On a cold February weekend, 19 members of Southampton SSAGO (Student Scout and Guide Organisation), went on an intrepid trip to Snowdonia, climbing both the tallest mountain of Snowdon and the finest mountain of Tryfan that Wales has to offer, along with visiting the Welsh Mountain Zoo.
After a long journey up to north wales, we eventually arrived at the centre at 2AM so we quickly went to sleep. On the Saturday morning, we set out to climb the tallest mountain in Wales, Snowdon. The weather was fantastic if not a bit cold and as we ascended the amount of snow on the ground increased and the amount of slipping increased leading to a combined attack with some members using crampons to guide the other members up.
Eventually we got to the top and with a great sense of achievement took the compulsory group photo. This meant it was time for the next challenge; Getting back down.
The compacted snow meant it was a challenge for some members but by using a similar method as on the way up all were kept safe and we returned back to the minibus.
Upon our return with a pre-dinner hot-dog snack we had our main course of Corned Beef Hash, a meal that caused much controversy whenever it’s name was mentioned.
The Sunday was a much more relaxed day except for those crazy enough to do a second mountain day on Tryfan. A good amount of scrambling and a slightly more challenging walk, but a stunning view all the way up thanks to the great weather and a great sense of achievement when reaching the top.
For everyone else a trip to the town of Bangor was in store in order to have lunch with Bangor’s Student Scout and Guide group, BUGS. Having spent a few hours exchanging stories with BUGS we moved onto our next activity, the zoo. The Welsh Mountain Zoo was a small sized zoo filled with exciting animals.
Unfortunately we eventually had to head back home and after another 6 hour drive we returned to Southampton.
A very enjoyable weekend for everyone involved, filled with many great memories and much achievement, with many members pushing their limits and trying something new that they had never done before – that’s what Scouting and Guiding is all about!