Mount Snowdon - Up into the heavens

I woke up in my small red tent on a camp site in the town of Caernarfon, the September morning was freezing,

all I wanted to do was curl up in my sleeping bag but I couldn't, I was going to see the highest mountain in Wales at 1085m, also known as the second highest mountin on the Isle of Great Britain falling second place to Ben Nevis in Scotland which stands at a staggaring 1344m.

I opened a packet of Welsh cakes that I bought the night before for my breakfast, I went to walk to the washroom which was on the other side of the campsite, the grass was wet from the morning dew and the leaves were dripping with water from last night's rain, the sun glew a blinding orange which made you feel warm on the inside even though it was cold on the outside, I went to go for a shower but couldn't, it took forever for the shower to provide warm water, so I settled for a quick wash over a sink, most probably not the most hygenic but what else can you do in situations such as this one.

To get to the mountain I was heading to the village of Llanberis, here holds a small train that takes you up the side of the mountain to the summit, I would of trekked but I was running out of time as I had to be in Holyhead that evening before all the buses stop by 6pm. The bus finally arrives after a ten minute wait at a bus stop a little further down the road, as the bus was driving through the North Wales countryside mountains would appear on both sides, the scenery brought a magical feel to the place, the vast mountains that spread for miles really made you feel small as they towered over you like rocky giants.

Llanberis is very small, the main attraction for this village is Mt. Snowdon and the train that takes you up, the surrounding area was still very mountainous with a large blue lake nesled neatly amongst them all; I

headed for the station, the train wasn't for another half an hour, I paid for my return ticket as I didn't fancy being stuck up there forever; what I love about mountain tops is the fact that the climate can change within seconds, one point you could be looking over beautiful views with the blue sky above and then the next you could be amongst a cloud with next to no visibility or in some cases being stuck in a snow blizzard, but luckily for me it was still a little early in the year for snow topped mountains in Wales.

The train arrived, I sat in my carriage shared with an Australian family from New South Wales, the train had a very old fashioned look, to power the train they used diesel, the journey itself was very slow but not boring as it gave you enough time to truly indulge yourself in the true beauty of this country; as we slowly chugged up the mountain we passed a small

waterfall amongst a forest which was splendid to admire but it didn't take long to escape the trees until you find yourself in the complete open, there were sheep grazing on the thin grass along the sides of the mountain, they would skip along the mountain tracks without a care, there is no fence to stop them wondering the mountain which gave them complete freedom, the higher up the mountain you go you would notice large gaps between huge rocks, but you wouldn't like to wonder through these gaps as you would most defiently fall to your death, we were so high that the cars passing on the road below looked like little ants scurrying to their nest; there are many folklors related to Mt. Snowdon which you are told over the tannoy, the folklore mostly includes a giant and lake monsters that grabs hold of swimmers and walkers and takes them down to their watery graves.

The summit of the mountain was cold and grey, a cloud had over taken the summit which meant you couldn't see the sprawling mountain terrain of Snowdonia national park, but I didn't mind, when you are stuck amongst a cloud it gave the mountain a new feel to the place; the one thing that I didn't like about the summit was the fact that it was a tourist trap and I got the feeling that the train had spoilt the true spirit of the mountain, normally when you reached a summit of a mountain you should feel acomplished but here you don't, unless you had made the trek up yourself; Prince Charles visited the Summit to visit the cafe and shop as well as to experience the train but his comment wasn't positive he called the place "the highest slum in the world".

Eventhough the summit is a tourist trap you shouldn't be put off coming here, it is still a magnificent place to experience, the actual summit itself looked like it had stepping stones to get to the top, I climbed the narrow stone clinging to the rugged rock to get a firm grip and to be able to pull myself up, to still say that I have placed my hand on the highest point of my country still puts a smile on my face today, I have always wanted to visit the summit of Snowdon and now I have.

The top of Mt. Snowdon has been a long dream for me to accomplish in my life, but I still feel like there is something missing inside, even though I got to the top I still didn't feel complete, so I have decided that on my next trip to Snowdon I will take the dirt path that clings to the edges of the mountain and complete it on foot and only then can I say I truly conquered the great mountain of my country.