I married a lady who loves adventure. She has taught me a lot about how to experience exhilaration away from a computer screen. Now, I am not much for lengthy blogs, as you have probably noticed, but our last adventure was so memorable, I thought I would bring you along.
The Clark Fam followed our fearless leader (that is Mindy or Punk’n for those who are new) to the top of Snowdon Mountain. Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales at 3,560 feet (1085m) in the northwest county of Gwynedd. It is the second highest peak in the UK. This is not the heights of experienced hikers and climbers, but for a first timer like myself it was almost too much.
As we embarked I was so excited. I was already thinking of the next peak I wanted us to conquer. The landscape was so green and appealing; I was nearly convinced I had never seen the outdoors before.
The higher we climbed the more breathtaking the views became. At this point you can feel the challenge of the steep terrain, but the surroundings fill you with energy. It makes you feel powerful and I remember thinking of my luck that I married this woman. I never would have thought to do this without her.
A little more than halfway up the mountain we stopped for lunch. We went a little crazy with family photos. I say family, but of course our sweet Madison could not be with us so we hobbled on, one Clark short of a six-pack.
Things got serious after lunch. Our energy was gone (except for Mindy. She is not human). We no longer wanted to conquer anything. We did not like hiking or each other at this point. But we had come this far so we had to make the final ascent to the top. Stefan, by the way, was the first one to touch the peak; and he won’t let us forget it.
Now, you are tempted to think you are done when you reach the top. But this is far from the truth. Actually, the peak is the halfway point. Because now you have to climb all the way back down. This is when you find out who you really are. Halfway down, I remember thinking, I’ve lived a pretty full life. If someone would just shoot me and put me out of my misery that would be a grace. Every part of our bodies were complaining to us with every step (Except for Mindy, she is still excited and cannot stop taking pictures of sheep. I am no longer thankful we married at this point).
We finally made it home. Following an ice cold shower and a few pain killers, I started speaking to Mindy again. Am I glad we did it? I’m still not sure. I may be, when I am able to wear shoes again. What I am certain of is that my definition of fun and adventure has forever changed, and I cannot wait to find out what Punk’n has planned for us next
What an amazing experience together. Thank you for sharing.
You guys would have loved it 😀