To Be or Not To Be (A Mountain Leader) That Is The Question!

So where exactly are we... Photo credit Jake Philips.

So there was a plan: to leave teaching, and to eventually lead Christian retreats in the outdoors. I was under no illusions that, given no-one else was doing this for a job, it was not going to be the thing to bring home the bacon – not at first, anyway. I could hope! And besides, new concepts need refining, as did my skill set. I needed to be qualified as a Mountain Leader.

Getting your ML, as it's known in the industry? This is a long term goal. It requires a log of 20 quality mountain days before you can attend 4 days of training: long days navigating on and off paths in the mountains. I was then recommended a further 40 quality mountain days before presenting myself for assessment. There went the bulk of my holidays! Fortunately, my log was almost at 60 days before I went for training in the summer of 2020, so I only needed a few more days to consolidate my navigation skills before booking my assessment. I also practiced rope work – up and down my staircase! Because lockdown required that level of inventive problem solving. May half term, with only five weeks left before I retired from teaching, I headed up to the Lake District ready for my assessment. A five-day examination, the four of us booked on had to demonstrate our navigation and leadership skills, then our steep ground skills, including using ropes, before heading off on the three-day expedition to include night navigation.

I freely admit that on day 1 felt very messy – I was given a leg to locate a point that turned out to be a cave half way up a cliff. I was looking on the ground. Needless to say I didn’t spot the cave. Day 2, steep ground day, my least favourite thing, I nearly melted down. There were reasons. It was long, it was intense and we were about to head out into the hills for three final days. And I was going to be given a second chance to demonstrate I could spot (support) someone on steep ground effectively.

The frazzled look of someone who has finally located a cave halfway up a cliff! Photo credit Jake Philips.

Have you ever had that feeling of gut clenching tension when you just know this thing in front of you has to come off? I had work lined up that depended on my passing this qualification. I had an entire career plan hanging on my success. I wasn’t looking forward to the night navigation because I had concerns that, given my hypermobility, the lack of sleep could leave me more prone to otherwise avoidable injuries. I’d raised my concern with my assessor from Adventure Expertise on the first day and he’d offered a solution: two short lots of night navigation. Everyone was in favour, so that was the new plan. It was better, but I was still nervous.

Wild camp night 1 - a gorgeous evening to be out in the hills. Photo credit - me!

The first day of the expedition was very much like day 1, but better. I was more in the swing of things now. I re-did my spotting and was told my assessor was surprisingly impressed at the improvement from the day before. Steep ground skills – tick. At the end of the day, we set up our wide camp, demonstrated our cooking capabilities and prepared for night navigation. Following people in the day time, you can work out what strategies they are using and work out where you are going. Following people in the dark and trying to keep up, is just that: trying! Each time someone stopped we had to give out best guess as to where we were, and then someone else would lead on. Thank goodness for the moonlight and an identifiable body of water, or I would have been completely disorientated by the time my turn came. As it was, I took a bearing in the direction of my target, gathered my fellow assessees, took one step and landed knee deep in a bog! The second plan I formed was not so direct, but was certainly cleaner.

Night nav before the night fully arrived and before the bog made its presence felt! Photo credit Jake Philips.

I have never been through such an intense assessment – five days is a long time! The first clue we got that things might be going ok was at the end of day 4. Tents pitched for the night we obediently gathered to hear the plan for the evening and were delighted to learn that the fist night’s navigation efforts had been enough. I think each one for was reflecting that if the night navigation was acceptable, then surely the day navigation was going ok… A full night’s sleep, a few final navigation legs and a walk off the fells, including a ten minutes talk about sheep farming that accidentally went on 20 minutes (definitely a teacher - oops, sorry!) and we were down at the Old Dungeon Ghyll carpark to hear out fate.

The smile of someone very glad the end is in sight, even if the result is not yet known. Photo credit Jake Philips.

I have a good set of GCSE results, and excellent clutch of A levels, 3 Grade 8s, a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree, all of which I worked hard for. I have never been more proud of any qualification than I am of passing my Mountain Leader. And never has so much rested upon the acquisition of any qualification. Driving home from the Lakes I could look my future plans squarely in the eye… I’m coming to get you!