Serena Cain, 50, travelled from Norfolk to hike up the mountain with her partner for his 56th birthday.
She said when they got to the top and saw a long queue, it was “soul-destroying”.
“I literally go to pieces in a queue,” said Serena, who has ADHD and said she felt physical pain trying to stand still.
“It is very difficult for me, particularly when I’m exhausted and overstimulated.”
Serena said when she saw other people avoiding the queue by climbing the rocks, she and her partner decided to do the same.
“We just didn’t see what other option there was at that point, other than just not reaching the top, which would have been gutting,” said Serena, adding that she had a birthday meal booked and needed to get back down in time for it.
Having climbed up the mountain’s second hardest route, she added: “It was such a big achievement for us, because we’re in our 50s, it’s not a small feat.”
But she recalled how one woman was “so cross with me” that “it ruined that moment completely for us”.
“We didn’t want to upset anyone, and we’d like to apologise if we did.”
She said she understood why people waited in a queue, and thought there should be a sign at the beginning of the route to make people aware of the possibility.
