Mary-Liz is on top of the world
July 2004
IT may be a big step from calmly strolling along the Wicklow hills to climbing the highest mountain in Western Europe, but Manor Kilbride’s Mary-Liz Trant managed to take the transition in her stride.
On Saturday the all out action girl climbed to the summit of Mont Blanc in the French Alps, a rigorous journey that took over seven hours to complete.
It may be a big step from calmly strolling along the Wicklow hills to climbing the highest mountain in Western Europe, but Manor Kilbride’s Mary-Liz Trant managed to take the transition in her stride.
On Saturday the all out action girl climbed to the summit of Mont Blanc in the French Alps, a rigorous journey that took over seven hours to complete. After setting of from her base at Tete-Rousse in the famous skiing resort of Chamonix at 2.30 a.m., Mary-Liz finally reached her destination at around 9.30 a.m.
‘It was the most amazing feeling of my life standing at over 4,800 metres in temperatures of about minus 20C looking across France, Italy and Switzerland,’ says an excited Mary-Liz.
Accompanying her on the climb was trusty guide Robbie Fenlon, who also happened to be a member of the Irish Everest expedition in 1993. Despite the early time of their departure, the intrepid adventurer didn’t find the darkness a major worry.
‘With the snow and ice all around us visibility wasn’t really a problem. By 7 o’clock, dawn was breaking and although we were walking on ridges narrower than a kitchen table with death a few feet on either side of us, I was in safe hands with Robbie. He was fantastic and I never felt in any danger. At 9.30 a.m. we reached the summit and it was worth every penny,’ she promises.
She also knew exactly what to do once the pinnacle had been reached a quick text message to her parents Anton and Kathy to tell them she made it.
The idea to take on the potentially hazardous trek took root last June, after the avid hill climber received her Mountain Leadership qualification from the Mountaineering Council of Ireland.
‘I decided to give it a shot and since then I put in the miles and the hours around the beautiful mountains of Wicklow in preparation, sometimes for as long as seven or eight hours at a time.’
Now that she is back down to earth, Mary-Liz will head back to the Higher Education Authority, where she is head of the national office for equity of access to higher education.
The national office is soon to issue the first national plan for improving access to higher education aimed at groups that are currently under-represented in third level colleges. A daunting task but Mary-Liz has already proved she clearly relishes a challenge.