26th November 2012 - A weekend on Skye

The Cuillin from Elgol

Bla Bhienn - on the tick list!

Looking up towards Marsco

Excellent conditions today

Garbh Bhienn

The entrance to the Spar caves - tidal!

Calcium Carbonate deposits on the ground

Some amazing architecture on the walls of the cave

Someone has been here before!

Anna with some ectoplasm!

This evening Anna and I returned from a lovely weekend on the Isle of Skye. We had went up on Saturday, and had a lazy day meeting up with some friends, Beth and Matt, who live on the island. On Sunday, Anna, Beth and I went for a leisurely stroll up Marsco, a little gem of a mountain that nestles slightly east of the Black Cuillin, and a little north west of Bla Bheinn. The approach is rather boggy but very straight forward under foot, up Coire nam Bruadaran and onto the bealach seperating Marsco from its rather tougher neighbour, Garbh Bhienn. Upon reaching this bealach, the ascent North East is interesting, and you can incorporate some easy scrambling to make the slog rather mote interesting. At only 736 metres it is not a long days walk, and wont break your back, but it is full of interest, and as you gain height, the views towards its mightier neighbours are simply breathtaking. The small ridge before you reach the summit is surprisingly narrow and somewhat exposed, with steep, endless drops on either side, and with the slippy snow underfoot care was necessary.

The summit views are spectacular. We enjoyed glimpses of Alligin and Liathach to the north, the entire Cuillin ridge to the east, Garbh Bhienn and Bla Bhienn to the south west and Rhum's summits to the south. The wind was cold and persistent, and a flurry of snow greeted our arrival at the top, so we sought shelter and had a quick bite to eat before backtracking and finding a suitable route back down to Coire nam Bruadaran, and, after a further trudge through the boggy terrain which Skye is famous for, the car. All in all we had a great day - the weather was exceptionally fair, visibility was excellent and the craic was top notch too. It was great to catch up with Beth and get a bit of local knowledge whilst on the hill. The route only took 4 leisurely hours too, so well worth it if you dont have a whole day to get out and about but want to taste a slice of what Skye has to offer!

Today (Monday), Anna and I opted for a more leisurely 'tourist' approach and went or a visit to the Spar Caves which are down near Elgol. Matt had kept us updated as to the low and high tide times, which is important as the caves access is dependent on the height of the tide - if you get trapped, its either a very dodgy climb up and out, or a 12 hour wait...

The caves are evidently formed in limestone, and are trully amazing inside. You climb up and into the cave from a narrow sea cove. Once inside, you will need a head torch to help guide you deeper and higher into the cave recess. Underfoot is thousands of years worth of calcium carbonate which has been deposited from rainwater seeping through the limestone above. It is almost like ice in appearance, but is incredibly grippy. Our tour ended with a short, steep downclimb to a deep impassable pool. Next time we come to visit, I'll definately be bringing a wet suit and having an explore further into the cave to see whats going on further in....As we left, we were treated to one of natures wee spectacles - a sea otter hunting in the cove, catching a fish and coming ashore 10 metres from where we stood. It spent ten minutes eating its lunch and washing it down with some seaweed and saltwater, before heading on out to catch itself some seconds! Incredible little creatures and always a pleasure to see them in the wild!

After this we headed home, stopping of at the Cluanie for our own lovely meal surrounded by some stunning snow capped mountains. Off next weekend so maybe if the weather is alright we could pop up for some winter fun!

21st October 2012 - Castle Ridge on Ben Nevis

Looking out over Fort William

Approaching the North Face

Me with Castle Ridge in the distance

The Castle and Castle Ridge

Preparing to set off

RAF Rescue Helicopter at Douglas Boulder

The first slimey pitch

Me with CMD, NE Buttress etc. in the background

Anna with some stunning scenery behind her

Basking in the sunlight on the ridge summit

The sun dying behind the clouds

Stunning sunset colours over Ardgour

Anna crossing the river at the end of the day

The moon rises behind Ben Nevis

Following yesterdays excellent ascent of Stob Bans North Ridge, we were determined to continue our mountain based weekend. Making the most of todays stunning weather, we opted to give Castle Ridge a shot. Anna and I have been itching to give this, one of Ben Nevis's famous North Face ridges, a shot for quite some time but the weather just never seemed to do it justice. Today was a different story and we walked up from Torlundy in basking sunshine, sweating like it was midsummer. That all changed, of course, as soon as we were enveloped in shade as we made the final approach to the foot of the ridge proper.

The first third of the ridge consists of easy, broken ground. Whilst covering this terrain we saw the RAF helicopter out around the Douglas Boulder on a call out. I took this opportunity to practice some short roping techniques and look forward to improving these skills over time.

We were soon met by increasingly slimey, slippery rock and at the first real steepening I opted to pitch the climb as the rock was unreliably wet. I found this first pitch to be the only 'scary' part of the climb as it was a bit unexpected, and standing on a hugely moving boulder did not calm my fears! However, we both made it up to more broken ground comfortably enough, and were able to make our way up to the 'crux' without any issues. The crux itself was lovely, clean rock with great hand holds and footholds, and a reasonably new looking cam which is jammed in solid beside the in-situ peg. Easily my favourite part of the whole ridge, it had been the only bit I was slightly apprehensive about. I brought Anna up and then pitched the next section directly up the nose of the ridge ahead. After this we got rid of the rope and scrambled the final sections to find ourselves basked in sunlight at the top of the route. To descend we opted for the scree slope which is no where near as hard as people make it out to be. We then cut straight across to the North Face Path without going up to the CIC Hut, and descended down to the car in darkness. I managed to smash my knee off a protruding boulder in the darkness, and after dancing around cursing for a few minutes, managed to man up and continue the walk down to the car. A great day overall, I would certainly recommend this route to anyone, and hope to attempt it this winter :)

Cheers :)

20th October 2012 - A Local Gems

Looking down Glen Nevis

Anna slogging up the North Ridge

Approaching the interesting stuff

Anna looking back over the initial steps

The mist clinging to the western crags

The Lord of the Rings cast over on the Devils Ridge

Dropping back down into the Glen

So last week I was flattened by the dreaded Man-Flu. Normally I am able just to pretend I'm alright and get on with things, but this one hit hard and left me whimpering like a git. So after a few unwanted duvet days I zipped up my man jacket and headed out with Anna to tackle the North Ridge of Stob Ban. I did this Grade I winter route last winter and found it contained a few interesting steps but had some terrific views to boot. In summer conditions it is much less malign, but adds some fun scrambling to an otherwise standard slog. I was worried on the way up that my chest (which was feeling pretty rough) wouldn't give me the air I needed to move as quickly as I would like, but I was wrong and we made good progress. After a half hour shower as we neared the interesting bits the weather cleared somewhat to reveal some of my favourite views from the summit this wonderful mountain.

We were joined on the summit by a very friendly gentleman who was travelling in the opposite direction who had a lifetime of experience on the hills but was revisiting Stob Ban after 20 years - heres hoping it was as pleasant an experience as the first time round! We made quick progress down the East Ridge and dropped swiftly into the Glen where we lingered in the tranquility and solitude of the mountains - relishing the contrast from the nearby hillwalking mecca of the Ben. We did plan on a cheeky few drinks with some friends afterwards but got back quite late, and with the weather looking like a cracker the next day, we opted for an easy evening and early night!

Cheers :)

14th October 2012 - A few trips on the Ben

Today I had a super early start working for Alan Kimber leading a group up Ben Nevis. The group were originally aiming to set off between 5 and 6 yesterday evening, but travelling from London via mini bus takes far longer than you might think...

In the end the idea of starting as soon as they arrived (some time after 1am this morning) was binned in favour of a 6.30am start, and so I found myself at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel just before half 6. I managed to gather most of the group before Al turned up to dish out some kit and a general safety brief, but it was still almost half 7 until they were all ready to depart. We took a long slow trip up Heart Attack hill, with the group very unevenly matched for pace: some were very quick and prepared, whilst others were less fit and took longer to cover the ground. The conversation was very interesting as it was a Muslim group and it was great to talk to them about their backgrounds and beliefs. They were very pleased to have someone open minded asking questions, and we all got along very well.

Sadly, however, one member of the group was seriously struggling, and a few zigs and zags above heart attack junction I decided that enough was enough - we had already spent much of our allocated time allowance getting to where we were and I was not going to risk someone in the group getting injured or worse. So we turned back and slowly made our way back down to their transport. Again, the conversation was varied and very interesting, and the group seemed to enjoy the day regardless of how far they got. They have a long journey back to London ahead of them, but they will hopefully return to conquer the Ben when they are in better shape and better prepared. They were raising money for orphans in Eastern Europe, so hopefully they get a good amount.

After getting home and having a relaxing afternoon, Anna and I enjoyed a take away (well earned) and were just settling down for the evening when their was a Mountain Rescue call out. An elderly gentleman required assistance getting down from the Ben Track with an injured foot. We got up in good time and stretchered him off safely. Heres hoping for a speedy recovery and a return to the hills soon!

I am shadowing/doing some induction work at Outward Bound tomorrow. The forecast looks decent but for now I am in serious need of my bed!

15th September 2012 - Guiding on Ben Nevis

About to head off

Above Heart Attack Hill

Sticking together

Linda preparing for the weather...

At the Red Burn - half way there!

Looking out over Glen Nevis

The team on the summit

Cheers, and well done everyone!

Today saw me leading a group from Moss Park Care Home in Fort William up the Ben in order to raise money for their comfort fund. There were 9 in the group, and we made good progress up to the Red Burn at half way. From here on in the wind increased steadily, and brought with it much colder temperatures for the team to deal with. Above Corner 6 visibility decreased dramatically, spoiling our view, but the team ploughed on nonetheless and made it to the summit shortly after 2pm. As always, the tourist track was like the A82 - overcrowded with very few places to pass!

After a few misty shots on the summit, we quickly ate our lunch and moved off on our way back down to Achintee. Progress was much quicker going down as the majority of the big teams had already started off before us. There was a good number of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team members out guiding too, so it was nice to exchange a few words with them as we passed each other by.

We made it down in reasonably good time, getting to Achintee at around half 5 - just in time for a well earned pint and a steak dinner! Thanks guys for a cracking day out, and good luck raising money for the home :)

17th June 2012 - A little catching up...

So it has been a few weeks since I last updated this blog, and it has been pretty busy! Since my little jaunt up Ledge Route on the 25th, I have completed my Level 1 Rigging course for the MRC of S (25th-27th May). This training was provided by the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team and was held in the Lochaber area. It comprised of evening lectures, practical sessions and two days on the crags at Poll Dubh putting into practice the multitude of skills which I picked up along the way. The additional equipment required for the varying types of stretcher rescue is astounding, and it was particularly interesting learning more about load bearing, shock loading and equipment ratings in a rescue context.

The course was excellently led by Stu Johnston, and aided by Bill Strachan alongside a team of experienced mountain rescue team members from across Scotland. It was a tough weekend with so much information to take on board, and the heat certainly didn't help, but by close of play on the Sunday things were beginning to make more sense in my head and I feel a bit more confident with my mountain rescue rigging abilities! Hopefully it is a long time until they are put to the test!

I also covered a day at the Ice Factor the following week, running an Intro to Rock climbing session with a couple from Cumbernauld - such a small world, they live just round the corner from my family home! They were excellent craic and really enjoyed getting to grips with the basics; tying in, belaying and movement on rock. They were keen to learn a bit more about the equipment we were using and so I spent a bit of time going over this with them. We were then joined after lunch by a group of lads for a Hit the Ice! session. The 5 in the group were keen to get hands on, so I kept the brief short and set them a few challenges to allow them to adjust to moving in crampons, trusting their front points and finding their balance. Then I introduced ice axes and got the guys hammering away judging good placements from bad, before teaming them up (with a work experience lad who was shadowing me) and getting them to put the skills together on the ice. Everyone did really well, as I drip fed more techniques and strategic considerations to the session. We even had a pop at placing ice screws to give them a chance at feeling like they were leading! It was a great session, and I think (hope) everyone enjoyed themselves and learnt something new about themselves in the process! I will be doing quite a bit of work for the Ice Factor over July and August, I am looking forward to it!

This weekend (16th-17th June) I was assessing a Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Qualifying expedition in the Arrochar area for the Lochgilphead Group. The weather on Saturday was pretty grim but the 5 candidates bore up to it well and after a bit of a chat and a look at some kit theyheaded off into the wilds. The downside of assessing is the sitting about, and given the horrific midge condition I certainly didn't want to do much of that! I wanted to drop in to the camp once they were set up comfortably, so went for a nice meal in the Drovers. Then I took my kit up from Inveruglas towards Ben Vane and set up a camp some 2km away from the team. I then dropped in to quiz them about their camp site choice, cooking considerations and see how their day had went. After a brief chat I left them to the midge, and headed back to the drovers to dry off (poor effort, I know...). It rained all night, but the tent was absolutely fine. What wasn't fine, however, was the amount of midgies waiting outside the tent. It was horrific, almost as bad as on Arran with Scott back in '07. Even now as the tent dries in my spare room the vents are covered in 'smudge' (midge mud). Thankfully I had a good midge net, so wrapped up and got the soaking wet tent down and packed double quick. All that was left was to kill some time and then intercept the group as they passed the Cobbler path intersection. I chose to have their debrief here, while I had their attention and could get some meaningful chat from them while there was a breeze (the car park was a midge haven, they would stay for 6 seconds then want to dash to their parents cars). All 5 candidates passed quite comfortably, and hopefully they will look into doing their Silver next year. Thanks to James, Andy, Jean-Michell, Julie and Douglas for their hospitality and craic over the weekend. Back to Fort William for a fish supper and a disappointing loss for Holland....

29th -30th April 2012 - Days 3 and 4 Gold D of E Expedition

A stunning camp spot, the river looked somewhat different the next morning

Going for a wander with Anna

Ben Lui and Ben Oss look somewhat tamer from this direction

Day 3 saw the group set off a bit later than scheduled again, but the day was very short in distance, so it was important that the team used the time to explore glaciated features on the way, and we had scheduled in some nav training and a Q & A session at the camp. We met up with Dougie again for a brief catch up, before setting off on the teams heels.

We camped at the very end of the track in a rather remote feeling spot by the Allt nan Coarainn. The girls opted to camp at the opposite side of the river, whilst Anna chose for us (now joined by Adam again) to camp on an island in the river (one side was dry, so not really an 'island') but the ground was nice and flat. After an extensive nav class with the team we went back to our camp for dinner, and found a terrific little spot in the sun and out of the wind. It was so warm the three of us lazed around by the river and chatted for a few hours, until suddenly a chill in the air disturbed us. After washing up, Anna and I went for a wander to find a suitable supply of water (away from the camps). We noted a change in the weather, and a distinctive front moving in from the east. We hoped that it would pass overnight as we had become accustomed to the lovely weather, but we hoped in vain. No sooner had we got to bed that night than all hell broke loose and it lashed down all night. The wind really tested the tent out, or so Anna told me as I slept through most of it :)

The next morning the river had risen dramatically and the usual crossings we had been using became untenable. The girls had to travel far upstream to find a suitable crossing, and with a bit of help from us, we managed to get everyone safely over. Needless to say the four girls loved this adventure and made light work of the horrible, now saturated terrain underfoot as we headed towards Succoth Lodge. It seemed to take an age to reach the tree line and a bit of protection from the harsh cold wind, but once there we clocked up the km's quickly, meeting Dougie on the way down. Soon we were back on a feasible forest track (which seemed hugely overgrown and boggy - a remnant of the original forestry plantations perhaps?) and making good time past the lodge and down towards Corryghoil, our finishing point.

The rain had eased off, and overall it was a tremendous expedition and a trully top class performance from the candidates who took on every obstacle and problem with ease, keeping moral high and never having a dull moment. It was great for us supervisors as well, giving some educational input throughout the 4 days and building upon our knowledge base. Hopefully the team got alot out of the weekend, I know that I certainly did and very much look forward to working with Janet, Dougie, Adam and the rest of the Cowal Award Group in the future.

28th April 2012 - Day 2 Gold D of E Expedition

Loch Sloy Dam and steep difficult terrain

Anna looking over the map

Tussocky Purple Moor Grass - the bane of any hillwalker

Looking north towards Glen Falloch and Crianlarich

Me at our camp spot and Glen Falloch in the background

Day 2 of the expedition began very cold, but once the sun was over the crest of the surrounding hills it was very warm. The group set of some half an hour later than scheduled, and passed over the side of the dam. However, one of the girls had had a very poor night, and did not feel well enough to continue. We arranged to have her accompanied back to Inveraglus to meet Dougie and decide on a course of action. The other four girls continued as planned, with only Anna and I supervising from a distance. This stretch of terrain, trapped on the steep ground between Ben Vorlich and Loch Sloy is tricky to negotiate with a full exped bag on for those with limited experience, and it would be treacherous in wet/windy weather.

It took the team far longer than expected to cover the ground from the beginning to the end of the Loch, and they were soon over 2 hours behind. However, they were still moving, moral was exeptionally high and both myself and Anna were extremely impressed with how they dealt with any obstacles they came across. They moved efficiently after this point, and started to regain time. The rest of the day was spent on rough tussocky terrain, covered in Purple Moor Grass which is horrible under foot.

We camped in a lovely spot by Lairig Arnan with superb views up Glen Falloch. I love this part of the country, it is steeped in history and legend and it doesn't take much to feel very isolated. The girls got themselves set up quickly, and dinner was soon under way. Again they were quite happy taking advice, and we spent a good session discussing geographical features, how they were formed and good examples for each feature.

The weather was again fine only chilly once the sun had sunk, but overnight the tent froze up again. This time I slept in Anna's sleeping bag to give her a shot of a down bag as she would like to purchase something new. Tomorrow is a short day, only 8km on easy tracks so hopefully we will get a shot at teaching some in-depth navigation techniques so that the girls are confident for assessment.

27th April 2012 - Day 1 D of E Gold Expedition

Looking south toward Coire an Lochan

Anna with her new Deuter Pack. Snow very much evident still

Some of the rough terrain covered. Easily navigable but a bit testing for the candidates with full packs on

Taking a break in a lovely spot below Ben Vane

Anna demonstrating expert supervision skills

Inside our new tent. Anna had a cold night!

Apart from the road and the dominating dam, it was a lovely camp spot. Woke up with ice on the tent though...

Day one of a four day qualifying expedition for the Cowal Duke of Edinburgh Award Group. Anna and I were there helping some of the other guys to supervise 5 girls who were hoping to qualify and go on to complete the assessment expedition. I was also there in the capacity as an assessor, giving further training and advice to the other supervisors as well as the candidates in order for them to be as ready as possible for assessment.

The first day began at Butterbridge in the Arrochar Alps, and headed north-west up Glen Kinglas, before skirting Beinn Chorranach and heading south east up Glen Uaine onto untracked terrain. Only one of the girls had completed the previous D of E awards, so four were new entrants, and it was interesting seeing how they coped in wilder terrain. The weather was glorious, and we were joined by Adam, an ML working with the D of E from Dunoon. The craic was great and the scenery superb. We left the girls for the most part uninterrupted until they arrived at the camping spot for night one - Loch Sloy Dam.

They all coped very well with the day, and were open to a bit of further training regarding route choice and navigation which was great. Anna, Adam and I camped a good distance away, almost directly beneath the dam (which gave Anna the fear!). Apart from a few dirt bikers who made the pointless trip up to the dam and back out again (!?) we never saw another soul until the next day. This was also a great opportunity to test out some of the new kit we had purchased over the last few months. I will review the camping equipment at the end of Day 4.

Day 2 would be the girls biggest test, we had to wait and see how they coped...