We did an 8-mile hike today up Mount Snowdon and down. Chris and I held firm to the plan to do the whole thing. Edwin told us about it back in the planning stages in January, and we had been looking forward to it. It’s why we brought camelbacks, hiking shoes, and even granola bars and dried fruit from Trader Joe’s.
As the day got closer, Edwin started to backpedal a little: you know, the shorter hikes are just as beautiful, we can take the train to the top and/or back down, etc. I started to wonder if this had a been a bait-and-switch situation: lure the parents to Wales with promises of grand hikes and then wear it down to a nub. Too bad. We did the whole thing without the help of a train ride.
We took the Pyg trail up, which is a rocky path mainly like climbing big stairs the whole way up. Sheep dot the jade-green hills, little white dots that become fluff balls as you climb higher. A lone lamb was crying for his family at one point, and we were happy to see that he reunited with them once we rounded a bend and looked down from above.
When we got to the top of the mountain, we could see the towns far in the distance and the peninsula we walked out to yesterday. All of a sudden, the clouds rolled in and shrouded the entire vista. We were literally inside the cloud and could only see our immediate surroundings. We figured now would be a good time to warm up with some coffee and eat our sandwiches.
Once we emerged from the toasty lounge, the clouds parted and once again revealed the valleys and sea below us. Now I think I understand the idea of the Lady of the Lake and the mists of Avalon myth. Some claim these lakes in Snowdonia are where the lady dwelled. If you have magical powers or are accompanied by the lady, you can break through the mists on the lake and enter Avalon. This myth almost becomes believable when the gray that completely envelopes you breaks apart and reveals shimmering blue water surrounded by vibrant green hills and majestic mountain slopes and peaks.
My Corner of the Village 