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And so, the end is near, and so I face the final Corbett..
..
Two or three years back, nearing the end of my third round of Munros and Corbetts, still with about 50 Grahams to do for round two, I came up with the idea that it would be nice to finish all three rounds on the same walk. There are a number of options for doing a "triple completion" like this: where there's a Munro, Corbett and Graham in relatively close proximity: from what I had left at that point, Torridon was the best option, or maybe the only option, with Maol-Chean Dearg, An-ruadh Stac and Beinn na h-Eaglaise the suitable candidates. But then I got to thinking that it would somehow be more fitting if I were to make it three third rounds...that would necessitate not only finishing the 50 or so second round Grahams I had left but doing another full round of 219*. Allison would be thrilled
(*It wasn't long after making this decision that Alan Dawson decided to "re-brand" the Grahams and include a dozen new hills all short of the original 2000ft qualification height. That made me a little **** - however the SMC took a position of retaining their "Grahams" list as those over 2000ft - ie the original 219 hills. That helped me decide: I would stick to my original plans, "pretendy-Grahams" be damned. That decision was tested last summer when we went to Harris/South Uist and I chose not to re-climb Thecla when we were doing the "proper". Grahams.)
Slowly we, or sometimes me on my own, got round the remaining hills. Skye and the three Munros there I needed: Gillean, Am Basteir and the In Pinn, became something of an obstacle - every date we had lined up with our guide last year turned out to be in unsuitable weather - that is until Paul suggested the first weekend in September '23 which was indeed a beautiful weekend, but also the date of my son's wedding. Same thing this year - we had booked him for mid-May on another perfect weekend: this time it was he who couldn't manage as he was ill: we looked over to the Cuillin from where we were scrambling on Rùm that weekend and thought we were never going to get these hills done. Several more dates cancelled mostly due to the high winds this year then bang! one day with a weather window and they were done...
As far as I can tell, from scrutiny of the SMC "compleators" list, only two other people have finished three rounds of Grahams - the wonderful Bert Barnett, who has done three "Full Houses" and Bill Forbes who finished his third Graham round earlier this year. We met Bert at Scoob & Fi's MARHoF hill celebration some years back; we met Bill between Beinn Mhor and Bheag on Cowal last year. Neither had completed their Munros/Corbetts/Grahams in one outing. So it looked like I would be the first. Over the months I had become increasingly certain that something consequential would happen when I touched the cairn of my last hill. I might be pulverised into atoms by a bolt of lightning, or angel wings would sprout from my back - you know, that kinda thing
Three is a number with much significance in spiritual matters and this would be thrice times three!
"The number 9 signifies divine completeness"
"The number nine is used in scripture to establish the man or woman who is complete in the grace of God in the fullness of the power of God. This man has been perfected and prepared to be a vessel of honor before being divinely completed by God."
And of course - the hill I had chosen to finish on was Beinn na h-Eaglaise, the hill of the church!
Sometimes I do get a bit carried away
So on Tuesday 13th August we set off to do the (very) long awaited completion - it would be the finish of Allison's second round of Grahams as well as my triple, so we both had something to celebrate. We drove up to Coulags from Kintail, parked up by the bridge and set off to do a walk in, leaving the actual completion for the Wednesday - not because of any special numerical significance but because the weather was meant to be a bit better
Tuesday's wasn't great. We had hopes to be able to camp somewhere around Bealach a'Choire Ghairbh, between MCD and ARS. Rain threatened and it was properly windy. We stopped in at the Fionnaraich bothy for lunch - it was playing host to a party of American walkers who had walked from the Torridon Hotel and would be picked up at Coulags and driven to Skye. I suggested they avoid the Fairy Pools
IMG_2923 by
Al, on Flickr
We pressed on and the threatened rain began - howling down around us as we started up the path to the bealach. We met a couple on their way down (Hi Kirsty & Andy) who were soaked through but glad to be out, they'd wondered if they'd see any other crazy folk out today and met us. Yes, crazy
They did mention it was meant to be clear overnight, with a chance of the Northern Lights. For a short time I amused myself with the thought of going up MCD after midnight, by head torch, and having the completion bathed in the glow of the Aurora Borealis...
We arrived at the bealach having been almost blown off our feet numerous times by gusts which must have been in the 60-70mph range. I thought we might get a camp spot by Loch a'Cabhaig, which lies a bit lower than the bealach, but the wind was just screaming down from MCD, roughing up the loch surface, flattening the grasses. We climbed back up for a desultory look around the few grassy spots at the bealach itself, resigning ourselves to returning to the bothy for the night, when Allison found a spot with just enough shelter to risk a pitch. It was a wild night, but we didn't get blown away. Nor was it a clear sky - clag, wind and rain: no Aurora or indeed moonlight completion.
We decided we'd leave the tent pitched at the bealach whilst we did MCD and ARS and set off just before 8am to do the Munro Completion. It was dry, but the upper section of the mountain was still in clag. It seemed an unnecessarily long way to the summit and I was in a quite grumpy mood by the time we arrived there. Third round Munros! Yeah!
Third rounds of Munros are pretty common, nothing to get excited about, even if it will be my third and last round of Munros (see previous post re Skye).
About to set off
IMG_2924 by
Al, on Flickr
View over to ARS
IMG_2925 by
Al, on Flickr
Totally thrilled to have done 3 Munro rounds
IMG_2927 by
Al, on Flickr
Pretending for the camera
IMG_2929 by
Al, on Flickr
We headed back down over the boulders and set off up An-ruadh Stac. Last time we'd taken quite a scrambly line up this hill - today we opted for the more sedate path that is visible most of the way up, with helpful cairn markers. As we neared the summit not only did the clag fail to lift, but the rain came on too. Excellent - at least we were having typical completion weather. Third round of Corbetts - well - less common than Munro multiples, seven other people listed as doing three, with a couple (including Bert) having done four. I recalled Bert talking about being irked that someone had beaten him to be the first person to finish four Corbett rounds. Anyway, my spirits were still a bit on the grumpy side, but we had the main event to come. We headed back down to the bealach and had lunch at the tent before taking it down and setting off on the track round the west side of Maol-Chean Dearg. Never been down here before - pretty views, now that the weather was improving, a great view of Beinn Damh and MCD looked quite a different mountain from this angle too. The path was fairly boggy - some tadpoles still swimming around in puddles - is that usual for August?
IMG_2932 by
Al, on Flickr
Corbetts x3
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Al, on Flickr
Just lovely weather
IMG_2934 by
Al, on Flickr
On our way down ARS and of course, MCD is clear now
IMG_2935 by
Al, on Flickr
Eventually we could see the recumbent form of Beinn na h-Eaglaise ahead of us, the serrated form of Liathach glowering behind it. We left the track, crossed some boggy ground between the lochans then onto nice sandstone slabs for the ascent. I'd say this is the best approach up Beinn na h-Eaglaise - steady, missing out on the multiple terraces you encounter if you approach from the west/Coire Roill. Soon the summit was in view. The actual peak is on a small outcrop SE of the 737m spot height - I'd scoped this out when I was here last time and rebuilt the cairn which looked as if it had been demolished by Alan Dawson on a measuring visit. I was pleased to see that my previous efforts had not been in vain and the cairn I'd rebuilt was still standing. I sent Allison off first to complete her second round - only the third woman to do two rounds of Grahams. Then I approached the cairn myself with a mix of tranquillity and excitement. No sudden celestial thunderbolt! No sprouting of feathery appendages from my back (yet) or halo forming around me...well perhaps special powers have to be approved by the appropriate divine committee and take a wee while to be enacted.
Beinn Damh
IMG_2939 by
Al, on Flickr
Eaglaise
IMG_2940 by
Al, on Flickr
IMG_2943 by
Al, on Flickr
Sgorr Ruadh, Fuar Tholl & MCD
IMG_2945 by
Al, on Flickr
Torridon. Not a bad place
IMG_2947 by
Al, on Flickr
Allison's completion
IMG_2948 by
Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
That 3x3 moment
IMG_2951 by
Al, on Flickr
We sat at the cairn and poured a wee whisky (I'd deemed it too dangerous to have a dram at either of the previous summits - it didn't bear thinking about having a tipsy tumble on the boulderfields and failing to get the triple completion done) and drank in the wild beauty of the Torridon landscape. The sun had come out, the mountains were beautiful and I had finally made my 3x3. I felt comfortable, relaxed, satisfied. It had taken one week short of twelve years to get these hills done, from our first outing on Goatfell in late August 2012, followed by our first Munros Narnain and Ime the next week. I thought through some of the places we'd been, things we'd done, sights we'd seen. Memories that will live with me always.
IMG_2953 by
Al, on Flickr
After a time we made our way back down to the track. Allison had suggested that rather than return the way we'd come, we continue on the track and follow it round Loch an Eoin and back to Coire Fionnraich that way. Which was lovely - we both thrilled to some new perspectives on the surrounding mountains and I managed to resist the temptation to nip up Meall Dearg, an undone Simm. Such trifles were not for today. We met a couple of Antipodean girls hiking the other way and decided we'd see if the bothy was a possibility for the night, as the forecast was for more rain and strong winds. Not another soul about when we got there, which was as unexpected as it was welcome. A celebratory meal of Huel (nothing fancy) but a nice big pack of fancy crisps to share, plus another couple of wee goldies.
IMG_2957 by
Al, on Flickr
IMG_2958 by
Al, on Flickr
IMG_2959 by
Al, on Flickr
So that's the tale of the triple-triple. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to do it, and now have nothing specific in my "goals" section regarding the hills. Well maybe getting to 2000 Simms. And of course helping Allison along the way to finish her third rounds of Corbetts and dare I say, Grahams. And on that note I have decided that this will be the last Walk Report that I'm going to write - three separate Weaselmaster reports on each Munro/Corbett/Graham is way more than enough already. Thank you, dear reader, for reading these outpourings over the years, which have, I hope, been of occasional use to others planning their own walks
IMG_2974 by
Al, on Flickr.
