The Ballachulish horseshoe (Beinn a' Beither)...
The day started with a long wistful look out of the bedroom window at the rain falling incessantly outside. I was staying at the Strathassynt guest house, after my trip to Glen Nevis yesterday, and I was already thinking about what I would do with myself if the weather didn't improve. I went down for breakfast and was greeted cheerily by Chris (the owner) and her hubby Mike (the cook). Obviously, as is the norm when I'm away walking, I chose the cooked breakfast option and was most impressed with the standard of fare on offer. The scrambled eggs especially were top notch and I knew I would now need to go walking regardless of the weather...just to walk off the calories alone!!
My next task was to contact the Lyn Leven B&B (tonight's accommodation) to try and book a bed for Baino as he intended coming along later. Once this was done I left the car in their car park for the day and set off along the main drag in Ballachulish, covered from head to toe in waterproof Gore-Tex, I must have looked some sight when the sun briefly popped its head out from behind a rain cloud and started to melt me in my waterproof prison!!
Thankfully (not exactly what I mean but it will suffice) the rain started again and I looked almost normally attired for the conditions. I found the start of the track and headed along to the school. Now, at this point, the map tells me to turn off at the school and go through an iron gate, follow a track and pass a stone wall then head up steep pathless grassy boggy slopes...but I had other plans. Last year, when I originally planned to do this walk, I had taken a path leading beyond the school, heading through two farm gates and striding out along a field past some sheep pens.
Finding a small stile to cross then a small cairn that marked the start of a steep climb up grassy slopes...but on a path.
Last year I had gotten as far as the 650m level before being forced to turn back by the wind and rain, thinking that I was unable to handle the scramble and exposure on the rocks that awaited me higher up...but not on this occasion!! I forged on up the hill, taking to the scrambling up wet rocks with a zeal I had not felt before. When I slipped slightly, leaning forwards thankfully, the adrenaline rush I got was amazing as I looked down at the potential for disaster that a fall would bring. Gripping onto the rock in front of me I took a moment to compose myself, check my footing, assess the route above me for holds, then set off again...the higher I climbed the more the rain fell and the wind picked up , but there was no stopping me today.
The exposure on the south-east facing slope was, at times, enough to take your breath away, the drops being potentially fatal...then I regained the path higher up as it skirted around some of the worse pinnacles...higher and narrower than I had been on here previously, wetter and colder too, I dug in and kept climbing, keeping the same rythym now...hand foot, hand foot, always checking the hold before committing to it. I must have been at least 45 minutes on this part of the climb, but eventually the pointy summit of Sgorr Bhan came into view through the mist. One last pull and I was there, on the path coming from the ajoining ridge of Beinn Bhan (the path from the school).
The visibility at this point was almost zero, thick mist and rain making it impossible to see anything of note, including the potential fall. Once on this summit you head south-west and up up up to the summit cairn of Sgorr Dhearg 1024m. The first thing you notice about the cairn is that it is incredibly small...only a small pile of rocks with two metal poles sticking through.
Jelly McBaby felt safe enough to come out briefly and get his picture taken, but not for long as the wind picked up and I was frozen in minutes. I didnt waste any time before heading off south-west again, downhill this time, in search of Munro number two...and my own 130th. I thought I could hear voices, but had seen no-one climbing ahead of me, and could see no-one now. I dismissed this as a trick of the mist and kept walking into the maelstrom but was still hearing voices!! I tried to quicken my pace, almost panicky for no real reason, then realised the voices were in front of me. As the mist thinned slightly before the bealach I could then see two figures in front of me, heading away from me. I carried on at my currrent pace but was never closing the gap (which impressed me) then they turned off down the path at 757m. The best I can work out is that they had come up the path I would descend later (which they were descending now) and picked off the two summits in a short day from the car park in south Ballachulish. Whilst this is not essentially cheating it means that you miss out an opportunity to test yourself fully against the terrain. I can only surmise that is what they did, based on a conversation I would have shortly with two other walkers who had seen nothing of them, as they set off down that path and didnt look back. Just slightly beyond the bealach the hill begins to rise sharply to the west, the final assault on Sgorr Dhonuill. At this point I met two other walkers coming down from the summit and heading to Sgorr Dhearg. They had set off from the opposite direction from me and had a car at either end of the walk...clever them. We talked briefly about the challenge of the day, them telling me what to expect higher up and me doing likewise for them. We said our farewells and good lucks and off we set in opposite directions. As is the norm on these encounters we had been sizing each others gear up, both being impressed at the fact we were both bedecked in ME jackets. Im not a hill snob but will confess to being a gear snob...and why not!! I pushed on towards the summit, the path narrowing as I went, the rocks getting slippier in the wet...then disaster struck!! I dont know if it was the tiredness in my legs or my keenness to get to the top, but I took a tumble and headed face first towards a boulder. I got my arm up in time to stop impact with the boulder but have wrenched my shoulder as a result. Now I was cold wet and in pain...oh great!! I took a moment to compose myself...again...before heading upwards to the summit cairn, slowly and carefully as I went. To reach the cairn there is another scramble up the rocks, but it was not as much fun with a shoulder that pained me everytime I raised my arm level with my chest. I gritted my teeth and thought of all the climbers I have read about recently on Everest, losing extremities or dying for the cause, and laughed aloud at my own wee pain. I stopped laughing when I slipped again off the edge of a rock I had stood on and almost did the splits...flailing my arms out with my walking poles to get a hold and balance myself before any further mishaps could befall me. This was just not funny...though clearly I would be able to laugh it off later...if I got down.
I reached the summit cairn without further misadventure, took a couple of quick snaps then checked my fone when it went off. It was a missed call and voicemail from Baino informing me that he couldnt make it down after all. I called the B&B to inform them and was told that Baino already had...well done bud...get that car sorted quickly. My traverse off the peak was done very carefully and very slowly, until I reached the safety of the bealach. I stopped briefly for a quick bite on a few jelly babies and a drink of juice, then headed down the boggy wet path leading to the forest below.
Thankfully the path is currently going through an upgrade at the lower levels so once you are through the boggy marsh slopes and reach the forest it gets easier.
The path heads down through the trees until it reaches a service path for the forestry workers...then you simply follow it down to the road and back into Ballachulish.
All in this took me six hours and provided some cracking moments, if not any decent views. Apologies for the lack of pics compared to usual, but it was way too wet all day to take the camera out as much as I normally enjoy.
The sun reappeared as I walked along the sevice path and hopefully it will be enough to dry up the Aonach Eagach ridge for tomorrow. I arrived back at the Lyn Leven Guest house and was directed to a drying room for hanging my soaking gear up...I even managed to get a bucket of water from my hostess to wash my waterproof trousers and gaiters before hanging them up to dry. Im looking forward to my breakfast tomorrow...but not as much as I am the ridge walk to beat them all...until then stay safe folks.....
No comments:
Post a Comment