Day 4 - Half way there!!

Firstly I would like to say thank you to Rosalind Hohenstein-Conway for the donation received today!  I am guessing it has come through this blog?  Thank you for your kind words also.  It is a timely reminder that we are not doing all this climbing for our own purposes but to raise awareness of and much needed funds for Autism services.

So day four begins with me sitting into my car at 7.45am and my power steering not working!!!  What can I do?  Dairin needs her car to bring Aimee to school later.  I know!  I will do what I do with anything electronic that starts playing up.  Turn it off and turn it on again!!!!  It worked!  So off I go.  I had arranged yesterday to meet Dermot Henry for today's climbs and he was waiting in the car park when I arrived.  There was an air of uncertainty about today's climb as yesterday afternoon as weather conditions deteriorated and there were a few injuries they had to stop the climb.  When we registered we were told that todays climb was to the ridge and no further.  the cone was out of bounds.  We met a few early climbers who had been to the top and the said that it was no worse than yesterday and just to take care.  As Dermot is an experienced climber and he had been up during the real snow of November/December we decided we would climb to the summit independent of the Challenge.  Not a bad morning this morning and the early part of the climb passed quickly.  Chatty climbs always do.  There were frequent stops for chats with other climbers and at this stage of the week these breaks are most welcome!  The legs were a little stiff this morning.  The cone still had a good covering of snow but seemed to be an easier climb that yesterday.  The summit was amazing today!  There was a covering of ice on the church (no photos to do it justice!!) and the snow was  deep.  We spent a bit of time messing about in the snow like two excited kids for a while and tool a few shots before popping into the church for a snack and water.

In an earlier blog I had a shot of Patricks bed where the rails around it were still visible but today they were completely covered!!  I decided to take a nap only to be disturbed by Dermot and his camera!!

We met a guy as we were approaching the summit who was starting his descent.  He was struggling to put his socks over his shoes for better grip!!  I gave him a hand after I took his photograph!!

Took a fun off track route down again today!  Plenty of fresh snow to mess about in!  Although it is off route is is safer and quicker that taking the traditional path.  I did manage to get Myself stuck!!

No trick photography!  The snow was this deep in places! 

Towards the end of climb one we met Priscilla and her camera man from Mayo TV  (goolge them!)  They were filming a piece with Ian McGeever (the guy doing 5 climbs a day for the 7 days!!).  Chatted to them for a while and headed back to bacecamp.  When we refuelled with soup and sambos again supplied by the wonderful volunteers at bace camp we met Mayo TV again with Matt Loughrey (him of 365 climbs!!) and somehow talk got to us doing two climbs a day.  Priscilla said they were looking for stories like that for the piece on Croagh Patrick and asked if we would mind doing a piece to camera.  We agreed and they set it all up and as they asked the first question the camera man had to call a halt as the rain was too heavy and he was concerned about the camera!!!  Fame has eluded us for now!!!

Climb two was busier.  Seemed easier than the first for some reason.  A lot of people are recognising me now and it is great to have all the chats for rest reasons and for general comradery reasons.  Dermot became an add for the strength of O2's network coverage on this climb!!  His phone was hopping and never seemed to be out of coverage!!  I took advantage of one of these phone call stops to try something I have been meaning to try for ages.  To see can I throw a stone from the shoulder into the pond below it?  I failed! It looks closer that it actually is!   I'll try again!

Similar climb to the first with lots of chats and with fellow climbers.  The snow looks blue.....well has a blue hue about it.  I keep thinking Daz blue white!  It just looks so pure!  I love disturbing fresh snow!!  Had to mess about in it some more on the second summit!

Just as we were about to set off for base again a friend of Dermots, Karen arrived over the brow.  One banana opened monkey style later she joined us on our juvenile jaunt down the mountain.  The two gave me some of the folklore of the mountain and the area and I was brought over to the "Bowl" which was amazing and I has only experienced it through Matts blog prior to today.  Photo does not do it justice but I have been working off camera phone all week!

We did get some views today as every now and then the cloud would lift for just long enough to see the beauty that surrounds us all!


I was greeted in base camp by my girls which was lovely!  We all went to the Tavern for lunch and a pint in front of a roaring fire! What a great way to celebrate 7 climbs!

Rabbitt and Micka Wallace sand a few songs and both were top class!  Outspan (Glen Hansard) didn't sing.  His role in the band was guitar and backing vocals and he seemed happy to do just that! What a modest man!  A bloke I would like to go for a pint with.  The Castlebar gig was their first major gig of the tour and they seemed to get a real buzz from the crowd.  Possibly photos tomorrow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob2TsJHf3ic&feature=fvsr
Sorry if the standard has dropped but it is late and I am exhausted!!  I just want to go to bed!!  Thank you to all that have made contact through Matts FB page, email and directly through the blog.  Your support and comments get me up the cone!  I will leave you with one or two photos Dermot sent me from todays climb.  Until tomorrow!!

Day 3

Earliest start so far this morning.  Arrived in the car park just after 8 am.  Beautiful morning and the summit was bright and clear and the church was clearly visible.  Something told me that things would change before I got there!  Past experiences have thought me that weather is ever changing in Murrisk.  Still it was nice to be setting out with dry and bright weather.

  I had a quick chat with Pat and headed off up on my 5th climb in 3 days.  Solo climb but that was ok.  I had to be back in Castlebar by mid day so at least I could dictate the pace today.  I remained a solo climber for all but a brief period on today's ascent.  The brief period of company came in the form of a jolly old man who was suddenly right behind me on the ridge.  He was flying up!!  I had set a good pace and had passed a lot of climbers that had set off well before me so when I heard footsteps at my shoulder I expected to see a mountain runner!  Instead I find this jolly old chap with a great smile.  I turned to him and said "Jesus your flying".  He smiled and asked me if i was doing the 7 days to which I said "if I'm able for it".  He down played his speed up the mountain by saying he only climbs a couple of times a week and he only goes as far as the first toilet since his two knee replacements!!!!!  With that he shot off up the mountain and I had not hope of keeping pace with him!!  To make it worse he didn't turn at the toilet, he went to the top!!  I shook his hand when I finally got there.  That was impressive climbing for a man 20/30 years his junior!  He went in to the church said a quick prayer and off down he went again!

The only stop I had on the way up was when I met Cyril.  I met Cyril about 14 years ago when we both did a course over a few months.  Our paths crossed after that through work a few time and he fitted out kitchen 9 years ago.  I hadn't seen Cyril much in the past few years until the 7 Day Challenge last year when I met him on the mountain every day of my 4 days and I was delighted to meet him so far this year on 3 out of 3 days.  He is a good bloke and great for the few words of encouragement.  Looking forward to meeting again tomorrow. 

There was more snow overnight so although not as far down the mountain as yesterday there was significant snow on the cone.  I decided to stay close to the track today.  Went slightly to the left of the main track today mainly because of congestion but also because it is easier in snow than on snowy icy rocks.  There was a bit of tiny hail stones on the way up that felt like pins being stuck in your face!  On the summit there was no view what so ever.  The cloud had come down and it was bitterly cold.  No hanging around for photos today.  Just took one to mark the climb.

I ran down today once I got past the tricky first segment of the cone.  Started on the right on the stone then into the deeper snow and crossed at the corner of the cone and went down on the left.  Met Dermot (newest blog follower!!) on the point compared opinions of today's climb and back to snow running!!  I have a small bit of video footage but have been having difficulty getting it from phone to computer.  I'll post it tomorrow if I can.

Great fun again running down in snow!  After snow and back on the track I look up to see Eoin giving me a round of applauds!!! Met him on Friday and am meeting every day now.  Another of life's naturally happy friendly people.  Next to meet was the one and only Johnny Oosten sporting a pair of shorts and feeling the effects of that!  He was red raw from being pelted by hailstones!!  What I knew and didn't wanted to tell him was that conditions were much further on and the wind had picked up to knocking of balance strength!  Any off with me again!  Passed Cyril next.  "Here comes the rocket" was all I heard as I passed!!!  Back down to the carpark in 38 minutes.  10.18am.  Great!  Loads of time to shower , change, refuel and soak up some of the base camp atmosphere.  I had another €5 shower and although I still think its pricey it was a little piece of heaven!!!  I was so glad to have climbed when I did cos the weather turned very nasty when I was having the post climb soup and sambos!  I since discovered that they had to call a halt to the climbing later in the day due to the weather.  Still no confirmation of tomorrows climb.  I must admit no matter how fast you are moving down the mountain sometimes you have to stop to admire natures beauty and the ever changing light around the mountain and Clew Bay

Home by 5pm and a chill out evening for the Barrys.  The feet have been up for most of the evening and there is a cold beer beside me.  Bliss!  Legs are sore for the first time this week and funny as it may sound I think it was the golf that did it! 

Change of plan for tomorrow.  Dairin (wife) is going to climb later in the week instead of tomorrow as the weather really in not suitable to first time climbers.  Its not an easy climb at the moment and if that wind hold up tomorrow is going to be a rotten couple of climbs!  Reward for efforts tomorrow?  See Here

I'd like to say thank you to Matt Loughrey for giving my humble blog a recommendation on his 365 page!  It has been great getting all the positive feedback on achievements so far and to hear that people are enjoying reading the ramblings of wannabe adventurer!!!

See you all back here tomorrow!

Greg