8th June 2013 - CMD Arete for Yorkhill Childrens Hospital

Andy, Judi, Kirsteen and Brian with Ben Nevis in the background - stunning weather!

The North Face from high on Carn Mor Dearg

The team negotiating tricky ground on the Arete proper

The team chose this harder route to raise money for Yorkhill Kids Hospital in Glasgow

The cairn at the end of the arete. One last climb

Andy, Judi, Kirsteen and Brian successfully on the summit - well done guys!!

A photo within a photo! So much less snow up here now!

So today I was working for Seren Ventures, guiding a group of 4 along the CMD arete in some of the best weather we have had in recent months. Brian, Kirsteen, Andy & Judi were raising money for Yorkhill Childrens Hospital in Glasgow, where I have spent a bit of time myself, so it was for a very worthy cause. It was doubly special as they chose the hard way of getting to the top, avoiding the crowds and facing up to a few personal fears along the way.

We started from the upper North Face Car Park, and after a quick kit check were soon making good time along the Allt a' Mhuillin track, before taking to the rougher track leading up towards Carn Mor Dearg. I think its fair to say we were all feeling the heat - within minutes the sweat was dripping off all of us. This, in my opinion, is the worst part of the day. The slog seems endless and muscles haven't yet warmed up, but we plugged on regardless, soaking in the superb scenery and enjoying some good honest banter!

We finally reached the summit of Carn Mor Dearg, and after a spot of lunch we descended towards the fun part of the day: the Arete. The team moved really well on the rock, and we stuck to the crest for most of the way, only skirting around one or two short sections. We stopped to have an interesting chat about some of the history the area has witnessed and this gave us the chance to really soak in the grandeur, the timeless rock pillars and screes, the roaring burns and the lingering snows - physical testament to how easily glaciers could reform on the north face given the right conditions.

Finally we reached the end of the arete, and began the thigh bursting ascent to the top of the UK, reaching it in good time and making the most of the superb views all around. The guys had a bit of an explore before getting onto the summit cairn for a photo shoot, after which we made our way with the droves back down the tourist track to the Half-way Lochan, where we departed Sauchiehall Street and headed for quieter ground over the moor and, finally, back to the car.

Well done to the team who worked exceptionally hard through out the day, and faced up to the challenge bravely.