The Test Before Iceland

A story about failure, mountains, and a five-month countdown

“If I can climb Snowdon every day for a week, I can survive Iceland.” - Simon Clark

The Challenge

The week before Christmas, I set myself a challenge.

Five months from now, I was going to Iceland to cross the highlands on foot.
I knew how unforgiving it would be.
I also knew I had no idea if I was strong enough to survive it.

So I came up with a plan.

I had read every guide I could find. The hardest day on the Laugavegur trail, I thought, was about the same as climbing Mount Snowdon.

So I told myself:

“If I can climb Snowdon every day for a week, I can survive Iceland.”

That was the plan.

The Night Drive Into Snowdonia

At two o’clock in the morning, I left the little cottage I’d rented and drove through the sleeping valleys of Snowdonia.

At three, I stood in the car park at the foot of the mountain, headtorch cutting a narrow tunnel of light into the darkness.

The mountain was silent.
Not a breath of wind.
Not a sound.
Just me and the stars.

The Climb

I started to climb.

I knew I’d be slow. Pen-y-Fan had already taught me that.

But if I started early enough, I thought, I’d be back down by lunchtime.
Plenty of time for the mountain rescue if the worst should happen!

Spoiler: It did not go to plan.

By the time I reached the summit, the day was half gone.
Every step had been a battle.

The descent was worse.

• My legs shook uncontrollably

• My breath came in ragged bursts

• The trail felt twice as long going down

And when I finally stumbled back to the car, the sky was already dark again.

The Collapse

I drove back to the cottage, collapsed into bed, and slept like the dead.

The next morning I tried to stand up to do it all again.
My legs buckled.
I crashed to the floor.

For three days, I couldn’t walk.
For three days I crawled across the floor of that cottage because my legs wouldn’t hold me.

One climb. One. And it had finished me.

So much for climbing Snowdon every day.

The Real Lesson

But that week gave me something else.
A clock ticking in my head.
Five months.

Five months to:

• rebuild a body that had once been shattered

• strengthen a mind that refused to stop trying

• turn myself into someone who could survive the highlands of Iceland

That’s all I had to turn myself into someone who could survive the highlands of Iceland.

“Five months. That’s all I had.”
“And strangely, that was enough.”

The Takeaway

Snowdon didn’t break me.
It warned me.

It showed me exactly how far I had to go — and how much further I could push.

It didn’t give me confidence.
It gave me urgency.

It didn’t give me strength.
It gave me a deadline.

The “Crawl Forward” Exercise

Tonight, before bed, do this:

Get down on the floor.
Place your hands on the ground.
Shift your weight forward one inch.
Just one.

Feel how strange it is.
Feel how humbling it is.
Feel how powerful it is.

Then stand up.

Remember this:
Forward is still forward, even when you’re crawling.

That moment will stay with you longer than any written reflection ever could.