Colmcille Climbers

Poisoned Glen. 8th December 2002. Pete Smith.

There's no getting away from the fact that the trip to the Poisoned Glen [Photo], to abseil down the highest point in silly clothes, did not turn out quite as planned. For a start, we didn't have enough silly clothes between us, so we all looked far too sensible [photo], and secondly, 6 people on an 800 foot abseil with darkness due at 4.30pm just does not fit. [Photo]

We turned up at about 11am and parked to the south of the Glen. Bill LeClerc-Gigot, Alan Tees, Margaret Tees [photo] and I arrived in one car. Colleen, Mary and Martin McGuigan arrived with Jessica [photo] in the second car. By the time Bill [photo] had got his flying helmet on, and Mary had donned her fur stole, and Alan had dressed his head in his sable skin hat [Photo], it left just enough time to walk [Photo] to the top of the crag before lunch.

The rest of the story is really between us and our consciences (and, fortunately, not the Donegal Mountain Rescue). Suffice to say that we all got to the pub for a warming sit-down by the fire and a pint, and that we all got home before 2am. I can also reveal that the rumours about the involvement of a plastic survival sack, an orange whistle, a dodgy head torch and a hands-and-knees exit from the mountain are not entirely unfounded. [photo]