photos again

photos again

Morsuig and Beinn Liath Mor

16th and 17th September,  2009

Climbed these two hills on sucessive days.  Morsuig  was done straight from the road,  on east side of burn,  straight up the steep hillside with wind from west.  Thus I came up on to a coire full of grazing deer.  Eventually I was spotted rather than smelt and away they went, all 60 of them.  The summit plateau gave views of wilderness to be explored for further Torridon.  Hope to bike in for them.  Did not need to do Sgurr Nan Ceanaichean as it has been demoted to a Corbet because it is below 3,000 feet – see Munro web site

Beinn Liath Mhor was a big hill with a long summit ridge full of scrambles up and down rather like bits of Skye.  It took nine hours and so I will return another year to do Sgurr Ruadh when light lasts longer.  Found that I am fit and have stamina but no speed,  will work on that over the winter – famous last words.

Heard and saw a stag doing the autumn roaring,  very eery and haunting as its crys echoed around the cliffs.  But he must have been a young one as he had no female followers.  made me realise that these are big hills especially as 76 year old man died on Beinn Eighe,  see last entry, over these two days.

Beinn Eighe

Wednesday 9th September,  2009

Beinn Eighe

Left car park at 9am back 6 pm. Long walk along Glen floor for two hours,  then one hour scramble up scree and cliff face to ridge of seven tops out and back to do the two munro tops.  Spetacular place if I could only have seen it as rain,  wind and mist only lifted as I reached the road.  Met a family from Kent who gave me a morale boost – thank you

back again

Tuesday 2nd September, 2009 and back on the Munro trail again staying at Nairn courtesy of Linda’s brother, Alastair.  Fionna Bheinn is a solitary hill with a hidden north facing coire giving views over much of Torridon but not today as cloud level was 2,000 feet and rain showers.

The path up fromAchnasheen took me through a field of bleating lambs waiting for market,  up alongide a burn, across a bog of heather and then on the summit ridge walk but no views.  Down again in six hours

Wednesday 3rd September 2009 and another solitary hill, Maol Cheann-dearg with a long walk in past a bothy and then up past lowering crags,  crumbled white granite paths and boulders to the summit cairn in four hours.  The cairn had various bays made of rock walls which gave views over Torridon.  I choose the north facing one away from the prevailing wind and over looking Beinn Alligin and Liathach.  It was good to realise what was connected to which hill and to notice Skye up the north end.

Down again to the car in heavy rain making a round walk of nine hours.

my first Monro

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The first was totally memorable. In 1959 Iain and Douglas Finlayson included me in a cross Scotland walk. I was not yet 16 and they were school teacher/Scoutmaster and brother about to go to the antartic for three years and they included me in! Totally out of my depth but I kept up with them, camping, sleeping in bothies over New Year. We arrived for Hogmany at the Edinburgh University climbing hut in Kintail. The place was stowed out with the young turks of the day including Robin Smith who along with Dougal Haston was putting up all the hard routes in Scotland at that time. I had cheap rubber soled commando boots, an ice axe and no crampons. Somehow I kept up with different groups doing the Monros round about five sisters and Ben Fhadda the one opposite my latest. So a memorable Hogmany and I gained my hikers badge. We came back to Inverness by train from Kyle of lochalsh. One sunset as we were descending was totally unforgettable with deep indigo purple in the East and warm orange in the West as the sun slipped down into the show covered hills. Memory is better than any photos.

My first Munro of 2009 was right beside my first Munro ever.  Fifty years ago I walked across scotland with the Finlayson brothers,  a great treat for me as they were at and just finished university.  We stayed at the Edinburgh University hut for a week over New Year 1959.  Here I was back in Kintail doing A Ghlas – bheinne all 3002 of it, but a big hill all the same as it was very spread out.  It took six hours on a good path with reasonable views into Glen Affric where i should do some more this summer. Little snow and a few drops of rain. Only 49 or so to go!

two months later

Monday 19th May,  2008

Two months later and I was back to complete the far north section of the Munros.  My previous attempt failed due to a heavy snow cover and my usual failing – being too ambitious.  This time I was on the hill early after being dropped off by Linda at Inchnadamph which is about twenty miles north of Ullapool.  The weather was again kind with lots of sun and a cool wind as I climbed Conival and then Ben More Assynt arriving back at 8 pm.  After Linda left me she visited Lochinver – where someone we know asked her to marry him some forty odd years ago - and then Ullapool. She napped back at the holiday house in Dundonnel much reassured by texts about my progress.

To begin with I detoured over to the caves and marvelled at the dissappearing river and big holes in the ground – but pot holing is not for me as the cave system is one mile long, all underground.  The two hills were climbed and then I returned the same way which gave me a chance to see how close I had been last time. 

The photos show not only that the snow has gone but how bleak and desolate the Harrods owner needs to keep the land so that deer can be shot easily.  Later on the fertily of the soil from the natural lime fertiliser on the road side makes clear how much the land can support instead of making shooting deer easy – political lecture over.

reality dawns

Six weeks after retirement and i have been away every week to climb Munros. This week I returned to Glen Shiel in the hope that snow conditions were more favourable.  The weather was exceptionally hot and  a cool wind from the east making conditions bearable.

A’Chralaig was a pleasant walk after a steep pull up from the roadside.  David from Suffolk was my companion for the day.  However finding a route around the pinnacles of Mullach proved beyond us.  Partly that was due to exposure,  a concern that the snow ramp would give way but whatever the reason Mullach remains to be climbed from Glen Affric in June 08.  On the way down we watched a golden eagle, a herd of tired and emmaciated deer hardly able to move and smelt many dead carcases. Obviously the late snowfall was the cause of their condition.

Thank you David for being a perfect hill companion.

The next day was equally hot as I set out to climb The Saddle and Sgurr na Sgine. During Thursday I met those who had slept out on the South Glen Shiel.  Visibilty was forty miles in all directions with hardly any heat haze.  The Forcan ridge of the Saddle was bypassed and I was saved another ridge retreat.  The whole day lasted eleven hours as I slowly made my way round both Munros. 

I am forced to the realisation that my ambition is stronger than my ability.  After being on the hills every week for six weeks I have completed 10 Munros out of a possible 24.  My plan is to continue going away every week but I must abandon the August deadline hence REALITY DAWNS.

scary torridon

 

My fourth visit to Torridon a few days ago included Beinn Alligin for two Munros. I found Torridon as scary as ever. The mountains in silhoutte are very impressive. Wednesday began sunny and stayed that way until the second Munro was reached but thereafter the mist and rain came down. This meant that I missed out on the detours of the Horns ‘using hands and feet’ as the guide book has it and went back the same way I had come up.  My fitness has definitely improved but going down the hill is still a morale destroying effort and very slow.

Ok - I promise to take my camera next time,  really.

The weather next day meant that Beinn Eighe remains to be done,  hopefully the black clouds and torrential rain will be absent!

Looking across to the finishing post

Carn Ghluasaid, Sgurr nan Conbhaigrean, Sail Chaorainn are three Munros which give a grand view of the South Glen Shiel Ridge and the the final Munro – Creag a’ Mhaim.  With the cooling wind from the east and a good stalkers path from Cluanie dam in no time time at all – three hours - I had reached the top of the first two.  Thereafter two further hours took me to the last and a glorious view down into Glen Affric. Weather conditions although snowy did not require me to use my ice axe and crampons so in future I should not have to carry that weight – what a relief. The snowdrifts were sculputured into magnificent shapes on the ridge with massive overhanging cornices on either side.  Five hours later and I had recrossed all three tops, spending the last hour gazing at and dreaming of the final Munro.  My fitness level was encouraging and I can see muself finishing them all provided the snow does not cause delay. A happy day!