My first double!

[johnscot55]

A few weeks ago I attempted to do my first double munro, (Ben Vorlich and Stuc a Chroin) but let the fact I couldn't see any of SaC from the summit of Vorlich put me off. By the way, I'm not counting Beinn Ghlas and Lawers as a double, since Ghlas is pretty much on the way. Still determined to bag SaC, I returned, but this time decided to climb via Beinn Each. Shortly before the summit of Each I started to get a pain at the back of left knee, which was a new problem for me. Getting steadily more painful, and beginning to swell at the side of my knee, I reached the summit of Each, chickened out again and hobbled back to Loch Lubnaig. I think it was the right decision.
After a week of so I did Dumyat from Blairlogie to test my, by now, recovered knee and having no reaction started to plan my next walk. Not wanting to return to SaC yet again and looking for that double, I settled on An Caisteal and Beinn a'Chroin.
I set off at 09.30 on what was an already warm Monday morning. Over the style, through the tunnel and across the bridge then along the track till the second gate where I turned on to the flank of Sron Gharbh and began the stiff climb, gaining height steadily. After a time I saw a couple of walkers a good bit ahead of me, and along with another young lad I met a couple of hours into the walk who was heading back to the layby, they were the only people I saw all day.
Eventually I reached the top of Sron Gharbh where the track veers slightly left and soon brings An Caisteal into view.

An Caisteal comes into view

looking back at the A82

A great walk over Twisted Hill, a bit of a gully scramble, a final pull and the summit of Munro No.1 was acheived.

A very quiet summit of An Caisteal.

Loch Long in the distance.(please correct any geographical mistakes)

Looking back towards the cleft that is just before the summit.

Now I'm probably one of the slowest walkers on the hills (no wait, I'm not actually that slow WALKING, it's just the hundreds of stops I have to take to get my breath back that slows me down), so this had taken me 2 3/4 hours so far. All alone on the summit I wandered round, took some pictures, looked at Beinn a'Chroin and wandered if I had it in me to continue. For those of you who are hill hardened veterans this may seem a " no brainer", but to the less experienced (and fit) sexagenarian who had previously thought one hill would use up that day's energy, it required a little soul searching. I sat down, had my Snickers and packet of ridge cut crisps, for once totally guilt free on this calorie burning walk, and decided I did.
By now it was getting hot (by Scottish standards), so off I set on the descent into the baleach between the two mountains, which involved some seated reverse scrambling and once there made my way past a small lochan and began the climb up to Beinn a'Chroin's ridge.
I have to say, at one point on this steep path/scramble I was presented with a slab of rock that I immediately thought was going to be beyond my ageing limbs, but I told myself it had to be done and carefully searching for good footing, managed to pull myself up and over and eventually popped up onto the ridge.

Popped up on Beinn a'Chroin. Looking down the glen.

Looking back at An Caisteal.

Ben Lomond.

Lonely lochan.

An easy stroll along the ridge, past a cairn and onto what WH says is the true summit of BaC, for my first true double Munro, and a triumphant cry of "YES". (Out loud, as there was no one to hear it).

Still on my own. True summit of Beinn a'Chroin. An Caisteal in the background.

More pics, a couple of Belvita biscuits, and I decide to push on to what is known as the more popular, but slightly lower, summit of BaC which involved a further drop in height and pull back up again.

More popular end ridge summit Beinn a'Chroin.

Summit selfie.

This one actually feels more like the summit. From here there are tremendous views back to An Caisteal and back down the valley towards the A82.

An Caisteal and the path to end ridge summit.

That's how to get back to the car!

In fact tremendous views of all the local recognisable mountains and mountains beyond that I would struggle to put names to, although I think I recognised the slab side of Ben Nevis in the distance.
By the time I left the summit of BaC, I was just a tad over 5 hours into my walk. Down the north facing side of BaC, eventually hitting the valley floor and crossing the stream and continuing on the west side. Unless I got this wrong, from here it seemed a mixture of bits of path and outright bog and eventually it didn't seem worth trying to go round the boggy bits, but just plough through them as fast as you can! Past the rock garden and onto the track and back to my car.

The rock garden. A dog with green hair?

It had been a very hot day and had taken me 7 hours which is just at the high end of the WH 5-7 hour estimate. All in all I was really pleased with, and enjoyed, my first Munro double. Feeling pretty chuffed with myself I headed off to the Londis in Crianlarich for a couple of cans of Irn Bru!!

[Coop]

Well in.
I like an Caisteal - need to get back on it ( it's only up the road as well).
Very soft and wet underfoot return. Like you say - just plough through it.
Older we get - the more we have to tape our bodies up. Hope the knees are ok .
Cheers