The following morning was gloomy but dry. During breakfast, the lads decided to spend their day walking in the mountains. Gareth suggested that they might climb Snowdon once again, but by a different route.
“That’s a good idea,” said David. “Why don’t you go to the summit from the Rhyd Ddu path this time and then come down the Pyg track. I’ll meet you at five o’clock at Pen y Pass youth hostel.” David explained they would be approaching the summit from the west and continuing forward, making their descent eastwards to the youth hostel.
“That’s a great idea,” said Gareth enthusiastically. “That would mean we won’t have to retrace our steps and whichever one of us arrives first can wait at the youth hostel.” He turned to Huw. “Pen Y Pass is the highest point of the Llanberis Pass and an easy meeting place.”
The boys made sure they had plenty of warm and waterproof clothing. Huw suddenly realized that he did not have his climbing boots with him. Fortunately, David was able to assist by lending him a pair of his own boots which fit perfectly.
As David departed for work, they busied themselves in making a packed lunch and putting together all the things they would need for the day. When everything was ready and stowed in backpacks, they walked into the centre of Caernarfon to catch the bus for Rhyd Ddu. It was not a very frequent service so they had to wait almost half an hour before the bus came. After what seemed like a never-ending journey, they arrived at the site of the long-closed Rhyd Ddu station and the start of the footpath.
Gareth frowned when he saw that clouds were gathering at the summit but thought they were adequately protected against any weather that Snowdon could throw at them.
As before, it took two and a half hours for them to climb the three and a half miles to the summit. Gareth explained, “The good thing about this route is that it’s really quiet compared to the other routes. We’ll be climbing almost 3,000 feet but the descent on the other side of Snowdon will be a great deal less.”
About 500 feet from the summit, they encountered thick mist and a significant drop in temperature. They carried on but opted not to climb the final 50 feet to the trig point, and they went instead into the cafe for a welcome hot drink. Huw still found it bizarre to have a cafe at the top of a mountain but appreciated the hot chocolate. At just after one o’clock, they decided to take a leisurely walk back down via the Pyg track.
“Actually, we’ve got plenty of time before we meet Dad, so why don’t we go on a slightly different route which will still end up in the same place. We’ll go via Crib Goch which is spectacular,” said Gareth. Suddenly he had a thought, “How are you with heights? Crib Goch does take you along a long ridge which can be a bit scary.”
Huw didn’t like to admit that he wasn’t great with heights. “I’ll be fine as long as the path is reasonable,” he said with more confidence than he felt. They set off to walk back along the route that Gareth had suggested. When they reached the branch on the path which was signposted ‘Pyg Track’, Gareth went straight on and took another path to the right a few hundred yards further on.
From the start, this alternative route started to make Huw nervous. It began with a steep descent which led to the ridge that Gareth had promised. The weather started to deteriorate even further and it became very slippery underfoot. After half an hour he began to be very frightened, but pride prevented him from admitting to Gareth how terrified he was. After about forty-five more minutes, he felt a great sense of relief when Gareth announced that they were nearing the end of the ridge. As the path ceased to drop off steeply on either side, they emerged from the mist. Gareth told Huw that they would rejoin the Pyg Track shortly.
Huw began to feel more confident and turned to look back at the path they’d taken. As he did so, his foot slipped and he tumbled down the slope. Though it wasn’t particularly steep, he couldn’t stop himself from falling. He came to a halt on a rocky ledge and, to Gareth’s horror, disappeared over it. Gareth rushed down, relieved to find that Huw had only fallen about six feet. Huw was conscious, and Gareth saw no signs of blood as he approached his friend.
“Huw, cariad, are you badly hurt?” asked Gareth frantically.
“It’s my arms and wrists,” said Huw through his pain. “When I fell over the edge, I stupidly put my arms out to break the fall and I think I’ve done a lot of damage.”
Gareth was beside himself with worry for his friend. “I’ll go and get help. You stay here and I’ll get you settled out of the weather and come back with help.”
“I think I’m all right to walk,” said Huw, “but I can’t use my hands at all to steady myself, or for balance.”
“Okay, we’ll walk down slowly and I’ll walk by your shoulder in case you lose your balance,” responded Gareth with anxiety in his voice. The sat together while they both calmed down and Huw felt ready to carry on. Cautiously they slowly made their way down the path arriving back at the youth hostel just after 5:15pm.
David was already sitting in the café with a cup of tea when they walked in. He saw at a glance that Huw was in pain. Gareth quickly told him the story of the accident and how they had been able to walk the last part. “We really need a hot drink, Dad,” Gareth said shakily. “Sorry, son,” said David, “but we need to get Huw to hospital and he may need an anaesthetic. Drinking now would delay an operation as he would have to have an empty stomach.” They quickly got into the car and drove the 15 miles to the Caernarfon and Anglesey Infirmary in Bangor.
Huw was clearly in shock. He was as white as a sheet when David took him into the accident and emergency unit. He was quickly assessed by a nurse who took him immediately to see the duty doctor. The doctor examined him thoroughly to see if had sustained any other injuries during the fall. It was a difficult process because they were unable to take off any of his upper clothing and to his annoyance his jacket and the layers underneath were cut away from his arms. He was embarrassed that the subsequent examination of his legs and pelvis meant they had to remove all his clothes, but they quickly put his underwear and trousers back on once the examination was complete.
The doctor confirmed that although he had suffered extensive bruising to his abdomen and legs, no serious damage had taken place in those areas. His wrists, however, were a different issue, and he was sent away for x-rays as soon as the initial examination was completed.
When the x-rays came back the doctor joined David and Gareth who were sitting in the cubicle with Huw.
“Well, Huw, you did the job properly — you broke both of your wrists. Fortunately, the bones are reasonably in alignment so I think we can set them in a plaster cast and you won’t need any operations,” explained the doctor.
“How long before they heal?” asked Huw anxiously.
“We’ll put them in temporary casts until the swelling goes down, and then in a couple of days you’ll need to come back again for another cast which we’ll take off in about six weeks. Hopefully, you should be healed fully by then,” he answered.
Huw was dispatched to the plaster room where a nurse swiftly and gently put both wrists into plaster casts. She explained that she was doing what was called a ‘back-slab’, which was a light plaster cast which would allow the swelling to go down. She would make an appointment for him to come back in 72 hours to have more permanent plaster casts created. When the nurse finished the job, she went back with Huw to rejoin David and Gareth. They collected some painkillers from the hospital pharmacy and drove back home.
David had telephoned Beth from the hospital so she had known that they would be late for their evening meal and now quickly set about cooking sausage, egg and chips for them all. It was then that Huw realised how much he was going to be dependent on other people for help as he was unable to hold a knife and fork. Gareth fed him, alternating with mouthfuls of his own meal. When David had finished his meal, he took over from Gareth.
Beth suddenly remembered that they hadn’t told Gwyn and Janet what had happened. David picked up the phone and called to bring them up to date with that day’s events. He explained that the hospital said it was essential that Huw rest for several days in case there were any other consequences from the fall and to allow his body to repair the bruising. Eventually, they held the phone to Huw’s ear so that he could speak with his foster parents.
Janet’s evident concern overwhelmed Huw’s defences and he started to cry. David took over the phone call and explained that this was probably the shock of the event coming out. It was clear that he would be staying longer than the week they had planned and reassured Gwyn and Janet that the three of them would be happy to look after all his needs.
Once the call was finished, Beth took charge, “Huw, you need to get upstairs and go to bed. He recognised that was an instruction that was non-negotiable, so Huw walked upstairs with Gareth to their bedroom.
“Do you realise you’ll have to do everything for me, Gareth?” asked Huw sadly.
“And it’ll be a pleasure and a privilege, cariad,” he responded gently.
He undressed Huw and got him into his pyjamas. Fortunately, the sleeves were just wide enough for the casts to go through. They walked into the bathroom and Huw stood in front of the washbasin, nodding to his toothbrush. Gareth cleaned his teeth which led to them both having a fit of the giggles. Huw then walked over to the toilet. “I warned you that you’d have to do everything for me,” he said blushing.
Gareth reached into Huw’s pyjama fly, brought out his penis and pointed it at the bowl. As Huw let go, Gareth said quietly, “And when it comes to wiping your bum, I’ll do that too. I remember how you looked after me back in Reading.”
He smiled at Gareth’s kindness. “I’d really like a bath to soak away these bruises, would you run one for me, please.”
While Gareth ran the bath, Huw sat on the edge quietly, too tired for conversation. Gareth helped him out of his pyjamas again and steadied him as he stepped in, making sure he kept the casts well out of the water. The temperature was just right for a soak and Gareth shook in some of his mother’s bath salts which gave off a relaxing fragrance. Huw lay back with his arms up on the sides of the bath. After fifteen minutes he said to Gareth who was sitting on the toilet lid, “I think I need to get out or I’ll fall asleep.”
Gareth helped him stand up and step carefully out of the bath making sure his casts stayed dry. After gently drying him and dressing him in his nightwear, he took Huw into the bedroom and helped him into bed. In less than two minutes, Huw was fast asleep, and Gareth quietly closed the door and went downstairs.
David and Beth looked up as Gareth walked into the living room. David asked, “How’s he doing?”
“I got him ready for bed, gave him a bath and he’s fast asleep,” answered Gareth as he sat down.
“And cleaned his teeth, helped him have a pee and dressed him as well,” said Beth warmly, “We heard.”
Gareth shrugged. “It needed doing and..” he faltered, “...and...and...” He put his head into his hands and started to sob. “Mam and Dad, I love him,” he said through his tears.
“We know that son. We’ve known that for a long time,” said David taking Gareth into a hug.
“And you don’t mind?”
“Gareth, cariad, you’re our son,” said Beth “We’ll always love you and there are no conditions attached. But do you know what he feels about you?”
“I told him back in Reading that I loved him, but he has always said he loves me like a brother. It’s because of all his losses that he’s been afraid to open up to love anyone. He has always said that I mustn’t push him because he needed to go at his own speed. But a couple of days ago he said he was prepared to take the brakes off slowly and we kissed. That’s all we’ve ever done,” he said anxiously.
“It sounds like he’s being very sensible,” said David. “We’re proud of you both, and I’m especially pleased that you are looking after him so well. Are Gwyn and Janet in the picture?”
Gareth shrugged. “I don’t think that he has said anything because there hasn’t been anything to say.” He frowned and thought for a few moments. “If they know Huw as well as you know me, then they’ll have a good idea about the depth of our friendship.”
“You’re aware enough to know that things are changing in our society. The law is slowly catching up to reality. You’ve not done anything illegal or immoral, but a lot of people have entrenched attitudes, especially here in Wales. Many wouldn’t understand how two young men could be in love and would see it very negatively,” said David.
Gareth looked up sharply. “Well tough luck on them. We don’t hold hands, kiss or do anything else outside this house so it’s nothing to do with them.”
Beth took his hands in hers and said gently, “That’s not entirely true, cariad. When Huw or you walk into a room and you see the other, your faces light up and you both beam. When one of you is busy doing something, the other is constantly glancing across and smiling. Do you see how quickly that would be spotted at school both by your friends and by others who might use it to hurt you both?”
Gareth slumped back into the chair, aware of how true Beth’s perception was.
“Let’s call it a night. Good night, cariad,” said Beth and she kissed him on the cheek, followed by David who also kissed his son. Gareth realised how much his parents loved him, but he was too exhausted to talk further and went wearily to bed.
Copyright © 2013–2026 Huw Jones
Posted 21 January 2026