PEN CERRIG CALCH
On my last trip to the Black Mountains, conditions were stormy, with the rivers in spate and the roads flooded out in places. This time the sky was clear, temperatures in the valley were close to freezing, and the wind-chill was pretty strong. I had climbed Pen Cerrig Calch and Pen Allt Mawr once before, as part of John Darby's excellent Black Mountains Race, and I remembered running pretty briskly all the way over Pen Allt Mawr but then running out of energy pretty seriously (ie. hitting the proverbial wall) on the next ascent! This time I ran at a manageable pace up from Llanbedr village past Table Mountain and onto the ridge of Pen Cerrig Calch - there I saw a wonderful sight - the turf silvered with frost and the streams frozen, petrified waterfalls of icicles - incredibly beautiful. The reason for the chill was mostly due to the wind - it was quite unlike anything I've encountered before on any hills anywhere - I couldn't hazard a guess at the wind speed but it felt like a hurricane - running directly into it was like trying to break down a door. Yeah, I know I'm being melodramatic but honestly, you should have been there! There wasn't another human being in sight, not even a recent footprint. On days like this the mountains feel like another plane of existence - a separate world. When you get back to the valley, its like waking up from a dream.
PEN ALLT MAWR
I struggled on along the ridge towards the looming hulk of Pen Allt Mawr - the normally boggy path was frozen which should have made the going easier, but the unbelievable easterly wind drove me off the path and onto the unfrequented western side of the ridge. Here I found a little respite from wind chill, but very tough going; contouring over tussock grass takes it out of you. By the time I got to Pen Allt Mawr summit my face was numbed up by the cold - you could have drilled my teeth and given me a new filling or two, I wouldn't have felt a thing - and my hands were suffering despite thermal gloves. I decided to press on - so long as my body temperature didn't fall too severely it was just a matter of running through the discomfort. And boy, was I experiencing discomfort! Even under two thermals and a goretex.
MYNYDD LLYSIAU
The picture shows Mynydd Llysiau (picture left) from a sheltered spot on the wester side of Pen Allt Mawr - I had to take refuge from the wind for a few minutes to get enough feeling in my hands to work the camera. This continuation of the Pen Allt Mawr ridge was reached without much more climbing - again I couldn't make much use of paths because of the windchill, but going was reasonable over the open fellside. The summit is easily missed - you get a rough idea of where the highest point is but there are no real features.The summit does afford a nice view of the two biggest peaks of the range - my next goals - Waun Fach (highest top in the black mountains) and Pen Y Gadair.
WAUN FACH
Waun Fach - picture taken weeks later from the neighbouring mountain Twmpa.
The ridge was impossibly windswept, so I headed down into the valley eastwards - I had to get my head down and charge into the teeth of the gale but once I'd descended a hundred feet or so the going got easier. A sheltered gully with a lively stream led up towards the summit of Waun Fach so I picked my way up it - a bit of a natural staircase - getting the occasional shoeful of water but glad to be out of the wind. Did I mention the wind was quite strong? Yes I thought I had. By the time I came out of the gully near the summit I was completely drained - if you've ever run a marathon, remember what those last three miles feel like; thats how I was feeling. Strange how the windchill can take so much body energy - the climbing alone hadn't been that arduous but I felt finished. Still, only one more peak to go - the beautiful domed summit of Pen Y Gadair.
PEN Y GADAIR FAWR
I was reduced to a mixture of jogging and walking with a bit of staggering mixed in by now - pride demanded that I at least sprint to the summit but the legs weren't having it so I lurched from one foot to the other until I found myself at the cairn. It was incredibly satisfying to have toughed it out and run up all 5 peaks in the one session - the longest run I've done for several years. The view from the wooded ridge just off the summit of Pen Y Gadair is one of the best around - I took one shot but its a bit hazy - you can just make out Sugar Loaf in the distance.
For descent, I just had to get off the ridge as soon as possible - no looking for a path, I just staggered / ran straight down into the valley and found my way over streams and barbed wire fences onto a forestry track - it was a long haul in low temperatures back to the car at Llanbedr, a total of five hours on my feet by the time I got back. I had the feeling I'd bitten off a bit more than I could chew with this run - but I chewed it anyway. You know when you've transcended - theres a certain feeling of satisfaction that permeates you after the race or climb or whatever it is - and I had that feeling today. I realised just how wasted I was when I phoned Fran to tell her I was down off the mountain, and found I had real trouble forming sentences. Still, who needs to be intelligible?
POST SCRIPT NOVEMBER 2004 - came back and in some calmer weather ran the horseshoe from Llanbedr in about 3 and a half hours - a bit better than struggling for 5 hours to do one side of it then return through the valley! Much fitter now after completing a marathon and getting some better training mileage under my belt. Mountains as gorgeous as ever, Pen Allt Mawr particularly impressive, especially from the North. Waun Fach hard in the mist - had to follow a compass bearing as all directions look the same from the summit! I found Pen Y Gadair easily enough but without a compass who knows, I could have ended up anywhere :) The descent over Crug Mawr in the evening sun was a joy - the rays of the sunset and the deep emerald green of the slopes - total silence.