Ask anyone who knows me, and they will tell you that I am not a very athletic or fit person. But I decided that this year would be my transformation year, and that I would do things that were completely out of my comfort zone, rather than remain where I was. So when a good friend of mine, Rob (The Modern Day Poet) asked me if I wanted to climb a mountain with him, I of course said yes!

So on the 4th of May, we set off to North Wales, to climb Cader Idris, which according to Rob would be easy to climb…

Here I am, at the bottom of the mountain, having just realised that I had forgotten my waterproof jacket… not good seeing as the very top of Cader was shrouded in a misty cloud!

The journey began well enough, though my thigh muscles were burning pretty quickly! Despite the training in the gym, the first quarter of the climb was the toughest. And then, when I saw how far there was to go, my resolve did waver…

But we kept going, taking water and breathing breaks regularly, and soon we were halfway.

The views were spectacular all the way up, and I took hundreds of pictures! By seeing the whole thing as a photography exercise, it made it a lot easier!

At one point, I had a stabbing pain in the top of my thigh, and began to seriously consider turning around, but I just kept telling myself to put one foot in front of the other and keep going.

I wrote this sign before we began the climb, but despite the aching limbs, the freezing wind and the numb fingers, I really did enjoy it! Rob was very good company, and despite probably being able to get up the mountain a lot quicker without me, he was very patient!

And bless him, he even lent me his waterproof jacket, without which, I would have surely have frozen!

To realise that I am capable of climbing a mountain, was incredible. And quite a spiritual experience too. And thanks to Rob, I realised that even when I am in pain, have a long way yet to go, and really feel like giving up, to just keep going, one step at a time, and I will reach my destination!