Walkhighlands

2 small words "in pin",3 years ago these 2 words meant nothing to me at all,but since I took up hillwalking,and started to read and learn more and more about "munro bagging*,and hillwalking in general,the very thought that one day I would eventually have to climb this if I wanted to do all 283 munro" would send a shiver down my spine,and break my head and hands out in a cold sweat.
Anyway 3 years later here I am on the night of fri 6th aug on Skye at the Old Inn Carbost with" alan s" and "JB likes a beer",the reason we are here is 2 fold no 1 to celebrate my son-in laws (alan s) 30th birthday and no 2 climb the "in pin" as mine and my lassie (Lisa) 30th birthday present to him,it would also be my 50th munro and "JB likes a beer" 60th munro (hence the heading)
After the long drive up to Skye we had a few beers and a crackin meal and then early to bed to relax and get ready for the climb on the in pin on sat 7th alans birthday,early to bed(i right never slept a wink,hyperventilating,cold sweats,hot flushes,nightmares,had the lot,in pin what am i doing).Up and ready early(v early) for breakfast,and try and force some toast down me without throwing up,and then wait for our guide (Paddy McGuire)to arrive,and take photo of alan "s with his nice wee badge on.
Before I go any further Paddy McGuire our guide,brilliant,superb,amazing,will always grateful to him without him none of this would be possible many,many thanks.Picked up at Cabost at 9am,and 20 min later all geared up and ready for the 2 hr walk up tp Sgurr Dearg,where we get our 1st view of the cullin ridge,Once we start walking you gain height quite quickly,and get some nice views over to Sgurr Alisdairafter a hour or so gammy leg walker takes up his usual position on the climb.
Once I got my 2nd wind and caught up,the next hour is brill with some nice easy grade one scrambling,on loose scree,wee chimneys and some v mild exposure,when suddenly out of all the mist this appears
The next hour or so is just a blur,trying to take in the scale of what confronts me,alan"s and JB likes a beer,this is when Paddy comes into his element,we gear up at the top of the ridge before the descent to the base of the"in pin"and rope up,Paddy explains cool and calm what he wants us to do and ,this takes 10/15 min I now just want to get this over with,Paddy ask who wants to go 1st ,it needs to be me,so forward I step 3/4 words to me and then of Paddy goes,and makes it look so simple,5 min later ok Willie up you come the 1st 5/6 moves seam finenext is me,alan"s and JB likes a beer 1/2 way upnext pic not so clear,you can just see me at the start of the 2nd pitch now the crux,the stat of 2nd pitch means you now need to climb out onto the small arete which is only 12/13 inches wide wher you then climb steeply,but quickly onto the wider summit area and now comes the summit picit probably took about 30 min for the 3 of us to reach the top,and now feel once Paddy sorts us out the ab-sail is next how bad a feeling is this,Paddy"s words(willie i want you to now turn round and walk backwards to the edge of the face and then plant your feet,and lean back till I tell you to stop bloody hell what a laxative this is1st time ive ab-sailed but once I got going found this quite enjoyable and before to long my feet were back on solid ground once I had got myself sorted managed to get a pic of alan"s and JB likes a beer ready for their turn.
Now it hits me to what we have done and try and get some pics of the "in pin" as the mist clears a littlenow time for a well errand rest and some lunch before we start back down to the car,on the way down tried to get some pics hope you like themon the way down I now start to reflect on the enormity of what"s just happened and find it hard to take it all in,some of you may find this report ott,but from my perspective this was something way beyond my wildest dreams,2/3 more pics on way downfind the 2 hr walk back to the car no problem whatsoever (wonder why) and in no time we are back in Carbost saying thanks once again to Paddy,then a quick shower,and let"s partyhad our dinner booked for 7.30 pm,so had a few beers to chill out,and then one last small surprise for alan"managed to get the whole pub to sing "happy birthday" to alan"s,even the Dutch,French and Italian people present in the bar .
Sunday was our last day on Skye(must be my favourite place on earth),drove down to the Sligachan Hotel and got some more pics of The Cullin"sbrilliant end to a brilliant 2 days on Skye,can"t wait till we all get back and try and climb more of the Cullin Ridge,and will most certainly use Paddy McGuire for any more guiding we may require when we return.PS I hope this report does not ramble on to much for people to read,enjoy.PPS I hope this report compliments alan"s repot

Great report mate
Hey i said no pictures of that badge

Good stuff gammy leg! Nice report and excellent wee pictorial montage!

Alan,no way was I was showing you with your badge,like I said I let you post your report 1st
Hi Graeme glad you liked my pictorial of our weekend away,if you use Paddy you will not be disapointed

gammy leg walker wrote:

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Just to be pedantic, the peak on the right is Sgurr a'Bhasteir. Bruach na Frithe isn't visible from Sligachan - you need to drive along the Drynock road for a few miles before Bruach na Frithe comes into view.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maccookie/3596166246/ - Bruach na Frithe on the far right.

Cheers,
Ewan

MacCookie I stand corrected many thanks

excellent couple of reports from alans and gammy leg - so helpful to see that my fear and panic will be justified when my In Pinn time comes

scotjamie,if I can climb the in pin anyone can

Thanks for the report! Shivering, sweating, spaghetti legs, a racing heart, that's what I get just thinking about In Pin. You've given me a tiny bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, I might be able to have a go at it one day and survive...

Mrs T do what we did get a guide,they are worth the cost and go for it

Great report...but im still scared stiff to do it...

Good report GLW,
Lol could you not crack a smile in your summit photo.

MT its all about mind over matter,if I can do it you can to


Sparra legs,2 smiles out of 3 aint bad

well done, i always think if i was to do all the munros this would be my last

gammy leg walker wrote:Mrs T do what we did get a guide,they are worth the cost and go for it

Wouldn't even dream of trying it without one! But am afraid that despite that I'll still freeze at some point. I still prefer the tactic of walking there, fainting at the sight of it, being hauled up the steep side when unconcious, opening my eyes for a couple of seconds (so I can say I've been to the top) before fainting again and being lowered back down...