Real Life Stories

ukBaker Hughes IT Team

Eight members of the Baker Hughes IT team completed the UK Three Peaks Challenge over an August weekend and raised over £5,000!

Having all worked with the Baker Hughes business in the Africa region for a number of years they had personal experience of the devastation malaria can cause. The challenge involves climbing the three highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon) within a 24 hour period including travel time in-between each peak. This means approximately 14 hours to climb 3407 metres in total given it takes about 10 hours to travel between the peaks themselves.

The team met up in Fort William and started at the foot of Ben Nevis at 2.40 pm. Battling wind and rain, but with the benefit of fresh legs and high spirits they made quite good time to the summit pausing only for a group photo at the summit cairn. They were down again in five hours and racing straight on to the Lake District and the foot of Scafell Pike, arrived at just after 1am.

All eight team members felt extremely proud of what had been accomplished

The initial climbing was not too difficult so spirits were still remaining high although aches and pains were starting to appear and the level of chatter subsided as they got higher. Navigation up to the summit cairn was very difficult and there was a real sense of achievement when they made it. The team were treated to spectacular views on their descent which spurred them on to the bottom in six hours.

As they drove to the final peak people were checking out the state of legs, feet and energy levels, with bandages and elastic supports being applied. It was fully light when the team arrived at Snowdon and they set off with a clear day at 11.45am with just under three hours of the 24 hours left. By now for everyone it was very much a struggle with themselves to push on within their own limits to the summit of Snowdon and back down again to the mini bus.

All eight team members felt extremely proud of what had been accomplished both individually and as a team during the challenge and also with the money raised from the sponsorship efforts.

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