A splendid week on a 'Luxury Glencoe and Highland Perthshire' trip. Stayed at the Fortingall Hotel and Glencoe House. My word, not my normal haunts, but most pleasant!
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After a week of cycling around Skye and the Inner Hebrides in good conditions, the weather couldn't possibly hold....could it? Well, yes it did. Gordon and me had our next instalment in the final few munros of his campaign, and we had wisely booked Angus the Mullardoch boat man for a return trip up the loch.
The morning was simply beautiful. Still, warm and fragrant with the gorse in bloom in earnest. We made the drive along to the Mullardoch dam from Cannich, and joined a boat full of folks who were being dropped off at various points around the loch. It was idyllic to be whizzing across the millpond-like surface, knowing all the effort it was saving, with the mountains all around, still sporting some fair old snow patches. We were aiming for An Socach and An Riabhachan, and Angus dropped us and a couple of others just past the narrowing of the loch, so we made a rising traverse onto An Socach's SE ridge. We noticed quite quickly that there were ticks on our clothes as we passed through the nascent bracken, and I mentioned it to a few of the folk I saw in shorts. Watch out! It was incredibly hot work ascending, with my thermometer reading never less than 24c, and up to 30 c in the coire out of the breeze! There was also the largets hatching of mayfly that I have ever seen, and they plagued us almost to the top. Tickly but benign little beasties. We played leap frog with a chap who kept resting in the heat, and had a good chat with him on the first summit. He was tired, but planning all four munros. We aimed to descend after the second one, and even that one Gordon wasn't sure if he had not done it before, but we wanted to be safe, not sorry, so bagged it. The steep grassy descent into the Gairbh Coire would have been very tricky if wet, but it was as dry as a stick, so we made steady progress down to the burn, and then picked up a very rough track back down to the stalker's building at the loch side, where Angus was waiting for us. It was great relief to get on the water and get a breeze in our face, let alone the ease of getting back to the dam. We flew around the route in a very respectable 6hrs, but it's fair to say the heat took its toll. Not many munros left now Gordon...... :) OK, it's not mountaineering or even hill walking, but I had a great time last week on this job. The pics speak for themselves.
Monday and Tuesday I was assisting Gordon on some of his last few munros as he comes to the end of his campaign. We had fantastic conditions Monday on lonely Sgurr Mor, and even had a relatively dry tramp out into Glen Kingie and a trouble-free crossing of the burn - Most unusual!
Tuesday was 'Conditions Normal' for Scotland in April, with gusting wind, rain, sleet and hail. Luckily we only had one of the group known as the Rough Bounds, so made a hit-and-run assault before it really turned nasty. These hills are never easy, and require a lot of effort to get in and out of, not least the interminable Loch Arkaig road! Good luck on your last few Gordon, and see you at Cannich soon..... Jon and his gang had a great few days with me in Skye last spring, and asked me whether I could recommend a venue for a subsequent trip. I suggested Glencoe, based at the Clachaig of course. Being spring, I was hoping for some dry conditions, and maybe even a little snow to show the area off at its best, and I wasn’t disappointed – The late falls in March and the following cool temperatures meant that the higher hills looked positively Alpine. The challenge with that however was that few of the team had axe or crampon experience, so a little coaching was required.
For the first day we chose the two summits of the Buachaille Etive Beag, (the Little Herdsman of Etive), as they have good access, are lower than the Bidean massif, and therefore less snowy, and a good introduction to the area. We made quick progress up the good (though unfortunately eroding, given its age) path to the bealach, and then after plenty of photographs, (two of the guys are professional photographers), turned NE and up the rocky broad ridge to the first summit. The views were predictably fabulous, and much snapping ensued. It is always good to be able to sit back and let the vistas speak for themselves, rather than having to enthuse about their presence through a veil of mist or rain, assuring folks that it really IS breathtaking, if only they could see it! It was 360 degree mountain beauty. Wonderful. The view SW was over to our second, more snowy summit of Stob Dubh, framed as it is to the eye by Loch Etive and Stob Coire Sgreamhach. This evidently called for some ‘skills’, and after descending to the bealach, we had a quick-fire session on step-kicking, self-belay and ice axe arrest, which the chaps literally threw themselves into with gusto. I was very pleased with their enthusiasm and quick-learning, so was happy to press on higher. The ridge to Stob Dubh is not terribly narrow, but under snow and old cornices it is sufficient to get the pulse racing on the last few steps, especially for those not keen on any exposure at all. Again, despite some wobbly knees, everyone made it up steadily and safely, their progress a credit to them. After many, many photos, (and why not, it was worth it!), we made a pleasant and steady descent for a celebratory, ‘isotonic’ pint, dinner and then Saturday night in the Clachaig. It was packed as usual, but the duet were too quiet and genteel for the noisy chatting crowd, and it wasn’t until they ramped it up around 11pm that the usual jigs and reeling took place amongst the more restless. Still a good night nevertheless, but not up to ‘normal’ Clachaig standards I am afraid. Sunday promised to be even better weather-wise, and didn’t disappoint. We did the round of Coire Lochan, up the NE ridge, down the NW and into the coire. It was simply splendid. Alpine in feel, the deep spring snow readily avalanching on slopes all around us as we ascended safe from any danger, but adding some real frisson, especially as we saw several off-piste ski tourers make daredevil descents on both Coire Lochan and off Bidean nam Bian. The route narrows towards the top, and some careful down-climbing is required on a little notch, made interesting by the snow cover. We chatted to a chap descending, who had opted to bypass this, but I judged that to be more dangerous on the wet and loose snow and rock, so we simply cleared the snow, uncovered the holds, and made a textbook crossing. The way is then steep but simple, and before long we were on the large and spacious summit. I will just let the photos speak for themselves rather than rattle on more. The descent West was done through virgin snow covering boulders, and I had some fun slipping and ploughing through to clear a good track for the team. Once past the top of Broad Gully all difficulties cease, and it was just a case of chat, photograph, slip and slide down, photograph, photograph, chat. I knew I had a happy team! An exceptionally enjoyable trip for me, and I do believe for the guys too. The weather, the conditions, the location, the company, the craic - Unbeatable all. Thanks for all being such sports, and see you next year in Kintail.....please bring the weather with you again! The next instalment of Paul's 'Highest Points of Europe' campaign is also the highest in Northern Europe and Scandinavia in particular, the Galdhopiggen, 2469m. It is in Norway, the Jotenhiemen national park, 4hrs drive North East of Oslo, and access is from Spiterstulen, a cross-country ski centre at the end of a long unclassified rubble road which gave Paul some 'moments' as we slid and wound our way upwards. Once there, the Visdal valley opened out, with wonderful views Southwards.
The only other folks there were four skiers, and that should maybe have given us a clue as to what was to follow - Although we were well into Spring, Norway (like Scotland) had had a lot of late snow, and there was a very deep covering all around. We hoped the slightly lower temperatures over night would have frozen things up a little, especially as we had at the last minute decided against our snowshoes. Big mistake. Huge. As we left even the car park, we were immediately in soft, wet snow over our knees, and soon to our waist. It was almost impossible to make progress, and I despairingly suggested we give up, and try to hire some snow shoes. The problem was the long road back to 'town', (nowhere is particularly heavily populated over there), even if we did find some, as well as poor weather coming in that evening. One of Paul's strengths is his eternal optimism, and he suggested if we persevered, gained height, the snow may consolidate. To cut a long story short, it did, very gradually, but only after much wading and floundering. Also, the weather closed in, giving whiteout conditions regularly. Luckily there were a good few cairns just when you needed them, and we slowly made our way to the ridge at around 2000m. The problem was the time it had taken. Only just over 2k, 900m of ascent in 4.5hours, and we still had 500m to go and we were rapidly running out of steam! Add on the zero visibility and things weren't looking good. It's odd in situations like this, as sometimes what appears to be bad luck or misfortune actually is really serendipity. Paul suffered a strain to the calf, probably caused by him compensating for an ankle sprained a month or so ago. Add this to the exceptional effort required to make any progress, and we knew the game was up. Typically, we still stopped to eat and take on fluid, but within a very short time, we knew the only sensible thing was to descend. This time were assisted by gravity, and despite needing to be wary of plunging in deeply and twisting a knee, we make steady progress downwards. We knew there would be the opportunity for some good labour-saving bum sliding opportunities lower down, and as we came out of the cloud into sunshine once more, our disappointment at a retreat turned to enjoyment as we whooped and giggled down on our bottoms. We met two young lads, lightly equipped, who thanked us for our trail-breaking efforts. They were resting, and my gut feel was that even using our steps, their wet feet and trousers, coupled with the thick weather on high may have curtailed their efforts too, but we wished them well and continued downwards. What had concerned us higher up was the effort we knew would be involved in descending too, and despite the welcome slides, we also had much floundering and wading. It was fun, but very tiring. We made it back to the car by 16:40, but having only done half a job, we knew we had made the right decision. That evening we drove along deserted Norwegian roads to Andalsnes, entering the famous Romsdal and under the super-impressive Trollvegen, or Troll wall. Breathtaking. Immense, Awe-inspiring. How the early pioneers in the 60's thought that was a justifiable climb defies me. Hats off to them! We saw several avalanches and a huge rockfall in the short time we lingered underneath it's foreshortened immensity, enough to leave us cold. Paul had to rest his leg the next day, so I chose an easy stroll up the Rampestrecken, an unlikely viewing platform at 530m above Andalsnes. Little did I know! In summer, I am sure it's a steep yet simple bimble, aided as it is by some spectacular path-work built by Sherpas in the Himalayan style. I had to make a choice at one point, a Summer route, or a Winter? I reasoned that the residual snow determined Winter, but soon found myself on very steep terrain indeed, with large step-up moves protected by weather-worn fixed lines. I was in the no-man's-land between the seasons, and it was good value for what is ostensibly a tourist route! After rather more toil than I expected, I realised I had gone too high, and was above the ramp, on a route that turns into a via ferrata with some very exposed ground. I descended quickly, using arm wraps to support me over the mini-bergschrunds, and as a consequence ended up with some nice weals for my trouble. So much for a tourist route :) The ramp was spectacular, and I regretted being alone, as it was a splendid photo opportunity. The descent was more excellent path building, and the vertical drops explained why it wouldn't be a good route in full winter. I was soon down and showered and regaling Paul with tales of my derring do! The rest of the trip was a boring drive along the NW coast, around fjords and mountains, over water by ferries and finally to Trondheim, where we saw the excellent Waterboys at the local Blues festival ;) OK, Norway is eye-wateringly expensive, and not everyone's cup of tea with its rustic charm and lack of night life, but if you add the breathtaking scenery and wilderness experience, I suspect we'll be back for more than just the elusive Galdhopiggen. Matt and Colm booked a couple of days with me a good while ago, and we chose the Cairngorms. The hope was for Alpine-like Spring ascents, crisp cramponing maybe over the denuding snow fields. What we got was a full-on winter’s day of epic proportions!
Mr. Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) forecasted bluebird day, using words such as ‘certain’ when assessing the chance of a cloud-free summit, so we chose an ascent of Ben Macdui from the ski centre, the normal problematic winter navigation not looking like being an issue. What we got was total clag as we passed the foot of Coire an Lochhain, which set in until lunchtime. I would not choose to go so far onto the plateau in total whiteout conditions, and I had to concentrate very hard on my bearings. I had to walk for 4k from P1083 on dead-reckoning, as there was no features whatsoever. We were in snowshoes, as there had been a serious amount of snow over the proceeding few days, and we took it in turns when possible to break trail, as even the shoes sank into the deep powder. It would have been simply impossible to cover the ground we did without them. I must admit to being rather pleased when we judiciously checked the GPS at the point I said we had reached to find that I was 100% correct – I do this navigation game so often, but I still get a feeling of sorcery when it all comes together! The point we were at was at the penultimate steepening, just as you ascend off the plateau, and Lo!, the sun came out. Just reward for our efforts! We marched happily to the summit, gawping and clicking our cameras at the now extensive views. Indeed, our exuberance with the views meant we took a detour to look over Loch A’an, which therefore resulted in lost height above Coire Domhain, a peek down the very steep and corniced Goat Track and finally a tired pull up the Cairngorm for Colm to bag the summit. Again, the views were spectacular, and wrapped against the cold NW we grabbed our last snack before the snowshoe-less descent down Windy Ridge. A simply sublime day, with the unexpected poor conditions early on adding some frisson I suppose, though I was a bit miffed at the time. The longest and best day on snowshoes in the UK I have ever had. Tired legs all round in the pub! A bit of a busman's holiday for me over the last few days, as my pal Steve (aka Begsy) came up for his first bothy trip. I took the opportunity of livening up an otherwise tedious track walk to a munro I needed for my second round by choosing Beinn Dearg, and then an overnight in the fabulous little All Sheicheachan bothy.
We set off from the Old Bridge of Tilt car park with enormous packs commensurate with the kit you need for a winter night out, the weight saved by having no tent more than replaced by the coal and fire logs we packed to ensure a cosy night. We chose the higher route to relieve the boredom of the traipse along the track, and had some fun practising navigation, especially as the estate had altered various tracks and fence lines since my map was printed. After what seemed a long time plodding through some residual snow fields on the track, we turned the final corner to see the splendid little bothy tucked in its wee valley. Home sweet home. After a cuppa and some lunch, we dumped our excess gear and struck off for the summit of Beinn Dearg, at 1008m. The route follows a track, then a good stalkers path and finally in this instance a large snow field over what I presume is boulders to the summit. It was hard going, the snow just giving way enough to be toilsome, but Begsy is fit, so we got our heads down and made excellent time to the top. What views greeted us. A 360 degree panorama of mountains, from Schiehallion, past Glencoe and Lochaber, Ben Alder, Creag Meagaidh, Drumochter to the Cairngorms and Beinn a'Ghlo. Spectacular in the late afternoon light. We stayed on the top 35 mins, thankful of the light wind, as it was only just above freezing. We made light work of the descent, startling a lovely mountain hare down on the track, and getting a great shot of him running, albeit a little blurred :) Then it was a case of settling down for the night. We had carried 3kg of coal and a fire log in, but we needn't have bothered...the bothy was chockablock with coal, wood, candles, gas and even wine! I have not been a fan of ever-increasing publicity for bothies, but if this is the result, I am all for it. We made use of what was there, and I may even have made rather too much use of the splendid cabernet shiraz alongside our own 'bothy tea' ;)! In the morning, we tidied up, filled two carriers with rubbish, bottle, gas canisters and used tea lights, and left the grate clean and ready for the next occupants. It always feels most satisfying to have a lovely cosy night, but leave the place better than you found it, and also well stocked with fuel. The walk out wasn't too bad, given the terrain and endless track, and we saw some very large herds of deer to liven it up, testament to the successful management of the estate. We also had fun spotting the myriad animal and bird prints in the fresh dusting of snow. Finally, we even resolved our only outstanding problem, as when we got into phone signal, it turned out Begsy's lost iPhone, driving license and credit card, (dropped on the walk-in), had been handed in by some kind folks who had managed to trace my number to let us know. Makes you feel good about us hill-types eh! :) A great couple of days, see you next time Begsy lad! Last Tues to Thurs I was with Rob on his Winter Expedition Training. We had excellent conditions day 1, but rather less than excellent days 2 and 3, so after a really enjoyable camp high in Stob Coire nan Lochan where we practised lots of skills, we packed up and headed down for the valley. Our last day was spent on micro navigation before Rob had to get off to get his flight home, to a rather warmer Dubai!
Well done to Rob for hauling a large load up some steep terrain, and for keeping smiling as his boots let him down on the descent - Beware being sold fandango posh new boots that whilst being great for Ueli Steck, are no good for Scottish winter with big packs on! I have just spent a very enjoyable three days with Kate and Chris camping up in the Coire and Lochain area of the Easter Mamores. Our plan was to experience cold weather camping, which we certainly did as the temperature dropped to -7c, and to gradually build on the guys' mountaineering skills ready for adventures further afield.
The wind was blowing cold from the East, and was initially gusting to 60mph on the Saturday. That meant our plan to camp in the high coire was shelved, as to haul our necessarily heavy packs across the narrow steep path in such conditions would have been difficult at best, and possibly dangerous. Also the coire itself would have been a maelstrom. We therefore elected to camp at 410m, and spent the late afternoon on boot use, axe use and step cutting etc. Sunday saw us make our way into the snow-laden coire, and we made an ascent of Sgurr Eilde More at 1010m. It is normally a straightforward bouldery walk, but with the vicious and perishing cross wind, it was quite exciting. We kept to the rocks to minimise the effect of any slip, and the heavily rimed rock and hard neve made for very enjoyable climbing. The summit yielded fabulous views, and the team were really rewarded for their efforts to achieve their first Munro. On the descent we practiced more skills before dropping down to our warm sleeping bags and a wee dram to celebrate the summit. Sunday night got colder, but the wind finally dropped, and Monday dawned bright and cloudless. After two very full days, we opted to spend the day practicing navigation, as we worked our way down towards Kinlochleven. In the Spring-like sunshine, we set up a rope in the woods and practiced the skills needed for ascending and descending fixed lines as our final session. A very full three days, where we went to bed early due to darkness and cold, but rose early as a consequence and filled the days completely. The guys are planning an ascent of Elbrus and Aconcagua, and given that high-altitude mountaineering is 60% attitude, 30% skill and 10% fitness, I am absolutely confident that Kate and Chris will succeed in their objectives, as their attitude is faultless!! Thanks for sharing a great three days. |
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