5 things I learnt doing the Mourne 7 7’s

A while back I ventured into the Mourne mountains with my compadre Simon to take on the Mourne 7 7’s challenge.

This essentially means climbing the 7 highest peaks in the Mourne Mountain range here in Northern Ireland in one go. All of these peaks are over 700 metres hence the name!

A few years before that we had decided ( I decided and Simon wanted to make sure I didn’t die) to hit the Mourne Mountain Marathon. Based on this we thought we knew what we were getting in for, turns out we didn’t.

The first few mountains went off without a hitch. We were in good spirits and I was well fuelled with the pizza the night before. We picked a good day for it (in the beginning anyway) and made good progress in the first few hours. Things (for me anyway) started to get interesting when we got to the top of Slieve Binnian where I slipped and twisted my knee near the summit. Luckily I was too embarrassed to give up and after a few minutes rest Simon heckled me into moving again.

We made the cut-off with 15 minutes to spare! Time to smash the salt-laden snacks in and rehydrate as best we could. From there we only had 3 mountains to go but it was uphill from Ben Crom reservoir past Doan up to Meelmore and Meelbeg. After that it was the misty mountain-looking Slieve Bearnagh. Like a mountain goat, we scaled the side of it and hit the top!

We had managed all 7 and survived. Unfortunately for us the hike back was at least 90 minutes and after losing my big toe nail on one foot every footstep was interesting to say the least.

After 12 hours we made it back to the car park and swore we’d never do anything like this again. Little does Simon know I have plans …

5 things I learnt through this ordeal adventure:

1. Having someone with a positive attitude beside you is crucial
2. Pack more hydrating liquid than you think you need
3. Salt is your friend
4. waterproof hiking boots are a lifesaver
5. Some routes are only meant for sheep