How will we start our day and what routes are we taking to hike up Snowdon
Our hike up Snowdon will take place on February 19th, 2022 after our 4-day journey from Portsmouth. We will be leaving our accommodation at 7:30 AM at sunrise to make the most use of the sunlight for the day but not proceeding too early so we can get good footage of the hike. We want to take a route up Snowdon that is neither too easy nor too dangerous. For this reason we have decided to take the Watkins path to reach the summit and then the miners track to return back down the mountain. The entire hike should take us between 7 and 9 hours. Sunset is at 17:30 so we will aim to be back down by 17:00 latest to ensure we don't risk limited visibility and being trapped up the mountain in the dark.
How will we start our day and what routes are we taking to hike up Snowdon
Our hike up Snowdon will take place on February 19th, 2022 after our 4-day journey from Portsmouth. We will be leaving our accommodation at 7:30 AM at sunrise to make the most use of the sunlight for the day but not proceeding too early so we can get good footage of the hike. We want to take a route up Snowdon that is neither too easy nor too dangerous. For this reason we have decided to take the Watkins path to reach the summit and then the miners track to return back down the mountain. The entire hike should take us between 7 and 9 hours. Sunset is at 17:30 so we will aim to be back down by 17:00 latest to ensure we don't risk limited visibility and being trapped up the mountain in the dark.
Why are we doing it?
Hello, my name is Kyle Gray and I’m a 32 years old chef. I have been thinking for a while now that I want to do something to make a difference so I thought what am I passionate about? So I decided to focus on mental health as we all suffer from it in some way. The thought of people not being able to speak out because they are worried about being judged or laughed at is very worrying to me. So I got hold of my good friend Ashley Gorin whom I know is also very passionate about this topic, so we did our research and found CALM; we both decided to do as much for this charity as possible so we thought what can we do that’s different? So we have decided to ride from Portsmouth to Snowdonia national park, Wales. We thought as we are there for an extra challenge we should climb Snowdon Massif.
People are asking why do we want to do all that? It’s simple, I’ve read so many stories of people taking their own lives needlessly. As a man who has been to the point of not wanting to be here anymore, as if my life was going nowhere, reliving the same routine and feeling like I can't talk to anyone, as I'm looked at to be the strong one I hid my anger, my pain, my thoughts behind the laughter. Just making people laugh took the focus off of me it’s so easy to put a smile on and act okay but deep down my thoughts were getting worse, luckily I found my wife Courtney who has stood by me, helped me get through the hard times, and trust me it’s been a very long process but I’m taking each day as it comes and with that in mind I want to get as many people the help they need.
We are two people trying to make a difference but we won't stop. The money we raise will help train people to support those who are in serious need and those who just need to talk. Sometimes that's all someone needs is a listening ear, I for one would rather hear your problems than hear your eulogy. We need to speak up and not be ashamed of needing help we are only human this isn't easy to write as its hard admitting I struggled but I’m glad I did, that’s the first step to moving forward so please follow our journey I can’t wait to show you all how we do.
Thank you