So. My story begins on Friday night. Not a nice night at all. Short version, bad argument, finds me driving past the garage (gas station!) instead of pulling in and buying beer at midnight’ish. Which is what I had left the house to do.
So Saturday, sees me not going to work because I’m a little raw and thought to spend time with the lady. We went on a 5 mile walk with the dogs. Nice, quite, but nice
So at the appointed time I drive off to sunny Wales, yes it was sunny for once!!
(sorry @RedDragon)
I drive to the wrong carpark, so turn around only to find I have a flat tyre. Great. Looked in the boot (trunk) only to find spare is flat as well.
Remember, this is the middle of nowhere (sorry Michelle!)
I duly decide to do an ET and phone home. Ha, no signal. Seems the Welsh don’t believe in communication (Michelle 
)
So I decide to walk out of the valley, and since its19.30 nothing is going to happen so perhaps I could do the walk anyway. So up to trig point 642 with all my kit. and get a signal. Signal was great, above 200m.
Sorted, my lovely wife will bring spare wheel over in the morning, after she has picked up youngest from guide camp at 11. So possibly afternoon then?!
Gonna have to serialise this I’m afraid. Bath is getting cold. My poor old, tired, beaten body needed a soak 
(“Garage” meaning drove past the gas station for us this side of the pond?)
I read this as “Wanted to drink, went to great lengths to get right and not drink, things went horribly wrong and still I did not drink and had a fantastic adventure with everything turning up roses.”
This is sober-awesome, @anon12657779. 
I also got confused with the word garage but thanks to eke it makes perfect sense.
Your story sounds amazing and so real! I could see it all in front of me… Great great work @ Geoff and I saw your pic in the morning on the other thread. Really liked it!!!
Well I’m just lost apart from the fact that I think you wanted to drink after an argument but you didn’t . That’s the main thing…now I’m up for a story !
Part 2,
What I forgot to mention in the above part was that, I spent the best part of our walk Saturday morning, debating whether I could buy booze on the way to Wales and drink my way around. No one would know would they?
“Yes, but I would!” I’d say back, and then something else happened, I saw you lot in my mind’s eye looking reprovingly on.
So needless to say, nothing was bought. And said incident with tyre was dealt with in a calm and orderly manner.
Score one for sobriety!!
Everything now sorted off I trot 600m above sea level along the various ridges on the pen y fan horseshoe walk. (Ordnance survey map ol12 for those interested)
Get to the summit around 22.00 and decide the trip down “Jacobs ladder” in the dark would be exactly that, a trip.
So tent pitched, in the dark. Time for a photo. Ah! Where is my phone?
It’s dark, low cloud is rolling over the summit, and I’ve got a flat tyre!!!
Luckily, and in this I say SCORE 2 FOR SOBRIETY!!! I found it on the hard rocky summit surface. So picture took. Lovely night on a hill with sheep, and all their leavings, damp low cloud and a hard, cold uneven surface. Why no sleep mat I hear the knowledgeable cry?!
Because my daughter had it on guide camp!
Is the answer.
Anywho, up at the crack of dawn, though you would never tell with aforementioned low cloud.
Coffee, porridge unpitch tent continue and finish a lovely piece of me time!
Got back to the car, yes it was still there (sorry again Michelle ) and so were the wheels.
The first time I have done this sort of thing, and most definitely not the last.
Of course I still had to walk back up 200m to get a signal, to finalise the rescue but hey, the amount of walking I’ve done this week with London with @Dejavu as well, who cares?!
Thanks for reading people, all I can say is…
SOBRIETY F’ING RULES!!!
On a side note, I’m looking into doing the Fan Dance race, which is a timed Tab, (tactical advance to battle) (look up Royal Marines, Falkland War) with 35lb ruck, they say 25lb for over 50’s, but I don’t want special treatment,
This will be next June as I am nowhere near fit enough for next month! On the same mountain. 
G
Precisely my friend!!! Could have so easily been a totally different weekend. That sort of thing hasn’t happened to me for a while. But I really had to dig deep, to stop myself
Thanks TS. You rock!!!
Wooooow. This is so so so awesome. Very well done. You can be super proud
Thanks sunshine, it was a great weekend and I didn’t get phased at all. Even with the phone, my sober mind was working on ways of dealing with it. There is always a solution,!!
Great adventure and time to yourself but most importantly Geoff thank you for your honesty. I guess I’m naïve and didn’t think at 6 months plus those thoughts would happen. Jesus I’ve such a long way to go ! You did great and it’s one for the memory box . Good and bad 
Definitely yes. I didn’t expect it. The argument really took it out of me. I think because it was the first one where I was sober! Thanks.
Well done! And great pics too 
Well done! I have had those inner dialogs more than I reckon to admit.
Voice: come on, have a drink
Me: but people will know
Voice; No one will know
Me: but I’ll know…
Voice: who cares?
Me: Well… I care!
And by the way, I love hiking! Great pics!
Respect Geoff! You are a real survival 
I tried to camp on my own myself years ago. Couldn’t sleep of the little noises I heard everywere, thinking of all that could happen to me all alone in this tent 
(and I was at a official camping site, I was the only one there but still!) And above that I felt sooooo lonely!
So been there, done that! But not my cookie! 
But I can imagine how good it felt for you and great pictures!!
Im laying in my bed belly laughing !! Mr g u r so funny !!! You totally rocked your night away and did it all soba ! I believe you was being tested and past the test ! So proud of u my friend for not having a drink especially with all that drama … yiu show true strengh x
Thanks Nat. I’m just catching up on the forum, seems I missed a little test for you. Glad you were able to deal with it mindfully. Baby steps?
It’s all part of our growth in recovery and continues to make us stronger! So, positive weekend for us both 
I had a plan for that. Music. I took headphones and a music player. And the fact that I was tired I just dropped off.
Thanks Buts.
Cheers Dan. Yes, the voice is still there. Just been drowned out lately.
I came that close to drinking it actually hurt!
Anywho, onwards and upwards my friend. Back to the states for you today then?
It’s our last day here then back tomorrow.
Last night, when we got back to London, we breathed a sigh of relief, like we were back home, even though we are many thousands of miles feom home. It was nice to get back to somewhere familiar!
Just chilling today?