Easy going at Invervar

[luckyguy68]

I will start by stating that the 'easy going' part of my report is not reflective of the walk being a canter. Far from it in fact . I was aware of the length of the walk, distance and expected high temperatures and decided from the outset that i would take it easy. I enjoyed the scenery, took to many photos and spent at least twenty minutes at every summit basking in the sunshine and taking in the atmosphere .
I left Cowdenbeath at half six and was was booted up and ready to go by quarter to nine. On route i was taken away by some of the quaint little hamlets and thoughts of how the folks living in such a spectacular area must be living the dream The ascent to Carn Gorm was a toughie. The blood was slow in pumping the muscles though half way up i felt pretty warmed up and found the going a bit easier.

Carn Gorm

By the time i reached the summit of Carn Gorm the early morning mist had been burned away by the sun and there was barely a cloud in the sky. Took this opportunity to slap the sun cream on and drank what seemed like a gallon of fluids. For some reason despite taking a photo i have no evidence of the summit cairn at Carn Gorm. Anyway, i know i done it, so thats good enough for me .The views were pretty panaromic though im still a bit sketchy of the surrounding hills as i only took the WH route map.

The walk to Meall Garbh was short though energy zapping. This is the first i've walked in late spring on a hot day. I knew that the heat would be a factor so i was really in no rush. The summit surprised my as to how flat and barren it looked. I spent some time talking to a guy who was doing the route from the opposite direction. He had set off at roughly the same time as me but he was on his 3rd summit as opposed to my 2nd.

Meall Garbh

The only eventful thing to say on the walk to Carn Mairg was cramp. Whats that all about??. I had done streches before i had set off and was a bit scared for a bit as my left leg had a mind of its own i decided to stop on route to Mairg and had some lunch and an attempt at massaging the cramp away. Now i know what its like when the superfit footballers come down with it at the end of a long game.

Carn Mairg

The mighty Schiehallion

The WH route advises to head east to avoid the crags and general steep descent. I decided to head down the middle section as there was a clear path. I took my time and other than having to negotiate over a boulder field it was all pretty tame Like all the previous summits the views from the top of Creag Mhor were pretty special. I could have sat at the top all day it was that peaceful. I met a fellow walker at the top, we got chatting and decided to descend together as we were both pretty knacked. My morale was kinda in pieces when this retired gentleman informed me that he had done 4 munros in the Lawers ranger the day previous

Creag Mhor

The return journey was thankfully all downhill. Both of us had used up our water supplies, in my case a 2l platypus. I was surprised how much i drank and was concerned that if the walk had been any longer then i would have deydrated pretty quickly. I know the rule of thumb is 1/2 litre of fluids for every hour you do, but i underestimated the heat and length of the walk It was a welcome soaking in the fast flowing river close to the finish. All in all another cracking day. This was the first 4 boot walk that i've tackled and can appreciate the difference in difficulty from the easier munros. If i had the energy i would be back out today. Unfortunately i'm hobbling about like an old, but happy man

[monarchming]

Well done luckyguy! Your stamina will improve with time! Good pics and report

[mrssanta]

the thing to do is get out there and do another walk to loosen up

[luckyguy68]

the thing to do is get out there and do another walk to loosen up

Just in from an hours circuit of the local country park. I strangely feel rejuvenated!!