanjaro had been substituted for a new and improved model in 2011. The new one is larger and vibrant! Loved it and would definitely go back and test out another route.
Mount Warning
Elevation: 3,793 ft (1,156m)
Status: Summited
Route: From car park
Weather Conditions: Misty, humid but full visibility. Starting raining mid afternoon
Time: 4 hours with a 30 minute break on top.
General Comments: Ascending this mountain was a slog. A lot of steps and seems daunting at first. It’s 9 km round trip and the last 0.4km of the hike is a scramble with a chain to assist you on the right hand side. Makes this mountain very unique. It’s in the center of a crater andit’s a remarkable shape, kind of looks like a hitchhikers thumb. This mountain is not typically supposed to be climbed just because it represents a very spiritual place for the native tribes. Mount Cook spotted this mountain on May 17, 1770 from the sea and used it as a port, he first named it Point Dangar, but the name has been changed. This mountain is also the first part of Australia to receive sunlight on the break of dawn.
jessprosser 