Joe and Sko Adventures: 3 Peaks Challenge: Scotland, England, Wales

Thanks Shirley, Esther, Tran, Hide and San San, Susan, and Caleb for supporting our 3 Peaks Challenge fundraising event. You all are stars! Because of *you* all of these memories are possible. :)

It's was a rather mild month of traveling -- until this past weekend. The Google Team woke up at dawn on Saturday to embark on a great and insane adventure. Our mission was to climb the 3 tallest mountains in the United Kingdom within 24 hours. We flew up to Glasgow (Scotland) and hopped in our 14 person minibus, which was to be our home for the weekend with our driver Ben at the wheel. Smiles on our faces and the each one buzzing with excitement, we faced the forthcoming...

2 hours - Drive from Glasgow to Ben Nevis (1st mountain)
5.5 hours - Climb and descend Ben Nevis (Scotland)
4.5 hours - Drive from Ben Nevis to Scafell Pike
4.5 hours - Climb and descend Scafell Pike (England)
4.5 hours - Drive from Scafell Pike to Snowdon
3.5 hours - Climb and descend Snowdon (Wales)
6 hours - Drive back to London

It was a test of physical as well as mental endurance. I sprained my ankle half way down the 2nd mountain. Quick thinking - my team dosed me with drugs, bandaged my ankle, and I was given both walking sticks (btw those things are awesome!). Joe's knee was a bit out of wack from the impact of coming down the mountian. We were all still able to make a mad dash to the end of the trail to make up time lost on the 1st mountain.

It was an experience I will treasure for a lifetime. I always wondered what it was like to be in a place you can only gaze down at from an airplane. Now I know.

The team finished in 23 hours and 48 minutes. Yah!!

At the end we were greeted by Prince Edward, who I learned is Prince Charles' brother. He came to support the Duke of Edinburg Award (what we were raising money for) which is an organization his father (Queen's husband) started 50 years ago.

What I remember in my state of sleeplessness...

Scotland, England, and Wales is very green and has lots of sheep
The locals like to down a pint of beer after finishing a long hike (they literally walk directly to the pub after)
Pre-packaged hiking food is not so bad
Going down a mountain is more painful that going up a mountain

Joe no longer thinks that 'hiking' is 'just walking' :). Good thing I made him buy hiking boots. He was thinking of doing the hike in his Nike trainers ;)

(Click on photo to view full set)