Day 1
Beginning my adventure to climb the Mystical Mountain known as Penshaw Monument. I hiked through the fields and made it to a vast lake, surrounded by Willow trees and reeds. A beautiful site, so luscious and green, with many birds calling this place home.
Problem no. 1: Finding a way across. The lake was so vast I knew it would take too long to walk around, and I am unable to swim so that was also out of the question. After a few hours of searching and thinking about how to overcome this, I found a boat to take me across the vast lake. Luckily I was the only one who needed to use it.
Day 2
The hunger was setting in from all of the long hours hiking through the countryside, so I stopped to try some of the local delicacies at a very popular restaurant. Strangely there were no tables, but the locals didn’t seem to mind and happily invited me to join them.
Day 3
After a sleepy start, I left my comfortable B&B to continue on my journey.
Encountering a few problems when I accidentally took a wrong turn and ended up in a wooded area which was guarded by some giant cows. Unfortunately neither of us could understand the other due to a huge language barrier. So I decided to retrace my steps and eventually found the right path.
Day 4
“Life’s better when you stop to smell (and eat) the flowers” sums up my afternoon perfectly. I love getting lost in flowery meadows on a sunny afternoon. After the stressful day I had yesterday, I decided to treat myself to an easy morning and enjoy my surroundings in the glorious weather.
After my easy morning, I decided to continue on my journey and complete the hardest part. I had to scale a cliff to reach the next path on my journey to the summit of Penshaw Monument. This was the toughest climb I have ever done (even harder than scaling the kitchen counter to get in the fridge), but this shortcut allowed me to reach the final part of my journey quicker.
Day 5
A quick pit stop to rest my achy legs then continuing up hill to my destination.
Finally, I glimpsed the first view of the summit of Penshaw Monument. I decided to make camp next to the welcome sign so I could begin the final leg of my journey easily the next day.
Day 6
Hills are very hard to climb, especially in the warm weather. So, I kept stopping to rest. There’s something about looking back after climbing a hill and being able to say “I climbed that”. It’s a great feeling and I found it helped me feel more confident and positive when I was getting tired and beginning to struggle.
The final big hill on my journey. Then …
I MADE IT!!!
And, the best part is, I got to ride a shiny, red tractor all the way home.
It’s amazing how many people say you can’t do certain things. I like to prove them wrong. It may have taken me 6 days to walk up Penshaw Monument, instead of the hour it would take a fit human. However, I persevered and achieved my goal. As small as it may seem, there were times when I wanted to give up, but giving in would be letting those who don’t believe in me win. It’s another tick off my bucket list. Best part it, I know I can climb mountains and look forward to climbing many more in the future.
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Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled. – Robert Frost
Rex the Veganosaurus 