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Last autumn, some Sussex walking friends wanted to walk up Snowdon and by chance, they picked a fantastically clear weekend to do it. That meant... Snowdon's summit was going to be heaving (ugh). Still, I'd not been up Tryfan and I fancied getting in some scrambling practice. So it was a good opportunity to combine all our wishes into one trip, meeting up for meals to share tales of the day.
We met for dinner the evening before at the Tyn-y-Coed Inn at Capel Curig and then bedded down for the night at The Rocks. In the morning the fire alarm went off at 6.26 (burnt toast I imagine) and the three fellas in my mixed dorm did an impressively synchronised drop from their bunks in their pants. Not the start I'd anticipated
Anyway, after breakfasting with the troops and confirming our meet-up plans for later in the day, I headed off to Llyn Ogwen, booted up and set off up the track at about 8.30am.
001 Foel Goch above Llyn Ogwen from Tryfan n slope by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
After a straightforward start, I hit Milestone Buttress
and headed east to find a way up.
002 Easy path to start with by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
003 Milestone Buttress - cant go that way by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
004 Milestone Buttress - cant go that way by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
005 My way up - with Southernmost Carneddau hills by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
If there is a route at c.665601 I was buggered if I could find it, so I ended up a bit too far east of it, struggling up the NE face eventually, but not before trying out a few 'exciting' options.
In fact it was great, but one of those times I was glad to be alone. Heading up my chosen crag, just west of the 'route' (probably), I came to a really tricky section. I could have - should have - down-climbed but I really didn't want to if I could get on to the ridge this way. After a lot of contemplation I decided I could do the tricky step, but only by taking my rucksack off, throwing it over the little gap (I know, this is very naughty) and following it. It had to land really well and securely, as did I. Basically, there was an awkward boulder sticking out into me which I'd have to squeeze round with whatever hand and footholds I could find. I looked and looked and looked some more, the way a cat works out the leap it has to make to land on a fence, though taking about 50 times as long, and finally knew I could do it.
So off came the sack, the throw was good... and then I got the wobbles. "Think, woman!" I shouted at myself, calmed down immediately, made my tricky manoeuvre-and-jump and landed perfectly. So I congratulated myself and told myself off at the same time - I must
never do that again.
So, back on the route I wanted to be on, I ran into a group of men from Bucks and chatted with them as we found our way to the Cannon Stone, where I left them to it...
006 Cannon stone with Y Garn to Foel Goch - Llyn Idwal below by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
...and headed off. It still took me a few up-and-down goes to get on to the ridge (top right in the pic below):
My Tryfan track Oct 18 by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
The Bucks boys caught up with me at one point and they opted to go up a narrow chute. I contemplated it, but could also see what looked like an easier way a little further south. They offered to help me if I wanted to go their way, but I declined because my one naughty jump a little earlier was already over my ration for going up what I can't get myself back down.
My easier way involved a couple more hairy scrambles, an under-the-breath "Think, woman!" this time (see why I wanted scrambling practice, not to mention route-finding!
) and I was on the home straight.
008 Weather coming in from N by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
009 Final last clamber to summit by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
Finally, there were Adam and Eve.
010 Adam and Eve come into view by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
The guys had got there before me and were slowly heading on, but they looked back and we waved at each other. I realised they'd sort of kept an eye on me, while recognising that I probably wanted to walk on my own and find my own solutions to difficulties. Nice, I really appreciated that. And now I was appreciating the rugged, craggy top of Tryfan at 3,002 feet
Up at the summit, I lingered and explored a bit, looking over to Glyder Fach and Castell Y Gwynt, back over to the top of the ridge I'd just managed to come over, and waiting too in case a guy in black coming up behind me fancied doing the A&E leap of faith and needed someone to take his picture. He didn't, but appreciated that I'd checked.
011 Glyder Fach ahead with Castell y Gwynt on right by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
012 Looking back at ridge - Carnedd Llewelyn behind by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
013 Adam and Eve and east valley behind by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
(Meanwhile, on Yr Wyddfa...)
Snowdon summit meanwhile by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
Gawd.
Down at the bwlch between Tryfan and Glyder Fach, the Bucks boys had stopped, so I caught up with them and we compared our routes to Tryfan's summit. We'd all had fun, but all felt we'd scrambled enough to forego Bristly Ridge, so I walked up the scree slope of Glyder Fach with them, pausing to look back at Tryfan, pleasingly pointy from this angle.
One of them, a really pleasant lad called Dan, answered my questions about Aonach Eagach and though he felt I'd be fine to scramble it solo, I'm still not sure. How hard is the route-finding?
014 Tryfan from Glyder Fach ascent by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
On the way up was a comforting cairn, with a view over to Cardigan Bay, and then the large, broad summit with its superb frost-shattered rock structures. During the last Ice Age, about 12,000 years ago or more, the summit of Glyder Fach protruded above the ice sheet as a nunatak, so these wonderful rocks have known some tough Arctic exposure. Today, they were bathed in autumn warmth.
015 Glyder Fach cairn to Cardigan Bay by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
017 Glyder Fach rock structure zoomed by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
As the guys went to play on the cantilever stone, I found another lump of rocks for a bit more scrambling practice. Fun, but a poor viewpoint for the cantilever stone.
020 Cantilever stone - rubbish angle by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
All scrambling over now, it was all views from this point on.
023a Castell y Gwynt summited by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
025 Lliwedd and Crib Goch ascents to Snowdon by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
How lovely that you can't see the queues but can see the Lliwedd and Crib Goch ascents
024 The Bucks boys and Y Lliwedd behind by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
It's like the most extraordinary moonscape up here. The Berks guy I'd met on Tryfan's summit had commented, "Oh, you're spoilt," when I'd told him in answer to his question that I walk in Scotland when I can. Well, yes
, but the Glyders and their views are cracking!
026 Top of Glyder Fawr by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
027 SW to The three peaks of Yr Eifl on Llyn Peninsula by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
029 Back to Tryfan and Glyder Fach from Glyder Fawr by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
From the summit of Glyder Fawr, we looked over to Y Garn, which has a big scar of a path up it. By now my boots (which were too small) were really pinching my toes, which is a shame because otherwise I'd have liked to added Y Garn and maybe had a marginally more comfortable descent. But I was concerned about the combination of more pain and time-keeping for meeting my friends, so abandoned that hope and started down. The Bucks boys wanted to hurry to the pub so we parted company and they trotted off down to the Devil's Kitchen.
028 Y Garn scar Angelsey behind by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
I didn't trot. As the lads bounded on ahead, I winced my way down, toes taking a hammering in my too-tight boots.
030 Descending this - ugh by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
with occasional pauses to enjoy the sunlight and clouds on the llyns below and Pen yr Ole while Glyder Fawr's bulk cast a shadow over me.
031 Llyns Idwal and Ogwen with Pen yr Ole Wen behind - Fawrs shadow by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
From the fine cut of slate which forms a footbridge below, I looked back up at the descent route through the cleft, steep and full of scree which is the price you pay for the tops.
034 Sore feet after descending through the cleft by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
033 Fine slate slab bridge by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
There were climbers on the smooth slabs, and another coming up the path to join them for an afternoon's adventuring.
035 Climbers by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
Then it was down to the carpark and back along the road, picking up litter as I went (who throws an entire empty box of Roses out of their car window ffs?), to get those boots off and head back to the hostel after a great day out on these wonderful hills.
