I must say, I had doubts about tackling the Forcan Ridge, and mainly because of Kevin. He had climbed the Saddle and Sgurr na Sgine in the past, but used "the cheaters way" and never tried the ridge itself. As I'm a Panther, not a cheetah, that route was absolutely out of question - for me it was all or nothing, so Forcan or no Saddle!
Recent reports on WH proved that this traverse can be fun and we decided to go for it, especially that weather forecast for the weekend was very good, dry and sunny. We drove to Glen Shiel, hoping for the best but ready for the worst
Our route:
The morning mist was lifting slowly from the hills when we drove into the deep cut of Glen Shiel. We parked on the layby nearest to the start of the path - just about managed to find space. The day was gorgeous and hoards of walkers headed for the hills!
An excellent stalkers path leads up to the col between Biod an Fhithich and Meallan Odhar:
Views are superb as soon as one gains some height:
We were full of energy and despite the temperature rising to slightly unpleasant level, we kept pushing:
Lots and lots of +50 factor, hat, sunglasses and long-sleeved top - may seem an exaggeration but for albino-skinned lass like me, better safe than sorry.
Very quickly, we reached the col. Here, the path turns left and skirts the summit of Meallan Odhar:
...but our attention was immediately drawn towards the spectacular view to the south. Our target. Forcan Ridge, though seen from an awkward angle, still looked imposing... and scary!
A glimpse west, Loch Duich could now be seen behind Gleann Undalain:
As we continued across the slopes of Meallan Odhar and higher up towards Forcan Ridge, even better views opened up, we could now count the sisters
Arghhh.....Uhmmm....Yyyy....
Is that our route to the summit?
We reached the point where the path divides and the "cheaters way" continues to the left, along an old drystone dyke. Another group of walkers passed us, heading to the bypass, but we were now so full of adrenaline and determination, that we didn't even consider the easier option. Even though the big rocks above us looked a bit daunting...
We took a short hydration break, I packed my camera in the rucksack so it didn't dangle in front of me when I scrambled. Kevin though, refused to put his camera away - he wanted to record the traverse!
The air was still hot, but a single, large cloud came in, offering us some nicely cooling shadow and turning the rock on the ridge very dark and gloomy Now, all that was left, say your prayers and let's go! may the Forcan be with you!
I discovered that the initial stage was more than easy for cat's paws...
...and the rocks were dry, easy to grab, offering good foot-and handholds wherever it was necessary to use four digits:
During short moments to catch our breaths, we enjoyed the northern panorama:
So far, so good. And where is that exposure everybody is always talking about???
Meow! I was in my element and I found out I absolutely loved it! My paws easily moved up the rocks...
...and as soon as we reached the minor top, we could now see Sgurr na Forcan and the ridge leading to this point. OK, this looked a wee bit more difficult, but come on! I uttered one f$% word, but a few seconds later, having had a good look at the route, I was smiling again!
It may seem bad, but this stage hardly qualifies as scrambling
From another angle, it becomes obvious, why. There's enough grass on this ridge to make the traverse easy:
We were still in the shadow of the single cloud, whereas the surrounding landscape bathed in sunshine:
North Glen Shiel ridge:
Right, it was time to move my pretty backside and climb on!
The Forcan Panther:
Not really a knife-edge experience just yet...
...until we landed on the top of Sgurr na Forcan. Till now it had been plain sailing. Here, we encounter the hardest and the most exposed part of the Forcan Ridge, including the awkward descent, which I named "the bad step":
Looking along the ridge from the top of the bad step:
The bypass path which can be used to avoid the difficult bit, but we didn't even think about it, just wanted to do it the hard way...
Another pair of walkers were just behind us and they looked confident - to be honest I didn't want to shame myself by trying the hard bit and then turning back - what a humiliation it would have been for a proud cat!!!
But just in case, I let Kevin scramble down first!
It took him a while to work out his way down the bad step - it is basically a vertical descent, about 10m down the rocks, but in dry conditions there are enough footholds to make this possible even for non-climbers. We didn't have a rope so someone would say we were a bit silly taking the risk, but where would be the fun in it then?
Kevin went down and then he guided me by showing me where I should put my feet. I scrambled halfway down and came across an awkward movement, where I simply couldn't reach the step Kevin had used - he is taller than me and has longer legs, so obviously he could stretch himself thus far. I could not.
Of course, going back was OUT OF QUESTION, so I examined the rock around me and noticed a tiny grassy step to the left of me as I was facing the rock. To reach it, I had to swing my body around a large boulder sticking out of the wall and so I went for it, relying only on the strength of my arms, you crazy woman, I thought, what the hell are you doing!!! But I landed safely on the tuft of grass. A few seconds later I was standing next to Kevin - he just gapped. Well done, girl - he said eventually - did you feel the vertigo?
He keeps referring to my fear for heights from the first years of our climbing together, sometimes just to remind me how far I have progressed. But this time he wasn't joking. Myself, I was surprised that I didn't feel any fear whatsoever. The only emotion that went through me as I hung halfway down the vertical wall, was that of frustration and anger that I could not reach the step Kevin reached!
I bet that experienced scramblers are now laughing their stomachs out, reading this description. Actually, seen from below, the bad step doesn't seem too hard at all:
From now on, the rest of the ridge was much easier and we headed for the summit with big smiles on our faces. Wow, what a day!
Forcan Ridge seen from near the summit of the Saddle, wit the bad step just below the top of Sgurr na Forcan:
Soon I was sitting on the summit of my Munro no. 101, gazing towards the south top and the trig point:
The summit of The Saddle is tiny with little space to sit down and take a break, so after a few minutes we moved on to the south top... Here, we had a long lunch break, enjoying the views and resting after the scrambling adventure!
Looking at the summit from the S top:
Close-up with a walker on the N top:
Sgurr na Sgine from The Saddle:
Beinn Sgritheall:
The Cuillin of Skye:
Ladhar Bheinn:
Looking NW towards Sgurr na Creige:
Pink Panther by the trig point
We had Sgurr na Sgine planned as well, so though The Saddle felt like a perfect place to sit and rest, we couldn't stay there forever. Reluctantly, we got up to continue to the second Munro, and only as we descended to the col, using the cheater's path, we could now see what we managed to conquer:
Scramblers on Forcan Ridge:
Forcan Ridge from below, with blue sky now above and more sunshine in the background!
It didn't take us long to reach the col and now all we had to do was the last ascent of the day, to the summit of Sgurr na Sgine. But first, another stop to record the landscape...
View south from the col:
Forcan Ridge reflected in Lochan Bealach Coire Mhalagain:
The climb from the col to Sgurr na Sgine can be divided into two stages, the first one being quite step and bouldery, but there is a path all the way up. We had to slow down though, mainly to save energy and water - the day was hot and we only had one bottle left...
One more effort - and we emerged on the ridge, half way between the Munro summit and the adjacent top of Faochag:
South Glen Shiel Ridge - the last set of Munros for me to climb in this area:
The last push was now only a matter of time, we climbed up to the rocky summit area...
...and in next to no time I was posing by the cairn of my Munro no. 102!
Kevin was only repeating these two Munros, so I'm on the best way to catch up with him!
Views from the summit - enjoy!
Back to Beinn Sgritheall and Isle of Skye behind:
Forcan Ridge in shadows again:
I was reluctant to leave this fantastic viewpoint... It was hot, yes, but there was also a nice, cooling breeze, and no midges at all (we encountered a few on Forcan Ridge, but they didn't really bother us that much). But it was getting late, so we packed up and headed for Faochag:
This ridge traverse adds another nice little touch to the route, like the final refrain in a long song
Views still superb:
Forcan Ridge like a chameleon - sunny again:
Along Glen Shiel:
On the top of Faochag, I sat on a rock and enjoyed my last minutes UP THERE...
The descent from Faochag was the least pleasant part of the day - steep slopes, eroded path, and at some point I stepped into a hole hidden in the grass and twisted my ankle - ouch! For a split second I was on the edge of panic, that I wouldn't be able to walk... Having gotten up I felt I was just about fine, a bit sore but l was able to finish the descent
A bit steep, watch your feet on the way down!
Views and views and views....
It was a relief when we reached the glen. Not much water in the river, so crossing was easy:
Finally, a short walk along the road and we were back in the car. Wow! I should rather say - an oven. Temperature inside: +54*C
What a day we had. One of THOSE days, another adventure to remember, and another milestone in my hill career turned. A few more traverses like that and I will be ready for Aonach Eagach
Honestly, I don't want to diminish the difficulty of Forcan Ridge, but it was much easier than I had expected. I was so happy to discover that the exposure of this one didn't bother me at all, so now it is a matter of confidence and physical strength - and I can certainly work on both Definitely, Forcan was with us that Saturday We didn't miss the opportunity on sunny Sunday, either, and we headed for the hills again, this time something much easier but with equally great views
We sweated out litres of water, got grilled in the sun, bitten by midges, chased by clegs, but despite all this, I couldn't stop meowing! TR to come soon 
