Multiple Munros In one go

[BarryfromEK]

Hello,

I climbed my 5th munro yesterday, Ben Vane, one of the smallest as we know, but quite steep I think. Now walk reports and things, people say they would have climbed Ben Vorlich also. Or went over to Ben Ime etc etc. I did Ben Ime 2 weeks ago (well done me).

The problem I am having is once I climb one of the munros I am completely knackered, welll and truly kaput!! I pause on the way up, now and then. Ben Vane took me just under 3 hours. It was warm and I was sweaty! haha. I get to the top, appreciate the view, have something to eat. Then descend. Once I get to the bottom I have sore knees from tensing up on the way down!!! There is no way I could attempt to climb another!!!!

My question my friends, is, does it get any easier...............please say yes!!!

[MunroMadMen]

Yes it should get easier as you get used to the climbs although I'm afraid the sore knee thing is a different story, I would say get yourself a set of poles to try and take the strain a bit but there are far more experienced climbers on here may be able to give you better advice for the kness i.e straps etc etc

But anyway one Mountain a day is nothing to be sneezed at, well don you

Geo

[Lightfoot2017]

What you describe is a perfectly normal experience for a newbie, relatively inexperienced hill-bagger, I should think.

Unless you’re doing strenuous hills, every weekend, or every other weekend, then this will be the norm for you. If you’re only doing serious hills every couple of months or so, and you’re starting from a low baseline of fitness, then the physical exhaustion and after affects you describe will almost certainly be the norm.

I’m relatively inexperienced compared to many on here, and it’s always good to listen to old heads who have been round the block so to speak. However, the notion of getting ‘hill fit’ doesn’t really register with me. Surely the best way to get 'hill fit' is to walk up a hill?

When I started walking a few years ago, I would do one Munro a Summer with my mate (Up till Jan 2012, I had only bagged 14 Munros) I would suffer for days afterwards – barely able to walk, as I was so unfit. Now, I’m out every second weekend, and always try and do multiple baggings when I can. I find my hill fitness has improved gradually over that time.

Don’t force it. Take your time. Enjoy it. It’s meant to be a pleasure, not a chore.

Oh, and most people will probably tell you that coming down a hill is more difficult than going up.

[Cairngormwanderer]

Sit down and have a wee rest. I've driven a desk at work for many years, so amn't particularly fit in any conventional sense - most of it is state of mind. A few weeks ago I did the five four-thousanders in the Cairngorms, but I was going at my own pace and certainly not rushing it - took me almost 12 hours.
The point is, my legs were pretty tired by the time I got to the top of the first hill! You just have to go on the basis that you won't keep feeling like that: going downhill uses different muscles, as does going on the flat, so you do recover even when still on the move.
If you're at home you don't do three hours and then collapse in a heap, yet you'll probably be doing a power of walking through the day.
Try and convince yourself that all you're doing is walking and it's no big deal to do it all day. It's a case of getting your head round it: sometimes I can walk all day no bother - other times I get halfway up a hill and say sodditall and do something else.

[RyanfaeScotland]

Hello,

...Then descend. Once I get to the bottom I have sore knees from tensing up on the way down!!! There is no way I could attempt to climb another!!!!

This is the key point, descending. The whole idea behind doing multiple peaks at once is that you aren't having to descend anywhere near as much as you would if you do them separately. Since you aren't decending as much, a perhaps unexpectedly strenuous part of the journey, then you will still have a lot more energy than you do once you come off the hills completely, especially if you stop for a good sized break (and equally good sized lunch) between peaks.

That said it is amazing how much it all mounts up. My most peaks in one day was 3 (Carn nan Gabhar, Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain and Carn Liath in that order) and the first was fine, the second was strenous but doable but the third was an absolute killer, I was at that point I wanted to turn back but it made no sense to cause I would have had to climb 2 to go back the long way rather than 1 to go the short way! On their own though I don't think any of the 3 would be much cause for concern.

I'm sure with more experience I would also get better at it but it blows my mind these people that do 5 or 6 as if they were mere speed bumps in the road.

So yes, look back in pride and anguish at the hills you have done and the pain endured but keep in mind that every hill you conquer makes you stronger and more abled for the next.

[Sgurr]

When I first started going with husband up hills, I went on strike after one, went to sleep in the campervan after while he cooked the dinner and hardly ever did them 2 days running. When I was 40 I decided that I would be dead by 60 if I didn't do something about my fitness and started cycling to work. Gradually built up, and for 70th birthday did the Auch 5, the set of 5 Corbetts behind Tyndrum. Practice does not necessarily make perfect, but it makes things a lot better in the long run. Just keep at it, and one day that second Munros might look possible

[BarryfromEK]

Well thank you all. I shall persevere. I enjoy climbing the hills, eventually I will go camping to be closer to them so I can just pop out the tent and start another. I'm in East Kilbride, so from there to Arrochar or Inverglas is only about 50 miles away. The munros are close at hand, its just very annoying climbing one, seeing the other one beside you, but your knackered so cant climb it. Ha ha. I was like that two weeks ago when I climbed Ben Ime and wanted to do Ben Narnain. When I came down Ime........no chance. The same when I did Ben Vane yesterday, came down and Vorlich.....no chance. One way around it would be to leave much earlier in the morning, get to the summit early, have a nibble and a long relax and then try a 2nd one. I shall get round to that eventually. I also find it a catch 22 with the weather, its roasting at the moment and I am sweating all my suntan lotion off and getting burnt, so I long for cloudy weather.......yet when its cloudy weather I cant get any decent views to take pictures. Im enjoying my climbing anyway. Thanks for all your responses

[Fife Flyer]

Hi Barry, I agree with most of the previous comments, the only way to get fit & increase your leg muscle strength is to hit the hills
When I first started this 'pastime' 20 years ago, I always had aching legs for the next couple of days and would walk in a very strange & stiff legged way, difficult to describe, but walking & especially going up & down stairs was really painful

Now that I am out almost every week, my fitness level has increased dramatically, I have also lost 8kgs in weight since the start of the year, who needs diets when you can have fun with superb views

Finally, where are your walk reports? Don't be shy, share your adventures with us

[IamAJMiller]

Hello,
My question my friends, is, does it get any easier...............please say yes!!!

It most definitely gets easier! A friend of ours always says "You don't get hill-fit FOR the hills, you get hill-fit ON the hills" basically meaning that there's little point going to the gym to train for hillwalking; just going hillwalking is the best way to train for it! As you do more and more you'll find you need less breaks, are quicker at moving up hill and can manage your breathing much better. As for sore knees going down, poles are a pretty good suggestion. I'm 35 years old and can get sore knees on the descents so I always carry a single pole with me to help with them. They're also good for moving fast over flat ground and uphill.

Ben Vane was one of my first Munros and I remember it being very steep. When I got back to the path I was pretty tired but as I had all day I decided to do Vorlich as well. At the 700m contour line I was cursing that decision as I was absolutely knackered out!! That was five years ago and, by comparison, in the last three weeks I've ticked off a round of five Munros in the Cairngorms and five Munros in Glen Etive, both in a day, as well as other smaller hill days. That last fact is half boast and half an example that it does get easier!

[nzt2011]

Knee braces are worth buying, they dont cost the world and give additional support. Poles a definite if you are struggling. Lighten the load in your rucksack as well. Also would recommend really good stretching before starting and youtube has some great videos for this. You will get used to it though, always found it takes a while and regular climbing to get your "hill legs". good luck

[jepsonscotland]

YES it does get easier.
You will become more"hill fit" by doing hills. We have all worked our way through it and it's worth every minute. It is hard and we all sweat off our suncream, get burnt, sore and are slaves to the weather. But a bad day on the hill, is always better than a good day at work.
I agree with all the tips you've had above and my suggestion would be plan your day via the GPS planner. This will give you an accurate picture of how steep or hard a hill is, where to plan rests etc. But importantly for you, it will give you the total ascent figure, so you can gauge your attempt before you set off.
I'm sure you'll be quite surprised at how quickly you progress to doing "rounds, some of them are quite close together, similar in height and invite multiple bags.
Get planning, check others' reports and have fun.
Good luck.
Chris

[Fiona Reid]

Yes, it definitely gets easier.

For my first few Munros I struggled to walk for about 5-6 days afterwards and walking down a flight of stairs at work was horribly painful. On more than one occasion I actually resorted to getting the lift down a single flight! Initially I'd do a hillwalk and then not go out for many months thus my legs never got used to it and so it hurt for many days afterward.

When I started hill walking I was reasonably fit from a cardiovascular sense - i.e. didn't get silly out of breath as I cycled to and from work and did a bit of mountain biking. However, the muscles you use on the hills are different and it's the downhills that really wreck your legs (quads and knees). I used to suffer from sore knees but found the more I hill walked the less of an issue they became. I think, initially my knees took a lot of abuse as my leg muscles hadn't got strong enough. These days I only get sore knees on monster days (>2000m) or something with a really rocky descent. I don't generally use poles unless I have a really heavy pack or anticipate a dodgy burn crossing.

Best suggestions for improving things would be:

* do some smaller hills first and build up slowly rather than knackering your legs and being unable to do anything for week afterwards?

* perhaps do a smaller hill on consecutive days so you get the same ascent as a Munro but over 2 days?

* do some of the easier Munros first? Most of the Arrochar ones start close to sea level thus involve a lot of ascent. Cairngorm, Glenshee, Drumochter all have high starting points.

* do you have any smaller hills local to you that you can go up in the evening? It doesn't need to be that high as you can go up and down multiple times. Say you find a hill with 250-300m ascent, you could do this once one night, if your legs are okay the next day then give it a day or two and go back and do 2 ascents etc. Might seem a bit mad but given the number of folks (including me!) current doing this for physio on Arthur's Seat in the centre of Edinburgh it's maybe not such a crazy idea.

* get out there more often, it does get easier, your legs will get stronger and more used to it.

* poles can help with knee pain, as can doing some strengthening exercises for your legs.

[barryt128]

im no expert m8 and couldnt walk the length of myself but i have a 300m accent local and climb it as much as i can to the point it actually gets boring but its paying off climbing the big hills is say there was no better way to get hill fit than climbing hills lawers range has a higher start point im planning a couple up there in the next few weeks if you fancy it let me know

[Pete and Esther]

Ben Vane is small but fierce and I certainly didn't want to climb anything else after it when I did it last year! It does get better - when we climbed Ben Vorlich this year I felt I could, if paid a large sum of money get up Vane as well . I have a dodgy left knee and I find a knee strap helps it is a blue and red one I get from Boots. With that and a walking pole I find I don't have problems any more.
We climb hills for fun so enjoy doing them at your own pace there will always be someone who walks faster or further than you and there's no need to compete.

[mrssanta]

oh and if it makes your life any easier, try P20 sunscreen, as it doesnt drip off when you sweat, and lasts all day!