1001 - Ventures - Snow Hike 2010
Carryduff Ventures brave the Arctic weather conditions Jan 2010
On the weekend of 22nd January, twelve brave and intrepid Carryduff ventures set forth to conquer the WEST/EAST passage between Trassey and the coast at Bloody Bridge. This difficult route had been the graveyard of many a courageous explorer before and only a few hardy souls had achieved the impossible task of traversing the passageway in Winter.
Still, undaunted by the challenge ahead, the group lead by Gary “The Tank” Davidson and Eamonn “The Lion” McKnight, stepped into the unknown with their brave, and fearless band of explorers. Jonesey was there too.
As the hours turned into days and the metres turned into miles, the team battled on; facing everything that Mother Nature could throw at them. The blizzard conditions causing total whiteout, played havoc with Conall and Adam’s hair. However as a testament to Debhanams half price Urban Decay, Courtney’s make-up remained as fresh as when she put it on that Saturday morning.
Over crevasses as deep as the empty chasm between Nathan’s ears, the valiant team battled on. Over mountains and valleys they walked in single file, sheltering each other from the biting snow. Niamh at one point seemed desolate, totally exhausted and without a hope. She suggested the others go on, and leave her to die on the mountain, but then……. she suddenly found a new lease of life as lads from the other venture group came into view. It was there that we witnessed true heroic spirit as she unselfishly embraced Seb to breathe life into his almost lifeless body. What heroism she showed!
As the team rounded Donard, they started the most dangerous part of the journey, the descent into Bloodybridge. The snow by this time was so heavy that visibility was non existent. However, the incessant chattering between Kathryn at the front, Anna in the middle and Maeve at the back was just the incentive everyone needed to keep on track to reach the finish line. Nobody could stand listening to that tripe for much longer.
Finally, they reached the coast, battle weary but alive. However, the journey wasn’t without casualties. The elements had taken its toll on the brains of O’Reilly, Nathan and Jordan. It appeared the damaged had caused them to talk in FamilyGuyian with nothing coming out of their mouths but references to some popular cartoon, and finally we saw the worst case of stray-hair-syndrome ever witnessed when Ruby took off her hat. It’s likely there will never be a full recovery for O’Reilly, Nathan and Jordan, except perhaps with a new series of South Park. However, a trip to Keith Kane should put Ruby back on the road to recovery.
And finally, thanks to International Rescue AKA Pat “Bear Grylls” Polin who, when the shout went out, without regard to personal safety, single-handedly drove day and night on his white, decrepit snowmobile to provide a rescue sledge which eventually brought us all back to the safety of the Shepherds Lodge.
A Carryduff Venture.