Apathy and CBA syndrome blown away in fine style...

Having fully recovered now from my torn calf I was amazed to realise that I hadn't been on a hill since returning from Skye...four weeks ago!!! This represents the longest break from the hills I have had this year, including recovery time from my injury. A mix of busy work schedule, prior engagements, poor weather and CBA syndrome had led to the onset of apathy regards getting out and about.

Something had to be done to shake me from this cycle of laziness...I had planned to go out on Friday but was shattered from a hectic week...then a plan fell through on Saturday night, leaving me no excuse not to head out to the hills instead. I downloaded a route, nice and close as I really didn't want to risk driving for hours and having to walk in mist or rain (it would really set off my CBA again), and headed off to bed early with a view to getting up at half four and leaving Aberdeen at five on Saturday morning.

As sleep isn't my strong suit I fully expected to be up all night checking the alarm clock in case I slept in...but this time I didn't. When the alarm went off it was a struggle to get up, but get up I did. I had factored in two hours for driving, and two hours was exactly what I required to find me sitting at the Dulmunzie hotel at Spittal of Glenshee, being eaten alive by midgies at seven o'clock in the morning!!!

I put this down to penance for my recent bout of CBA...karma if you will...little b*st*rds!!

Anyway, off I set from the hotel (your meant to get permission to park there apparently, but it was all closed up when I arrived, I would leave a cash donation upon my return instead), following the road up to Glenlochsie farm, where I managed to upset the farmer by daring to tread on his land (apparently "keep yer hair on" is NOT an acceptable retort to grumpy farmers in these parts!!). Once I had located the correct path to take, avoiding farm land, I meandered through a field of cows...some with horns on...and managed to upset them too it appears (apparently they don't take kindly to being prodded out of the way by walkers with poles).

Once beyond the farm I followed the dismantled railway line, thus avoiding crossing the stream at least twice, though in essence it could not have been any wetter than this path ended up being!! Further up there are a choice of routes to take, one of which involved a slog up through gorse to Creag Beag and not joining a path till higher up. The one I chose followed the old railway line to Glenlochsie lodge (ruins) and then followed the bulldozed track beyond here up Breac-reidh (between Allt Clais Fhiodha and Allt Clais Mhor) all the way to the summit of Glas Tulaichean 1051m.

It took me two hours from car to summit cairn, which probably affected my views on timings for the rest of the trip (I had planned initially to do all four, then changed it to two, then altered it finally to three summits...pushing my timings from twelve hours, to eight, back to ten hours). There are some cracking views of Beinn a' Ghlo on the way up, behind Carn an Righ (the 2nd target for the day). Indeed it was a pleasure to be seeing any views on a hill for a change and I made the most of the opportunity by listing all the ones I could see and smiling that I had done the majority of them (only An Sgarsoch and Carn an Fhidhleir left to do from the White bridge and Sgor Gaioth and Mullach Clach a' Bhlair from Feshiebridge).

I met another walker near the summit cairn here, a young bloke that had camped out near the Loch and was planning on doing all four today as his car was back in Braemar. Unfortunately he was worried that he didn't have enough water to see him through...clearly hadn't given any thought to filling up from the plentiful streams that there were cascading down the slopes!! I wished him well and set off on a dog-leg path to Carn an Righ. Heading east then north then north west then finally west...basically a boomerang shaped path from one summit to the other. The descent of Glas Tulaichean was rather steep in places, but thankfully dry...unlike the path at the bottom of the slope!! My poor new boots may have been bright green at the start of the day, but not now!! I followed the quagmire around the bottom of Mam nan Carn until it turned more stony and then headed up the slopes to Carn an Righ, arriving at the summit cairn 1029m at around ten o'clock...three hours after setting off.

There was another walker on this summit, an older bloke that had come up from Tyneside yesterday to do these two today, then head off back down the road. He was telling me of how his wife used to do it with him but that she now suffers from Alzheimers, so he has to go it alone (and only when he can arrange care for her)...it just reminds me of how lucky I am to be able to up car and go whenever I want...the perfect cure for CBA syndrome!!! I spent a pleasant twenty minutes at the summit keeping him company, sharing stories and laughing at each others tales of woe...it was nice...I like nice. Then he took my pic at the cairn and we went our separate ways.

I was raring to go again after that refuelling stop at the summit...so retraced my tracks down Carn an Righ to the bealach between it and Mam nan Carn...then slogged up the opposite path until it split half way up the slopes, taking the left branch around the slopes as opposed to up and over. I followed this path until it got fainter and fainter then disappeared completely in the grass, but kept following the slopes around until it came out at a path heading up the slopes of Beinn Lutharn Mhor. I followed this path until the summit plateau got rockier, then headed in an north trajectory till I could see the large summit boulder cairn ahead at 1046m.

I must apologise for the nick of Jelly McBaby in the summit pic...unfortunately he had a slight stumble and fell face first off the cairn...hence the grit on his nose!! There are some extensive views into the Cairngorm range from here, I could pick out almost all the summits I have ever done there...and was basically looking into the Lairig Ghru from my summit perch.

When I turned around I could then make out Carn Aosda and Cairnwell in the distance. With three summits now bagged for the day I thought longingly about Carn Bhac away in the distance (about 5.5k at least) and decided there and then that I would make it my final destination. You reach a stage, when bagging, that you start to plan your final Munro...it has to be relatively easy if you want friends and family to come along and help you celebrate...and at this moment there seemed like no better choice than Carn Bhac!! It is a long walk in from Inverey but it is not a steep climb, or awkward to reach, it has no technical difficulty and best of all it means a night on the lash in Braemar afterwards to celebrate...beats the phone box I needed for my PHD leaving doo!!!

There now remained the small task of getting off the hill and back to the car...I retraced my steps once more to the foot of Mam nan Carn (opposite end this time) and then headed east around the slope to the bealach at the foot of Beinn Lutharn Bheag, then turned off south west to the Loch nan Eun below. Once at the Loch I traversed around it and reached the outward path heading down Allt Easgaidh...all the way down Glen Taitneach 7k back to the hotel. Then reached the bottom and had to wade across the river to reach the bloody hotel!!! I made it back to the car by two o'clock...only seven hours after leaving...a clear three hours quicker than anticipated (WH had suggested 8-10 hrs for a 27k route taking in the first two Munro's...I had added a third Munro and at least 6k to that and still done it in 7 hrs). 

The next target is Kinlochleven in two weeks with the CMB crew...canna wait!!     

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3603157884526.2137880.1440975916&type=3&l=be9d70e22d

 

PS...CBA syndrome is canna be ars*d...and I had rid myself of that feeling well and truly today...normal service is now resumed.

Caberfeidh Munro Baggers Skye excursion...

Exactly twenty days after tearing a calf muscle on the ascent of An Teallach I set foot back on a hill...it may have only been Bennachie but it felt like the biggest challenge I had faced in my Munro bagging to date...two weeks ahead of schedule. This would be the tester to see if I was anywhere near ready for the challenges on Skye at the end of the week. To top it off I was breaking in new boots for Skye as the sole on my Scarpa's had succumbed to the wear and tear of nearly 150  Munro's!! With bennachie climbed, then a final session with my physio on Wednesday, and my new boots feeling fantastic, I set my mind to Skye. I travelled up overnight on Thursday 21st June, staying in Broadford, in an attempt to alliviate any concerns I had about driving for five hours prior to walking. 

I awoke early on the morning of 22nd June, truth be told I had hardly slept between the noise of the rain outside and the general excitement and trepidation I was feeling about my first Munro since the injury, and set off to meet the rest of the Caberfiedh Munro Baggers at the Sligachan hotel (ETA 0830). 

I arrived in good time and was met by Kenny Fraser and Andy Phillips (spot) outside, where we waited for Angus Macleod and Dougie Anderson to finish their breakfast. 

The noticeable absentee from the trip was the group leader (and organiser of the trip) Mike Charlton. Mike had broken two of his toes on Wednesday night whilst playing in the garden with his son...to say he was broken hearted was an understatement (something which I learned to my peril when I made a flippant remark on the Thursday on FB) but we were all equally gutted to be bereft of his humour and never say die attitude on this particular challenge. We have since kissed and made up and my flippancy is back in it's box.

Once we were all gathered we set out a general plan of attack for the three days...although were aware that it would remain fluid in case of weather and fitness issues amongst the group.

First up we decided that we wanted a close up look of the In Pinn (not for doing it this trip but just to see what all the fuss was about). So off we set along the rough little road leading into Glen Brittle...all the way along to the Glen Brittle hut (not to be confused with the youth hostel hut).  We knew that this would not give us a Munro, but at least it would get us up onto the ridge and give us a feel for what was (hopefully) to come in the next couple of days. The weather was pretty rank high up, there were no views of the tops due to the low lying cloud surrounding the Cuillin, but we lived in hope that it would lift later in the day and let us see something of the ridge. Certainly we had no doubt that we would be able to get splendid views of the In pinn (being as close as we were going to be to it). Oh how disappointed were we to be!!!

We set off along the Eas Mor path, taking many breaks enroute, and continued to rise along the Allt Coire na Bannachdich. The weather played out a little game of hide and seek with the peaks as we marched along, some brief views presented themselves, but never showing us anything more than the misty outline of some truly rocky expanses above and around us. Thankfully the rain stayed off and all we had to content with was the mist as we headed further and higher up the track and towards the Coire na Bannachdich. The track we followed up to the Coire was pretty clear and easy to trace, however once we started to ascend the track disappeared and we were left to find our own way through the rocks. 

The camaraderie within the team was pretty good, considering we were predominantly strangers, thrown together by a mad compulsion to climb hills. I obviously knew Angus quite well, having been on three trips with him now (and having shared my agony on An Teallach), and I knew spot (though had never known his full name until now) from two previous meetings. This was my first time meeting both Dougie and Kenny, both of whom struck me as being decent guys to have along on such an excursion. Kenny is a similar age to the rest of us (including size and fitness I think) and has a multitude of funny stories from his days in the forces. Dougie is the baby of the pack, a clear ten years at least younger than any of the rest of us, and many stone lighter and far fitter than any of us could currently aspire to. Hopefully Dougie would tire himself out today and make the next two days less fraught for the rest of us...if not then we would load his rucksack with rocks instead!!! He also declared, quite early on, that he has no head for heights (Second floor of a building makes him go squeamish apparently)!! Join the club young man...it's that very fear that drives me on to keep dragging my sorry arse up them...I love the challenge.

We continued to ascend through the rocks, following the rough outline of an idea of a path, and getting deeper and deeper into thickening fog as we climbed. The ascent became ever steeper as we passed under and between some crags, keeping the window buttress to our right and resisting the temptation to climb it as an alternative. We pulled up onto the start of a steep climb through scree and found that the crags tightened their grip around us, with nothing to see at either side of us, or above nor below, we got our heads down and simply climbed/scrambled our way through the debris beneath our feet...there were a number of occasions that loose rocks and scree tumbled away beneath our feet and fell on those at the back...ME!!! I had decided to let the others go up first, that way I was sure they would all be okay, and follow on behind to keep the pace steady. I was having no problems with my calf by this point, bar the occasional tightness that required stretched off, and was finding the pace to my liking. As we were heading up into denser fog I shouted a warning to those above me to be careful with their footing and hand holds, to maintain concentration at all times...then promptly took my eye off the ground in front of me, camera in one hand, checking the GPS in the other hand, and stumbled on a rock and fell forward...cracking my right knee off a rock and stubbing my left pinkie against a crag!! At least it now gave me something other than my calf to concentrate on...As we pulled up onto a flatter bit of ground we took a moment to gather as a group for the final ascent...an opportunity to assess injuries and fitness levels. Keeping the drop into Bealach Coire na Bannachdich to our left we continued on in the fog. We stood momuntarily at the bealach and felt the force of the wind blowing us back, looking into the empty void (all except Dougie obviously). The remainder of the ascent to the summit cairn was in thick fog and an ever darkening  sky...we stood atop the summit and looked out at nothing...a complete dark void in front of us...exactly where the In Pinn should have been standing!! I could not believe that we were standing mere feet away from the most famous Munro top of them all and could not even hope to see it. As a group we briefly discussed going on and bagging Sgurr Mhic Choinnich...but in reality we had no vision ahead of us and were unsure what lay in wait for us...so as a group we erred on the side of sensibility and decided to head back to fight another day. 
As we were sitting beneath the summit we were joined on the ridge by three other walkers, all kitted out in harnesses and helmets, ready to scale the In Pinn. Whilst there was a vague surge of jealousy from some in our group (me and Angus at least) there was also a relief that we hadn't brought any gear with us today, that we would have to return next year to bag the hardest Munro availabe to us (as non climbers) and that when we did finally do it we could get lucky with the weather and actually SEE what we were climbing and abseiling down. So we reversed our route and returned to the outgoing path below, down the earlier scree slope (a lot faster than we had ascended) and back to the Coire na Bannachdich. Once lower down the slopes we met a young newly-wed couple who were planning on climbing the In Pinn as part of their honeymoon (engaged on the Eiger and off heli-skiing in the Alps from here apparently) we wished them luck with the weather and continued off down the track, only passing one other couple all day. Once back at the car it was a short drive to Sligachan and the hotel for a shower and early few pints before tea.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3498727593834.2135601.1440975916&type=3&l=46e1fc4898

 

During the course of the evening the young couple from earlier made an appearance, to regail us with their tale of clear skies from the In Pinn only an hour or so after we had departed...DOH!!!
We stayed in the bar for a few beers after tea and then made various attempts to get a signal for phone calls and facebook updates of our progress...then off to bed and a shared room for me with Kenny. Now, I know that I sometimes snore slightly, but never before have I been accussed of attracting sheep to the window by my gutteral grunts and snorts...yet this is what Kenny alleges happened on the first night!!! Thankfully he had a master plan to alleviate this potential repeat scenario for the second night...more of that later...

I awoke pretty early the next morning and found a clear view of the Cuillin tops, with a cloud inversion in the glen below. This had totally disappeared amid cloud by the time we had finished breakfast however!!
I was pleased to note that I was suffering no adverse reaction to yesterday's walk, my calf was holding firm (save for a few twinges, which I put down to exertion rather than relapse). We gathered around the map and discussed the potential for today...after a few opinions were put forward we settled on an attempt of Sgurr a' Mhadaidh and Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh...meaning a drive back to Glen Brittle and departing from the youth hostel this time. 
Everything was packed up and off we set once more...We parked up across from the youth hostel and were getting ready to depart when a familiar voice wafted through the morning air, I turned to see Louise waving at me from the hostel (she had spotted my bright yellow top from the window and realised it could only be me...should have seen her face when she saw I now had boots to match the top!!!). She came across for a quick chat, to fill me in on her progress and Munro's bagged since our last meeting, and to advise on the recent weather and likely state of the access route to An Dorus. She would have joined us but for having a previous meeting arranged with an old friend who was up for a few days. We bade her farewell and off we set along the Allt a Choire Ghreadaidh, passing Sgurr nan Gobhar and An Diallaid to our right as we meandered along the access path...passing Allt coir' an Each (which takes you onto An Diallaid and the access to Sgurr na Banachdich) instead continuing along into Coire a' Ghreadaidh. The mist was as unkind to us today as it had been yesterday, no views and no clues to our route save the faint path we were currently following through rocks and across streams. The popular access to these Munro's is to follow a steep path, up scree slopes, to a high pass in the rocks (An Dorus) which gives a degree of exposure at the top. The higher we climbed through the scree the less we could see above us...and then the rain started!! We had stopped for a quick bite to eat when the heavens opened above us and water started to cascade down the face of the rocks around us, flowing down between our feet through the scree, making it all a touch more dangerous and exciting. Young Dougie was at the front of the group and started to set off on the last pull up to An Dorus...very quickly stopping at the top when the ground basically stopped in front of him!! We gathered at the top of the ledge and assessed our options...Sgurr a Mhadaidh was a mere twelve foot dodgy climb up smooth rock to our left...Sgurr a Ghreadaidh was at least twice that, if not more, to our right and looked a whole lot meaner as it glistened in the rain!! We erred on the cautious side and took Mhadaidh first, the logic being that the down climb would be easier between the two from here. Angus set off first up the smooth rock, hoisting his leg into a crack in the rocks and gaining a purchase with which to pull himself up...lucky he has long legs!! I was slightly less fortunate in that my legs were too short to reach the hold Angus had...I also felt nervous about stretching my calf any further than required at this stage (a spasm would not have been a good thing up here). Thankfully Kenny offered to put his shoulder where I could reach and I was soon joining Angus at the top of the ledge. Next up was Dougie...and fair play to him cause he is a game wee soul...with his fear of heights it was a blessing that the mist was so thick he couldn't see the potential for a fall down the right side of An Dorus...but he fairly clung to the rocks as he scrambled for hand and foot holds. I even got the blame for bruising his nipple when I grabbed his rucksack strap from above and helped pull him as Kenny stabilised him from beneath. With a little help from each other we were soon all sat on the narrow ledge, and contemplating our next move, when we heard a voice from the far side of the void...it was Angus Beaton (one of Kenny's friends that lived on Skye and had decided to climb Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh first, ascending from Eag Dubh rather than An Dorus) shouting at Kenny from the top of the ascent we had yet to do. Pleasantries were exchanged and Angus B attempted to down climb and join us...which he quickly gave up as being too dangerous in this weather!! He then ascended Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh again and came back down Eag Dubh instead, before coming up the lower path to Sgurr a' Mhadaidh (avoiding An Dorus) and joining us at the summit cairn briefly. Pictures were taken but no views presented themselves for us today again...very disappointing!! With the weather only getting worse we made yet another safety decision to descend the alternative path and leave Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh for another day...we may not have been overly happy at this but in the circumstances it was the only right choice to make. Once back at the lower slopes of An Dorus we descended the scree slopes and returned on our outward route...yet again the sun came out as we approached the lower slopes of the glen, leaving the mist descending behind us on the slopes. 
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3499012120947.2135606.1440975916&type=3&l=33d3312651

We packed up our gear and returned to the hotel once more, before leaving quickly for Portree and an opportunity to get cash and buy something nice for tomorrow, and to hopefully grab a pint with Angus B before he headed off. Angus never showed at the pre arranged pub, so we had a pint then headed back to Sligachan and warm showers before a later tea and a chance to watch some of the football. Some of the group took advantage of being tired by the fresh air and exercise and headed off for early nights, I stayed up and let Kenny get into a deep sleep so I would have less chance of keeping him up tonight with my snoring (strange that I never really snore when I share beds with anyone...but I don't think he would have liked that suggestion!!). 

The following morning, our last on the island, was made all the more comical by Spot's realization that Natwest had crashed and he couldn't pay his bill...a whip round was suggested but I dont think the £2.50 raised would have covered the washing powder required to remove the stains he was presently creating in his own underpants!!! As he dashed about in a tizzy the rest of us discussed the plan for the day...the weather had all but ruled out Sgurr nan Gillean (disappointingly) and Sgurr Alasdair (very disappointing) leaving us to settle on Bla Bheinn as the only viable option. The good news is that this leaves all the hard ones for our next trip back in 2013 with Mike...

Having settled our bills, including Spot, we set off on a mad dash across the island to Broadford, then down a single track road towards Elgol on the edge of Loch Slapin, and our target of a car park at the head of the Allt na Dunaiche. The rain was pretty incessant on the journey down, almost leading me to suggest a detour to Kintail instead, but thankfully it let up as we arrived at the car park. The walk begins through lush vegetation as it winds it's way up and along the edge of the Allt na Dunaiche, crossing twice as we veered towards the Coire Uaigneich, rather than the Choire a' Caise. We skirted around the craggy flanks of Bla Bheinn, An Stac looming to our left, as we continued to rise on it's rocky slopes. Once in the Coire we started to climb a steep grass slope, leading to an even steeper scree slope above. As we sat briefly on the rocky slopes I realised that my camera had died!! I had been charging it through the night at the hotel but apparently there had been a power cut through the night and I had failed to notice that it had not charged fully...goddam!! It meant that I had to switch to my phone for the remainder of the trip...or not take any pictures...now that most certainly is not an option I would ever consider on a Munro. As per the previous two days the mist never cleared once on the way up and indeed got thicker the further we went. There were plenty of rocky outcrops to climb on the way up, some exposed looking picture opportunities, but nothing that came out clear in this mist. We were joined on the summit cairn by one man and his dogs, who kindly took a group photo of us all on Angus' camera. Even on the way down the mist failed to clear, until almost at the Coire over-looking Loch Fionna-choire. The rain eased for the return trek along the path and we made it back to the car park in a respectable 4.5 hrs. Final group pics were taken and then we all set off in our cars and headed off the island...back to a civilisation of mobile signals, internet and reliable electricity supplies...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3499927183823.2135629.1440975916&type=3&l=b651dbb377

 

So, despite missing our spiritual leader, we still managed to have a pretty awesome time...I made two new friends...and we have preliminarily opened discussions to make it an annual event for the CMB...though perhaps leaving it till a little off season in future (the prices were astronomical this time around) which would also help with the midgie issue!!! The five hour drive home afterwards didn't even bother my calf and I now feel that I'm operating at 85% fitness...hopefully this will improve in the weeks ahead and I will be fully raring to go for the next CMB adventure in Kinlochleven in August.