November 25, 2003

After a long and tiring flight, I slept for about 16 hrs in the small hotel room in Christchurch and woke feeling fresh and excited. At breakfast,
I sat opposite Clare, waiting for the bus to pick us up and take us on to Mt Cook village. The weather was hot and sunny and I was buzzing with excitement. I couldn't wait to set eyes on the mountain. As soon as I heard the horn beep outside, I went to haul my gear bags on to the bus. We sat near the front and I was glued to the window, afraid I would
miss anything.

I usually don't like bus journeys, but I enjoyed this one. New Zealand countryside is a bit like Ireland, on a much bigger scale. We reached Mt Cook village in a few hours and went for a 3-4 hour walk to Hooker Lake to stretch our legs.

That evening was spent repacking gear for the mountain and relaxing. We were still jet lagged and slept soundly.

The following morning, we were up early to head to the airport. This was a tiny little building a few miles outside the village. We loaded our gear and food for a week on to the 6-seater plane and jumped aboard quickl y as the pilot warned us the winds were picking up. As we took off up the glacier, I gasped in awe. Below us were spectacular valleys, huge mountains and crevassed glaciers almost as big as the Himalayas. I rubbed my paws in glee! Standing out among them was Mt Cook, the summit just covered in cloud - what a beautiful mountain.


Freddy's plane on the glacier

Before we knew it, we were dropping altitude. We landed smoothly on the glacier and waved goodbye as the pilot ferried back a group of unwashed and sunburnt looking climbers! We strapped on our snowshoes (like ducks feet!) as the snow was really soft. We then made sledges out of our boxes of food and tied them to our harnesses to pull them behind us - there was a 30 minute trek to the Plateau hut where
we would be staying.

When we walked in to the hut, I couldn't believe the flurry of activity. There were about 20 people packed into 2 bedrooms, which were on either side of a kitchen area. The bunks were 3 high and there was gear and smelly boots covering the floor. Although it was only mid afternoon, there were people curled up in sleeping bags! I tried not to make any noise when I found out that they had been climbing all through the night. We then went outside to get a better look at the mountains. I recognised the names from the books I had read - Mt Dixon, Mt Tasman, Silberhorn, Mt Cook and Anzac Peaks stretched as far as the eye could see.
We chatted to a couple of fellas who were just coming down off Mt Cook. They were full of enthusiasm although they said it had taken 19 hours!
We then decided to cook up some food and went and set up our stoves etc. We each had a big bowl of pasta with fresh vegetables and some delicious ginger cake. Everyone huddled by the radio at 7pm to hear the weather forecast - our plans for the following days would follow on that.
The message was warbled and short. The weather was going to change for the next couple of days. There were snow and high winds forecasted. I looked at Clare, knowing this didn't sound good. "Cheer up, Freddy" shesaid, "it will give us a chance to acclimatise. We'll take a rest day tomorrow and then make trail up part of the Linda Glacier the following day."

Although disappointed in a way, I knew we had no choice and that a days rest would probably do us good. Everyone was in bed by 9pm! I was glad I had my head torch and read my book under my sleeping bag until 10pm.

I was glad when the rest day had passed. The weather forecast was right and the day was pretty bad. We played cards, chatted to the other climbers and ate for the day! The following day, we got up at 5am, dressed in our warm gear and roped up. We decided to make our way up along the Linda glacier. It was great to be able to climb in a place like this without feeling the effects of altitude. I felt strong and keen. The crevasses were frightening - beautiful formations, but like huge bottomless pits. Unlike Everest, there were no ladder crossings and instead we had to slowly weave our way up around the gaping mouths of the crevasses, all the time testing the ground ahead before moving on to it. I was enjoying every minute of it and kept stopping to take photos!


Crevasses in the Linda Glacier

We made good progress for about 4 hours, then stopped to eat and drink a little. We decided to keep going for another hour or so. The sun was getting very hot and we wanted to save energy for the following morning.
As we returned, I took off my jacket. It was really hot now with the sun reflecting off the snow. My fur was damp and my head was hot and sweaty inside my helmet, but I knew I had to leave that on. Back at the hut, Clare looked at me with a shocked expression. "Were you wearing sunblock, Freddy?" ,she asked, looking concerned. "Of course I was", I replied, just then remembering I had forgotten to put it on my arms and my neck. "You look really burnt" she said. "You have to be more careful." She was ri ght. By tea time, I had blisters on my wrists and my chin and my arms were swollen and painful. I felt sorry for myself and hoped they would be OK for climbing. We cooked a big dinner and went to bed just after the weather forecast at 7pm. Things sounded good and our plan was to rise at midnight for a 1am start.

It always takes me about an hour to get ready to move when we leave in the middle of the night. You can't afford to forget anything and it's important to wear just the right amount of clothes - not too warm or too cold. We began moving in snowshoes and headed off following our trail from the previous day. Ahead we could see a row of 5-6 head torches, I knew this was a group of Slovenian climbers who had left a while before us. It was a beautiful clear, still night, perfect weather for climbing. I plodded happily along, behind Ervin, a Slovakian who was climbing with us and Clare.

Suddenly, instead of the perfect trail, I found myself walking over big hard lumps of ice. This obstruction got worse as we moved along. I thought we had gone off track and called Clare and Ervin. I couldn't believe it when they told me it was avalanche debris. It see med to me that half the mountain must have fallen down in our path! We continued along for 30-40metres before the debris had cleared and we were back to our trail. We stopped to take off our snow shoes, put on our crampons and have a drink.

The colours of the sky above us became more spectacular as we moved upwards. When the sun was just rising, I took this shot of Clare with Mt Tasman in the background.


Sunrise on Mt Tasman

As the ground got steeper, the ice got harder and I had to concentrate more and more on my footing. I was determined to climb all the way myself - not to have to jump on to Clare's pack! All of a sudden, Ervin, who was ahead, stopped. I could see that he was blocked by a huge crevas se. He looked around for a snow bridge to crossing it. I couldn't see anything very stable and was trying to see where the others had gone. Suddenly, I felt the rope pull and turned just in time to see Ervin disappear over the edge of the crevasse! I would have loved to practise my crevasse rescue techniques, but luckily, he landed on a ledge a few feet down the inside of the crevasse and managed to pull himself to safety unharmed.

After that, we all moved with even more caution. This was a serious mountain. After a couple of hours more, we reached the section known as summit rocks. Here, we had to climb using both our ice axes and an ice hammer. I was a bit scared and took a piggy back on that part! By this time, we had caught up with the Slovenian team and as we were all moving in the same direction, we slowed each other down a bit. When we got thr ough this, the climb opened up a bit again, the sun was out and in the distance I could see the others closing in on the summit. This part of the climb was very exposed and I felt frightened at times. I tried not to look down and just followed on, carefully placing my boots in the snow steps. It was about 11.30am when we reached the summit. There wasn't a puff of wind and the day was crystal clear. I yelled "YES, I'VE DONE IT" and pushed my fist through the air. The feeling of being above the clouds and of being above everything in sight is just amazing. We each gave one another a big hug and sat down to have a quick bite to eat before heading back down.


Summit of Mt Cook

To speed things up a bit, the Slovenian team offered to share their abseils points with us on the way down. We moved together, making slow but steady progress. At one stage, one of the others let an ice axe fall. It bounced down along the steep snow/ice and then popped into a crevasse. That was the end of it. I shuddered, thinking "that could be me" and started to concentrate really hard again. It must have taken a couple of hours more before we were off the really steep ground and back onto more familiar territory. Clare warned me again to be careful and to keep a tight rope. I was glad when we stopped for a drink and I could loosen my clothes. I was really hot now, but I was afraid to take off my long sleeved top because my blisters were throbbing.

It was 6.30pm before we reached the Plateau hut. Although we had
been climbing 18 hours, I didn't feel too bad, hungry and thirsty more than anything. Once again the hut was full of new faces. So full that
there wasn't enough beds for everyone and some people slept on the benches and tables! - I was so glad I had my bunk bed.

We took a rest day the following day and decided we would go for a shorter climb the day we were due to fly out. We were leaving a day
early because the weather was deteriorating again and there were warnings that the planes wouldn't be able to fly in to pick us up. We climbed to the saddle of Anzac peaks from where we could see for
miles. We rushed back to the hut just on time to trudge back across
the glacier to be collected and flown out. The winds were really picking up and the light plane tossed around wildly. I got a final shot of the mountain through the front window of the plane.

That night we celebrated by having a big meal in The Hermitage hotel. What goodies! I went and called Pat to tell him of our success and also called my friends at Cloghroe N/S. I could hear al l the kids cheering in the background and felt really proud of myself!

The following morning we packed up and left the village. We had 3-4
days to r elax before catching the long flight home and I was already looking forward to my next trip!

Freddy
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Nov 6, 2003

Two weekends ago, I was lying in bed trying to get some sleep. I could hear voices downstairs and guessed it must be breakfast time but pulled the duvet over my ears and closed my eyes tightly. I was tired of training and longed for a morning in bed. The weather was miserable and I couldn't face a day on the hills.

I must have fallen back to sleep, because the next time I looked at my watch, it was 11am! I scrambled out of my bed, slid down the stairs and found the place deserted! I checked outside and saw Pat's jeep was gone. My heart sank; I couldn't believe they had left without me. I looked at my new rain jacket and ruck sack in the corner, ready to go. I couldn't understand them and felt upset and annoyed.

I made a cup of tea and got myself a bowl of cornflakes. I hardly knew what to do with no training on for the day.

I settled into the beanbag in the sitting room and started to eat my breakfast. It was then I caught sight of a pile of emails, a book and a note from Clare - 'Freddy, Mt Cook is your next adventure, read this and I'll chat to you later.'

I began to sift through the loose sheets of paper; I could feel my excitement building up as I began to realise what was going on. Everything was already arranged! I was to fly on Nov 22nd from Dublin
to Heathrow, across the Atlantic Ocean to Los Angeles in the USA and from there across the South Pacific to Auckland and Christchurch in
New Zealand!

I became intrigued as I read about Mt Cook, the highest mountain in Australasia. I poured over pictures of the mountain and its surrounding glaciers. I read about the route we would take, the equipment we would need and the difficulties we could expect. YES! I thought to myself and wished the others would return and tell me more.

It was 3pm before I heard the sound of car doors banging outside, I turned on the kettle and met the group at the door. I knew I had a big
grin on my face, and couldn't hide my excitement. 'Is this for real?' I asked as I tightly held the bunch of emails, my voice shaking. 'Sure is, Freddy; are you up for it?' was Clare's reply. 'Definitely' I said, almost bursting with enthusiasm.

That evening we sat up late in to the night talking about what lay ahead. Pat told us more about the route, as he had already been there. I was disappointed he wasn't coming, but he assured us that we would be climbing with a friend of his who would make sure we were okay.
That evening, I rang my friend Mary Curtin to tell her about my next adventure. She was really excited too and promised to pass on the
news to all the children at Cloghroe N/S.

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Aug 17, 2003

Hi kids,
Today was another beautiful sunny day as I puffed and panted,
struggling to fit all my climbing gear into a big duffle bag. It gave me a real thrill sorting all the gear I had used on Everest. This would be my first trip to the Alps and I was really excited at the thought of a week
on the mountains.

In the late afternoon, I met Hannah, Clare and Mick at the airport. Our flight was delayed 3 hrs in Dublin and so we were late arriving in to Geneva; there we hired a people carrier and packed in our bags. We nervously sat in silence as Hannah drove in the dark. Its strange getting used to driving on the right hand side of the road! I had to stop myself from squealing several times, especially going around roundabouts!
We reached the campsite around midnight and fumbled in the dark, trying to find tents, sleeping bags, etc before finally hitting the sack.
I don't remember anything after that; I slept soundly all night.I woke up with the sun beating through the canvas of the tent at about 8.30am,
my throat was dry and I felt hot and sticky. I crawled out of my sleeping bag and looked out - there was Mick walking towards me with fresh croissants, honey and a big carton of orange juice! I hungrily ate and drank my share and then went to wander around the camp site. We
were based about 5 minutes outside Chamonix and had easy access
to all sorts of outdoor activities. We spent the first day rock-climbing
in a really busy spot just outside town. We climbed for about 4 hours
before collapsing in the heat - the temperatures were in the thirties (!)
- a great excuse for eating plenty ice cream! We lazed for the afternoon as the rock had got so hot that it was really uncomfortable to climb.
That evening, Clare asked me if I wanted to go for a cycle - I thought
that was a great idea and we both rented road bikes. Once the temperature had dropped a little, we cycled out the road and up
through one of the passes for a couple of hours. I couldn't believe how good the roads were (no potholes!) and we seemed to make great headway, what a buzz coming back - we free wheeled at speed and
were back at the camp site in 40 minutes. I was delighted to find that Hannah and Mick had cooked up a huge pasta meal for us.
Unfortunately I had to do the wash up, which seemed never ending!
The following morning we had an early start. We got a lift to take us up the lower section of the route and from there took an easy walk to our starting point. We had decided to do a rock ridge route as the snow conditions were pretty poor (due to the extreme heat). It felt good to be moving in the mountains again and I looked around me in awe at the beautiful valley below us. The climbing was pretty ok except for one or two difficult moves which Mick gave me a hand on. We reached the summit at lunchtime and got fantastic views of alpine routes all around us. We headed down by a beautiful glaciated lake and chatted
excitedly about what we would do for the next few days.


Mick, Ken, Clare and Hannah in the Alps

We decided to move up to a higher altitude to try something a bit different. We packed clothes, climbing gear and food before heading to bed. Early the following morning we got the train up the valley and from there began the walk in along the glacier. I felt a surge of excitement
as I strapped on my crampons; it was my first time using these since Everest and it felt good. As I walked, I marveled at the icy beauty of the glacier. I had expected the walk in to take about 2 hours. When we arrived at the bottom of some rock cliffs with ladders bolted on to them,
I thought to myself, 'ah, finally' - how wrong I was! These ladders were just the beginning of the next section and we had another 2 hours of steep uphill climbing from there! Although the ladders were secure, the fall off was hundreds of feet and I hung on tightly, terrified to look
back down!


Ladders leading to hut

By the time we arrived at the hut, the sun was going down and dinner was being served. We quickly went to grab a bunk and then headed downstairs for some well earned food. After dinner we had a chat about our route and decided to get up at 1am for a 2am start. We went to
bed around 10pm - packed like sardines into the tiny dormitory! I lay squeezed between 2 bodies and was woken by a poke or a kick each time either shifted. I felt tired, anxious and cranky. People started
getting up from 11pm and that put an end to any zzzs I might have got. There was continuous rustling, whispering and flashes of head torches.
I decided to get up rather than lying there in frustration and went and
sat in the dining area. I ate the stale bread and drank the thick coffee unenthusiastically. Soon the others arrived down and before long we
were organized and ready to get moving.

In the dark, we walked one behind the other along a rocky surface until we arrived at the snow line. We put on our crampons and continued on for another hour or so. We finally reached a rock ridge; the bottom of
our route. As the sun rose, I began to enjoy the climb. We made slow but steady progress; there were some difficult moves so I tucked
myself in between Mick and Clare. At the top of one of the more
difficult pitches, Mick secured himself to a rock. Clare came up behind him. Just as she came over the top, she was suddenly spun around
and pulled backwards cracking her head off a rock. I felt myself go cold with fright as I watched. I heard Hannah scream loudly below us but couldn't see her. Clare stood up a little shakily and rubbed her head. Mick grabbed her rope to secure her. Below us, Hannah shouted up
that she was hanging upside-down! After some struggle, she made herself safe and reassured us that she had no serious injuries. She
had been making a difficult move just as Clare reached the top; when
the rope became slack she slipped - the rope pulled Clare off balance and this created more slack causing her to have a worse fall.
Everyone became quiet after that. We just wanted to get on with it as safely as possible. Luckily that was by far the most difficult pitch and after another couple of hours, the end was in sight; we could see a couple of climbers ahead of us in the distance. We got this cool shot
of Mick just as we finished and tucked in to a tasty French lunch.


Mick, Clare, Hannah and friends in the Alps

It was late afternoon before we returned to the hut. It had been a long
day and the lack of sleep had made it all the more difficult. We relaxed
in the evening sunshine for a couple of hours, taking in the spectacular views and drinking lots of soft drinks. I ate very little dinner and went straight to bed. We had the pleasure of sleeping in the 'lie in' dorm on
the second night so had none of the disturbances of the previous night.
I heard nothing from when I put my head on the pillow until 8am the following morning.

I seem to pack bags constantly these days! I gave a final look over the room before following the others out. We left happily, proud of our achievement and made our way towards the glacier. We came on the rock ladders quicker than I had wished and I carefully clipped on, realizing how far down a fall would take me! We climbed down and
down and down. The trek back along the glacier was easy this time
and the heat from the sun was a pleasure. Before long, we could see
the final ladders and all the tourists. We tore up these, each of us
dying to treat ourselves to an ice cream cone and a drink! We caught
the next train down and were back to our campsite before we knew it.
It was a pleasure to have a hot shower and put on fresh clothes. We relaxed for a few hours before heading out for a celebratory meal.
Although the week had flown, I had had a great time - 5 days of great climbing, plenty of crack and good food. I began to think of what I
would do next - its grreeaat having a constant buzz!

Freddy

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August 3, 2003

Hi kids,
Well while you've all been enjoying your summer holidays, with plenty time to play late into the evenings and no homework to interrupt (!), I've been busy making plans for my next trip away...As you all remember, I was part of the really exciting Irish Everest Expedition earlier this year. My team mates were Pat, George, Hannah, Mick, Ger and Clare. Mick and Ger succeeded in reaching the summit. I turned with Pat when he ran into problems with his oxygen just below the summit.

When I got home, I had lots of hectic days; I was honoured to meet the president at the Áras in Dublin.

This photo shows me with my favourite school teacher, Mary Curtin, her children, Rebecca and Ian, Clare and of course the President.

I attended a Civic Reception in our honour at the city hall in Cork, but was busy enjoying the food when this photo was taken! It shows the
Lord Mayor of Cork with his partner and the team.



I was also guest of honour at the Teddy bear's picnic in Killarney!
As the hype was beginning to die down and I was trying to get back to normality, I began to wonder 'what next?' One evening, as it came close to my bedtime, I got a call from Pat. We chatted for a while then his voicechanged and in a serious tone, said to me 'Freddy, I want you to have a think about going back to Everest next year. I have already spoken to Hannah, Clare and George. I want to start organizing and training in the next few weeks.'

I remained silent on the other end of the phone. Although it had been a tough trip, my heart leapt with excitement at the thought of getting another opportunity to climb M t Everest. I told Pat I would call him by
the end of the week.

I went to bed, but couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned thinking about
what lay ahead. I knew there was only one answer for me....I was going to go back; no doubt in my mind and the thought of being able to go back with Pat as leader and as part of an Irish team made me certain.
I was back on the phone to Pat the following morning. 'Count me in'
I said, hardly able to control the excitement in my voice. 'I'm delighted, Freddy, I know you can do it' was Pat's reply. YES! I thought as I
started my day.

My gear arrived from Nepal last week, having taken 6 weeks to get back to Ireland. What filth! I had nearly forgotten quite how dusty and dirty everything had got while we were away. It took me days to wash, dry
and tidy away everything.

The first couple of weeks after our return, I knew I needed a chance to recover. My body felt tired and run down and I had lost weight. However, after a few weeks rest, I was dying to get back on the mountains.
I was delighted when Pat called me during the week to see if I wanted
to do some training on Howling Ridge. This is one of the mountaineering routes in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks range in Kerry. We arranged to meet at 8.30am Monday.

I carefully packed all my gear the night before - helmet, harness, rope, boots and climbing rack. I counted down the hours as I lay in bed, restless with excitement. My alarm went off at 06.45hrs. I jumped out
of bed, gulped down my breakfast and went to sit by the window,
waiting to hear the familiar sound of Clare's car as she pulled in to the drive. As we drove towards Kerry, we chatted about going back to Everest. Clare is really keen to return too. Both of us know that there
will be a lot of training again this year, but she loves that. And so do I!
As we arrived at Lisleibane, I could see Pat's jeep up ahead. It was 8.30am. We were the first of the climbers to arrive and the sun was already shining brightly. It was a spectacular morning to be out on the hills - there was no where else I'd have preferred to be.


The MacGillycuddy Reeks in County Kerry

I heaved my ruck sack on to my back and stood waiting as Clare and Pat checked their gear. We walked in along the track, and then cut up towards the base of our route. I was dying to get started. When Pat told me I could lead the route, I gleamed with joy. I felt a little nervous, but had been up a couple of times before which helped. I was trying to be really careful, which slowed us down, but nobody seemed to mind.
By 1pm, we had most of the tricky bits done and sat in the warm sunshine to ea t our well earned sandwiches. We could see the lakes
far below and I felt really proud as I looked down where we had climbed.
I took this photo from where we were sitting. (Insert photo) After lunch, we gathered everything together and packed it back in our rucksacks before walking to the cross at the summit of Corrán Tuathail. This is the highest mountain in Ireland, at 1039m.

As the weather was so good, we decided to continue on and scramble over the Binn Cearach ridge to the summit of Binn Cearach and from there on to Knockbrinnea and back down to Lisleibane.

What a day! 8 hours of brilliant climbing in one of my most favorite
parts of the world. We treated ourselves to an ice-cream before saying our goodbyes to Pat. I headed back to Cork with Clare. I have started cycling in the mornings and running in the evenings to keep fit during
the week. My next training session will be in the Mourne Mountains,
and then I'm heading to the French Alps for a week. What a life!

See you soon,
Freddy.