Concert

The final event of my Climb Every Mountain year was a fund raising concert at Weston Rugby Club.

Thanks to the Ketones and Think It Was June for a brilliant night.

Thanks also to Nic for doing the raffle and to Rob for doing the food.

A total of £650 was raised.

This takes the grand total for my Climb Every Mountain fund raising to over £3000 (including gift aid)

Bristol Half Marathon 2012

On our last joint run for the year, Tom and I both completed the Bristol Half Marathon.

I achieved a time of 2 hrs 16 mins - Tom recorded an impressive personal best of 1 hr 35 mins.

Cardiff 10K - 09.09.12

Completed the Cardiff 10K on the last day of the Olympic Summer 2012 - In fantastic sunshine with little or no breeze for most of the course.

Time 57.13 - Not as fast as I would have liked, but given the conditions still not too bad a time

Summer News Update - Future Hope

A full series of news items are on the main website

http://www.futurehope.net/

This is a link to the article about the children's summer holiday programme

http://www.futurehope.net/Trip-to-Aibheel-Tea-Garden.html

This is a link to the last annual newsletter

http://www.futurehope.net/documents/FUTUREHOPEANNUALNEWLETTER2011.pdf

Peaks of the High Atlas

Pictures from my recent trip to the Atlas Mountains



Atlas Mountains Expedition - July 2012

The Atlas Mountains  extend about 2,500 km through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert.

I visited the region with my 16 year old son, Tom (who has just finished GCSE Exams). During the week we were in the mountains we climbed -:

Toubkal  at  4,167 metres (13,671 ft), is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains (and in North Africa).

Ighil Mgoun, at 4,071 metres (13,356 ft) is the fourth highest peak of the Atlas Mountains.   Ighil Mgoun is the highest point of the Mgoun massif, the second highest massif in North Africa after the Toubkal  region.



Berbers

The population of the Atlas Mountains are predominantly Berbers, (the main indigenous ethnic tribal group of North Africa west of the Nile Valley).

Morocco Photos (2)

More photos from the Aït Bouguemez - Taken in the local Koranic School and also on the high pastures at about 2500m (where the nomadic families graze their flocks in the summer).







Morocco Photos

I have just spent ten days in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco - Climbing more mountains (pictures of those will follow).

These pictures are of the fantastic Aït Bouguemez region (one of the ares of the Atlas mountains that remains very traditional)



North Wales - Climb Every Mountain

Over the past five days I have completed the challenge of climbing every mountain in North wales over 2500 ft. (The list being based upon the UK 3000 ft Peaks list and Corbett's List of Peaks 2500-3000 ft).

The mountains climbed (by area) were :

Cader Idris (893m)

Arenig Fawr (854m)
Glasgym (780m)

Aran Fawddwy (905m)

Moel Siabod (872m)
Moel Hebog (782m)
Moelwyn Mawr (770m)

Y Lliwedd (898m)
Snowdon (1085m)
Carnedd Ugain (1065m)
Crib Goch (923m)

Y Garn (947m)
Glyder Fawr (999m)
Glyder Fach (994m)
Tryfan (915m)

Pen y Ole Wen (978m)
Carnedd Llewelyn (1064m)
Carnedd Dafydd (1044m)
Carnedd Uchaf (926m)
Elidir Fawr (924m)
Foel Fras (842m)
Foel Grach (976m)
Yr Elen (962m)
Pen Lithrig y Wrach (799m)

Cadair Berwyn (830m)

The weather was great for the first three days - but then turned nasty so that the last groups of peaks were done in thick mist, driving rain and with winds up to Gale Force 8 (The photos below do not give a full ballance of the meteorological conditions !)

Taking the Northern and the Southern Mountains together, I have now climbed all 31 Peaks over 2500ft in Wales ...

31 Peaks
11 Different mountain ranges
125 Miles (approximately) of walking
20,000 ft of ascent (approximately ) ...About the same as climbing Mount Everest from Base Camp (twice !)

Photos from North Wales