Aran Mountains, 13-15 May 2011

As usual, this trip was a small and lively trip, mainly composed of those who have no exams, or have their priorities right!

Participants

Joe Hobbs, Andrew Williamson, Jo Smith, Tom Ashton, Paul Cook, Mark Jackson, Dave Farrow, Ian Kitley, Mohammad Dmour, Kirsty Brown, Jildou Sterkenburgh, Stella Lin, Eleni Charalampous, Simon Taylor, Mohammad Razai, Christian Scheppach, Larissa Moore, Andrena Ball

Sheep Impressions done on this trip (JS)

• Sheep
• Drunk Sheep
• Angry Sheep
• Suicidal Sheep
• Suicide Sheep (apparently different)
• Kamikaze Sheep
• Pathetic Sheep
• Rubbish Pathetic Sheep

Things I forgot/didn't bring on this trip (JH)

• Fleece & soft shell - on hooks in Cambridge
• Trousers (nearly) - found in bottom of rucksack
• Hat, gloves & warm clothing in general - thought it would be warm & summery
• Ketchup (for burgers)
• Boots - thought it would be dry
• Good sleeping bag - thought it would be warm
• Unmouldy tomatoes & onions
• Brain - last seen in Large Examination Hall, if found, I'd like it back!

The A-Z of Dave, Jo, Joe, Andrena & Kirsty's Saturday (JH)

• A is for Arete, Cyfrwy
• B is for Belaying, which Kirsty did, and Andrena did not
• C is for Cams, which Kirsty christened Colin, Clive and Cameron
• D is for Dave's Memory - all we had as he forgot the scrambling guide
• E is for Efficient, which surprisingly is what we were
• F is for Fleece, which Joe forgot (see above)
• G is for Guidebook (lack of)
• H is for Hotwiring, which didn't quite happen to the minibus
• I is for Incompetent Removal of Nuts - Andrena was guilty of this mainly
• J is for Jo(e)s, who were making barking noises
• K is for Kirsty, who was child-knotted into the middle of the rope and liked it
• L is for Laughter, at Jo getting stuck 1 foot off the ground
• M is for Moving Together, while the group behind continued pitching
• N is for Nuts, and associated innuendo
• O is for Opting Out, of a long walk after getting to the top
• P is for Punctuality, much to the (dis)pleasure of Paul
• Q is for Quite Cold, which it was, particularly for the trouserless
• R is for Rain. Which turned to hail. A lot of hail. Which was painful. Particularly for the trouserless
• S is for Scrislope (Andrena's spelling), which was the scariest part of the day
• T is for Trousers - some of us did without
• U is for Unusually Uneventful
• V is for Voluminous - everyone's rucksacks except Andrena's
• W is for Wind, especially while standing on the trig point
• X is for Xylophone - there were no accidents so no X-rays here!
• Y is for Yelling, climbing calls over the wind
• Z is for Zero Fatalities - Mark seemed very surprised!

Magic Jenga (AB)

An observer, upon approaching the Bryn Hafod bunkhouse on the evening of Friday 13th May, might have been surprised at the spectacle enacted before him. Around the perimeter of a cosy sitting room were gathered a curious collection of individuals, exhibiting no particular pattern in age, sex or sobriety, but all possessed of a certain ruggedness of apparel which marked them as members of some brotherhood. The attention of all these disparate individuals was fixed upon two of the brethren engaged in a strange ritual in the centre of the room. A tower of blocks had been constructed, and the two individuals were gleefully engaged in simultaneously removing the bottom layer. When this removal was perfectly timed, the rest of the tower did not topple, as one might expect, but rather settled into an increasingly skewed but still vertical state. This performance drew admiring whoops and applause from the gathered throng which in turn spurred the protagonists on the greater heights. What to make of this curious behaviour, and whether a rational explanation can be supplied, we leave to the reader.

Notable Quotes

• Simon T: Downhill did my knees, uphill did my everything else; my nose is fine though.
• Kirsty: Has Mark got one of my men?
• Dave (to Jo): You've got hold of my sword - you can't do that!
• Mark: When I say worst in the world, I mean quite bad in England.

"Blessed are the trouserless, for they shall inherit the earth"
Gospel of Mark, 5:5

Photos

• Andrew Williamson
• Jo Smith
• Andrena Ball
• Mark Jackson

From 24 & 25. CUHWC Aran Mountains Trip

From 24 & 25. CUHWC Aran Mountains Trip