
So 8 on Easter Sunday morning, we set out up the tourist path up Nevis, the mist just a couple of hundred metres above our heads.

There wasnt a breath of wind though, and I'd soon worked up a sweat.. Even with 5 days worth of supplies, only 1 group of guys doing the snowdon/scafell pike/Nevis 3 had passed us, and it took us only a little over 3 hours to make the summit, so despite the clag, we were in high spirits. It was misty, but it wasnt too wet at that point, although there was plenty of hard packed snow at the top. We sat in the hut, and ate some easter egg.. I was thinking about last year when I ate my easter egg sitting at the point of the Stuic


We tromped off accross the snow, and found the line of posts down to the arete after a slight navigational error (well we werent really navigating, just following some footprints


We ventured on along the arete, the way forward being somewhat unclear in the clag.. a couple of wrong turns were taken in amongst the boulders, but we didnt go that far wrong at any point, and the way forward became clearer the further along the ridge we went.

The alternating snow and rain never stopped from then on, but at least it wasnt windy. Unfortunately though, the fall had shredded my waterproof troos up a bit and water was running down my sodden right trouser leg, and into my boot - chilly! So hardly any time was spent at the summit of Carn mor Dearg and as we picked our way down to the coll, we spoke about camping up to warm up. It was almost 4, and I didnt think we would make it over Aonach beag and mor afore dark anyway. We chose a spot just below the bealach, but the wind got up and A wanted to move so we packed up and headed a bit further down the glen toward Steall. We found a more sheltered spot just nae far down, but A suddenly said he didnt want to stay and wanted to walk out! I couldn't believe it.. He was just saying that it was too cold and wet to stay out.. I know it was bad weather that day, but thats the weather I was kind of expecting, so i couldn't understand what the problem was. Anyway, he left and then I was all on my lonesome, just like always. I pitched up and got cosy.. Still the precipitation continued.

View from campsite 1
Day 2, I woke up to find out I was in a lot of pain and could hardly move! I had a few nasty purple swollen bruises, which alone would of been alright, but I was aching all over, and couldnt even take a deep breath really.. I knew I couldnt manage my pack, so resigned myself to just lying there comfy and cosy for the day, chain drinking cups of tea, dozing, and watching the snow line go up and down. A lot had fallen overnight.
About 4 in the afternoon, I awoke from a doze feeling a whole lot better, so i went out for a wander up and down the glen.. The knee was still sore on rotation, and if I squatted i couldnt get up again, but it wasnt sore all the time, so I cooked dinner and thought about the hills of tomorrow.. I was asleep again not long after dark.
Day 3, I was up early, to find the tent was crispy - the snow line had caught up with me








I worked my way up Glen Nevis, but was making very slow progress snaking through the bog on the rubbishest path ever.. At dinnertime, I was right at the top of the glen, where the river forks into 2 tiny streams. I decided just to camp up as I found a really nice spot. I had realised how slow mobility was in the glens, and wanted to be right where I could start ascending tomorrow.

Day 4 I was up and out of the tent early in the morning. there had been a fair bit of hail overnight, which had woken me up a few times




I found a path as the going got steeper which meandered its way up the hillside in a very pleasant manner. I skirted the steepest rocky part of the hill and eventually found the picarious path zigzagging through the rocks to the summit. As I sat at the cairn (the shelter was full of snow) I saw a massive avalanche across the glen on the steep side of Stob Coire an Laogh in the Grey Corries.. Scary stuff, its not a sight I will forget!



So I picked my way carefully down, and looked at Binnein Mor.. It looked impenetratable with a huge rocky buttress on one side, and deep drifted snow on an impossibly steep slope on the other



I took the windie path across the glen to Sgurr Eilde Mor, which was a steep sweaty climb, even in the snow. As I ascended the steepest last bit, the mists came down and the hail started



Day 5, was a beautiful morning, and I could tell it was to be a scorcher for the time of year. I didnt know how long the walk was going to take as there was still a few miles of boggy glen to negotiate before a track started, so I set off as early as I could.


The bog wasnt that bad, and I made it down to Luibeilt in a little over an hour. I stopped for brunch in the copse of trees beside the ruin and had a wee snooze in the sun before heading down the track, which had a lot of huge deep puddles to negotiate. The trot past Loch Eilde beag and Mor passed in a flash, and I took frequent breaks to enjoy the sunshine, and ease my sore shoulders. Before long, I was on the hill above KLL and a fabulous vista had opened up.


The path down was steep and badly eroded, but I made it into the village for 1PM, where I got the bus round to my mates in Ballachulish.
Not the trip i had planned, but I've come home feeling like i havent been to work for weeks, so good job there I would say.
