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We've recently taken quite a bit of battering: injured backs, knees, teeth, wrists etc. I was hoping, the endless string of unlucky incidents has eventually dried out, but not quite yet.
We were doing some Easter spring cleaning at home and Kevin used concentrated bleach to remove bacterial build-up from sink taps. A few minutes later, after touching the taps, I developed sudden allergic reaction to bleach - never had it before and I use the stuff regularly for cleaning! Ended up with nasty blisters on my hand, that looked like second degree burning. Yuck. Even the doc said he never saw such vile reaction to cleaning product before... Luckily, steroid cream and antihistamines did the job of calming it down, though I've become wary of any strong detergent and now I use gloves even for washing dishes. Madness
But it was such a lovely forecast for Saturday, that even with blistered hand I could not stand sitting on my a**. The knee is still not 100% recovered, but it felt good during the week. I still can't jog long distances (makes the knee sore) but I walked up and down Beauly hills a couple of times and it didn't protest, so I decided to give myself a good test on a PROPER mountain!
Since the accident I've been restricted to small hills and 3-4 hours walks, so I expected I must have lost some stamina and fitness. Therefore I didn't want to tackle Fisherfields or something of similar caliber... But a lovely, long ridge with views to kill for was right up my street. So we went for Mam na Gualainn
We had planned it last year in spring and even set on our way, but our old car broke down in Drumnadrochit and any hopes for Mam na Gualainn vanished. It took a year to try again, with new car and some new scars
The easiest way to reach the summit of this Corbett is from the west form Callert, using the old right of way, but this route hardly does justice to this magnificent mountain. We opted for official WH route and never regretted it - it was pure "mootin p*rn" despite patches of cloud here and there. So now to the story...
We stated from Kinlochleven (car park on Wade's Road) and followed West Highland Way for about 2 km. The dressing on my left hand meant I couldn't fit a glove over it, but soon it turned out, I needn't have worried
The sun came out strong in the morning and as we emerged from the trees, we were cooking. We stripped as much as we could (WHW p*rn???) and enjoyed the views, already shaping up nicely. Pap of Glencoe was a dominant feature at the moment:
A path in the forest:
As we gained height, we could have a good look at Kinlochleven itself:
WHW path took us up to a wider track (old military road) and as soon as we reached the junction, great views opened up in front of us, with the eastern end of "our" mountain crying out to us: come on, yellow bellies, try me if you dare!
WOW! I was already gobsmacked and it was only the very beginning of this mad day!
Pap and what we could see of AE ridge, fantastic blue sky, I smelled p*rn in the air
After about 1km on the track, we located the start of a stalkers path mentioned in WH description - it is marked by a small cairn, but is not very obvious to begin with and could easily be missed (162634). We had to lose some height to cross Allt Nathrach, but we were cheered up by the sight of a path zigzagging up the slopes of Beinn na Caillich:
This path is a bit eroded in places, but it makes things easier if you don't fancy steep, overgrown slopes!
We pushed our way up the path, not too fast as I knew I still was not up to my full capacity
We got overtaken by a few eager souls, God bless them, I'm not jealous. They might think, looking at this bandaged-over, slightly limping middle aged woman, sure she should be at home with her zimmer-frame
I don't care what anybody thinks, as long as I have views like that to look at:
After the first 300m of steep ascent, the angle eased off for a time being and we could see AE ridge again... Framed by Loch Leven:
The Mamoreswere so close, I could almost touch the tops with my hand... Here comes the infamous Devil's Ridge!
...and that's where WE are going today!
Distant Beinn a'Bheithir, sunny at the moment, but later on it gave us some lovely cloud inversion scenes:
The Mamores again - they are so close that it's difficult to take a good panorama!
Panther getting ready for the final steep haul, the ascent to Beinn na Caillich behind me. In winter conditions, this slope would require crampons & axes and could be potentially dangerous due to its steepness, but now, with only patches of snow left, we could tackle it, no problem:
The path zigzags up the steep section, we left it at some point to avoid slushy snow and simply climbed up the grassy slopes. My knee felt a bit too warm and I had to be careful where I placed my feet - any awkward twist would make me regret leaving home today
But it was worth the sweat and tears...
The steepest part is only about 100m of ascent...
...and once the job is done, one can take well deserved break to admire fantastic views around. East is pretty spectacular, with Loch Leven and Kinlochleven, framed by the steep mountains on both sides:
More distant hills make for a good panoramic picture: from Schiehallion to Lawers Ridge and Blackwater Reservoir:
Stob Ban:
I was eager to see what's on the other side!
Beinn na Caillich has two tops marked with cairns, the western one being the higher. We decided to take a proper break now, explore the summit area and enjoy the p*rn
Beinn a'Bheithir was now getting ready for the inversion spectacle:
Cloud gathering over the Mamores:
The true summit of "our" Corbett was still asleep under the duvet of mist:
We spent some time admiring the scary ridge to the south. Now, after the injury, it will take some courage to haul my bum up there...
Not the true summit just yet, but let's strike a pose. First new Corbett since October last year! 102 for me, 103 for Kevin, 18 for Lucy the Lamb:
The cloud playing games with mountain tops:
A couple of panoramic pictures:
One determined man... He wants the AE ridge and he wants it badly!
But before even considering the bad boy across the glen, we had to finish our much less dangerous, but just as beautiful ridge to Mam nan Gualainn. I must say, anyone doing this hill SHOULD do the whole ridge - otherwise it's cake with no cream
The Mamores:
Garbh Bheinn, our last unclimbed Corbett in this area. Looks tough - very steep. But we'll get around to it eventually.
Ehm.... where have I seen this view before? Looks familiar... let me think... I know - it reminds me of Am Bathach ridge!
It's a superb traverse with views to kill for and even though we saw cloud still lingering over the main summit, we were glad, we picked this particular mountain. It will go down in our diaries as a near perfect day on the hills!
More p*rn:
Beinn a'Bheithir cloud inversion:
Cloud closing in:
We climbed to the middle top (755m) and here we lost the views. The final traverse to the main summit was now uneventful, with careful navigation, and on top we found a round trig point and a large cairn. We sat for five minutes to drink some warm tea, but the cloud was stubbornly sticking around and we decided not to waste too much time, it was still a long way to go back!
On the summit:
WH description suggest picking a stalker's path down the northern slopes, but we couldn't find it in the clag, and to be honest we couldn't be bothered. It looked much easier to simply descent due west along Callert Lump and then to the top of the col, so that's what we did. Less steep as well, easier for my poor knee.
As we emerged from the cloud above the high pass, it felt like we suddenly landed in another world! World of gloom and grey:
There was some blue sky behind us, the remnants of the p*rn higher up:
We aimed for the large pile of rock in the middle of this picture. It marks the highest point of the col between Mam na Gualainn and Tom Meadhoin (which is a Graham and well worth remembering for another day).
Might not be AE yet but he's happy anyway:
As we descended, we noticed this wonderful bird circling above us. Too big for a buzzard, I think we spotted an eagle:
On the top of the col we picked the right of way - a good if a bit eroded path, which descends into the glen, towards Allt na Lairige Moire. The cloud was still sticking to the very summits of the Mamores, but weather was pleasant:
There is something majestic and spooky about the northern flanks of Mam na Gualainn, especially when clag cuddles the high tops.
Back in the glen, and now all that was left, the long walk on WHW back to Kinlochleven. We still had over two hours of daylight left and my knees felt fine, maybe a bit fatigue in general, but that's just the result of not being able to do heavy exercise for a while. I'll get back into shape soon. At the moment I'm all chuffed, I can do long walks with steep slopes and large amount of ascent without feeling any significant pain. Forget the burned hand, that's just a temporary inconvenience. My life is back on the right track!
We took our time, strolling back along the track. It was a lovely, warm evening and we had all the time in the world... Well, maybe not that much, but enough to spend some to photograph an old ruin:
Lost among the big hills - in my element again!
The sun was setting when we reached the descent path to Kinlochleven. I said to Kevin, that my feet felt more swollen than my knees
which was true for both of us. To be honest, it was first full-day outing since last autumn. We were tired, but it was the "good" tiredness. The kind that gives you satisfaction of a day well spent, of another milestone achieved.
Sunset over Kinlochleven:
Sunset over Pap:
The Moon says hello:
So it took us 8.5 hours to complete the circuit. Slightly longer than WH suggests, but we added about 1km to the distance by descending to the col rather than using the path. Plus over 1100m of ascent, some steep sections included. So not bad at all in perspective. When we started, I was worried I'd not be able to finish this, and it went much better than expected! I feel like meowing again!
I can really recommend this fantastic ridge for any mountain maniac - might be a long walk back but so worth it. If, like us, you pick a good day for it, you will be rewarded with "mootin p*rn" to remember forever!
