Walkhighlands

The night before, Tuesday, the MWIS forecast for the Wednesday used words like “Considerably buffeting”, “Movement tortuous”, “Lightning” “Blizzards” & winds up to 50mph! In the pub (Taigh Ailean Hotel, Portnalong) everyone told me the In Pin would be cancelled – and I believed them. I kept the rendezvous on Wednesday at 08:00hrs but Geoff had gone home by this time. I only turned up to be polite and fully expected to be sent away again. But no – it was all systems go, this time with new companions including the guide, Graeme Paterson of Sky-Hi (http://www.skyehi.co.uk/)
The weather was pretty much as forecast – crap! For the umpteenth time this year I could tell I was on what would be a phantasmagorical walk/ climb on a clear day. Great walking, great views (at least at lower levels) great scrambling. Graeme was good company on the way up and I could tell he was checking us all out. An excellent guide; we all arrived at the foot of the pinnacle feeling confident and ready to go. Goodness knows why people, in the right circumstances, go ahead and do something which scares them half to death! Something their fear should make them quit! I don’t know how I did it but I did. Very scary, very exciting, very enjoyable. For the most part we were too apprehensive before the climb and too elated after it to get any decent photos. By the time we got back to the cars we were caught in the worst downpour I have ever seen in my life!

There are loads of good pictures of the In Pin on “Google Images” My own are below.













An utterly fabulous day out – it’s now Friday and I still feel a bit elated! I fully intend to do it again on a clear day.

(I’d recommend Graeme and Sky-Hi and also the Skye-Walkers hostel in Portnalong.)

Good to see someone else doing the Inn Pinn in less than perfect conditions. A hailstorm on the day Doogz and I did the dirty deed The same guide as well, Skye-Hi with the Magpie He will know what that means

Brilliant, well done E an D

Looks like the no-view weather might have been a bit of a blessing (not being able to look down ).



Read your other report too

Yes well done.....glad you had a great and exciting day to remember. We're heading up there in two weeks

Smashing stuff! Love the ghostly images

Well done One advantage of the poor weather is that you can't see the drop so not as nerve racking

Saw this on TV recently, that is an hell of an ascent in any weather - well done

Having watched the munro man TV programme recently and getting "sweaty palms" even just seeing the climb on TV it must've been a lot worse especially in those conditions - well done

T'riffic effort in those conditions . Also, good planning not leaving this til your last munro .

Not bad conditions to do the Inn Pin! Done it in similar conditions, although probably not as misty, and I was quite happy with that considering the huge drops on the north side of the 'blade'!

Congratulations! It must feel great to have conquered the In Pinn. We're going up there in a couple of weeks time to have a go and I can't decide whether I want it clear - with all that exposure - or nice and misty like your pics. But I would definitely prefer it dry and not too windy!

Looks very similar to the day that we did the Inn Pin!

I was also in your group, well the other 3 that went up first with the other guide. Am I in any of your hazy photos? We had four days of walking with Graham, he was great fun. Shame you didn't join us on the thursday, it was an equally interesting and exciting day!

Great effort in that weather,not too much better when alan s,jb likes a beer & me did this last year

sarahatk wrote:I was also in your group, well the other 3 that went up first with the other guide. Am I in any of your hazy photos? We had four days of walking with Graham, he was great fun. Shame you didn't join us on the thursday, it was an equally interesting and exciting day!

Sorry - I'm afraid my batch of pics, although perhaps "atmospheric", were basically a bit poor! I've uploaded the best of what I got.

Graeme was great right enough - I'm hoping to go up again soon with him on a better day.

best wishes,

Alastair