Frodo Baggins Heads For Mount Doom

[thehawk_3]

I started off from the North Face car park at Torlundy on a beautiful morning but the midges were out in force, so it gave me a chance to try out my new can of smidge for the first time and I was quite pleased with the result. This walk was going to be a bit of a test for me, if I could face the arete then I reckon I could face some of the classic walks that expose you a bit later this year. Though I am finding it increasingly difficult to find walking companions as most of my friends just dont get it why I do it and my normal walking companion prefers long distance rather than height, hence today I would be on my own. I headed up through the forest towards the Alt a' Mhuilinn stopping to admire the views back down towards Fort William through the tree breaks.

Looking Back Towards Fort William

After a short while I emerged from the treeline and got my first view of the big chaps north face looking up to Coire Leis. I can hardly find words to describe my thoughts looking up towards the clouds that were hiding the tops of both Munros. That is where the title of the report came from as I felt like Frodo Baggins heading for Mount Doom

Looking Up Towards Coire Leis

I carried on towards my destiny and left the path between Carn Mor Dearg and Carn Meadhonach Dearg and after the upwards slog I found the path and carried on to reach the cairn of Carn Mor Dearg,

bye this time the cloud had lifted from CMD but the big chap was still being a little shy. I got myself settled down next to the cairn to have lunch and was soon joined by a new friend. A little snow bunting sat next to me about 3 feet away and flirted round about me for the next 20 minutes with absolutely no fear of man. Soon it was time to get on the move and face the arete.

What was I getting uptight about I just loved it scrambling over the big rocks and stayed on the top for almost all the way. Then before I knew it I was over and I must admit feeling a little tired by now, but I now owned the bragging rights. Then came the boulder field, the sting in the tail, who put these ******* boulders here.

But I soon crossed them and came over the top and saw the hobbits house and the trig point sitting surrounded by snow and more people than I have ever seen on top of a mountain, so I did not hang about too long and headed down the tourist path dodging past people on the way down and what looked like queues of people coming up. Once I got to the lochan

I headed in the opposite direction towards the Alt a' Mhuilinn again and was back in the north face car park about an hour later, tired but elated, definately my best day on the hills yet.

[Johnny Corbett]

Good stuff and good day for it. It's allways the same you read about certain walks get all uptight then you get there and wonder what all the fuss was about