summit attempt; outsiders perspective
Posted: Sun May 05, 2019 9:04 pm
I set out for my first walk in the Highlands from the Crianlarich train station in good spirits at 12.30 in the afternoon on Saturday May fourth. My plane from the United States had landed earlier that morning and I felt pretty good, so I went for a walk. I noticed that other walkers on the train wore sturdy hiking boots. I thought they were a little over prepared and felt confident in my decision to wear lightweight running shoes. After all, I've walked and jogged several hundred miles and even above 3000m in my trusty running shoes over the years. I figured that these Highlands people just needed to loosen up a little bit and switch to running shoes.
I sauntered along in the finest tradition of John Muir up the gravel roads leading to the forest and Grey Height; soaking in the newness of my first walk in the Highlands. A cheery fellow-walker blew past me just before the power lines. I assumed he was an experienced Highlands walker and that all Highlands walkers are fast. Also, he wore sturdy hiking boots. "Overprepared" I thought and again reflected on hundreds of miles in my running shoes. I considered switching to a jog to keep up with him, but it seemed a pity to run on such a beautiful afternoon.
Upon turning left off the road and into the forest, I took 2 steps and was shocked to find water, literally water, just under the grass and vegetation. This blew my mind. In the American Southwest, where I'm from, we don't have water flowing in the ground and under the grass. What little water we have is generally confined to obvious stream or rivers. To draw from Frank Herbert's Dune: in this moment I felt like someone from the planet Arrakis stepping onto the planet Caladan for the first time. I had never seen nor conceived of such a thing as ground saturated with water everywhere--even on a sloping mountain side.
Suddenly the hiking boots made much, much more sense! My light running shoes, with their open mesh for ventilation, were clearly the wrong choice. I carried on in wet shoes. The temperature was about 7 C and I figured that as long as I kept moving I'd be ok.
Once I left the forest, the ground dried out a little but was still waterlogged in many places. I eventually summitted Grey Height and carried on to the last rise on the ridge toward Cruach Ardrain. My fast hill-walking buddy was about 20 minutes ahead of me and 1/3 of the way up to the summit. I had to catch a train, so I turned around. A few snow pellets fell on the way up and wind picked up considerably blowing out of the northwest. I'd brought the right gear to keep warm, obviously except for the shoes. The views were stunning. The browns, greys and blacks on the step hillsides created a magical landscape that I won't soon forget. Dinner at the Rod and Reel was a wonderful finish.
My feet stayed wet all the way down and then all the way back to Glasgow on the train. All in all, I had wet feet for about 6 hours. Lesson learned.
A delightful day in the Highlands. Everything I'd hoped it would be. Beautiful mountains, great environment, delightful people. Taking the train to a trailhead and then eating a good meal after a long walk were novel treats. Next time I'll wear hiking boots and I'll read the route description here--which clearly states: "avoid the forests on the way to Cruach Ardrain from Crainlarich."
I sauntered along in the finest tradition of John Muir up the gravel roads leading to the forest and Grey Height; soaking in the newness of my first walk in the Highlands. A cheery fellow-walker blew past me just before the power lines. I assumed he was an experienced Highlands walker and that all Highlands walkers are fast. Also, he wore sturdy hiking boots. "Overprepared" I thought and again reflected on hundreds of miles in my running shoes. I considered switching to a jog to keep up with him, but it seemed a pity to run on such a beautiful afternoon.
Upon turning left off the road and into the forest, I took 2 steps and was shocked to find water, literally water, just under the grass and vegetation. This blew my mind. In the American Southwest, where I'm from, we don't have water flowing in the ground and under the grass. What little water we have is generally confined to obvious stream or rivers. To draw from Frank Herbert's Dune: in this moment I felt like someone from the planet Arrakis stepping onto the planet Caladan for the first time. I had never seen nor conceived of such a thing as ground saturated with water everywhere--even on a sloping mountain side.
Suddenly the hiking boots made much, much more sense! My light running shoes, with their open mesh for ventilation, were clearly the wrong choice. I carried on in wet shoes. The temperature was about 7 C and I figured that as long as I kept moving I'd be ok.
Once I left the forest, the ground dried out a little but was still waterlogged in many places. I eventually summitted Grey Height and carried on to the last rise on the ridge toward Cruach Ardrain. My fast hill-walking buddy was about 20 minutes ahead of me and 1/3 of the way up to the summit. I had to catch a train, so I turned around. A few snow pellets fell on the way up and wind picked up considerably blowing out of the northwest. I'd brought the right gear to keep warm, obviously except for the shoes. The views were stunning. The browns, greys and blacks on the step hillsides created a magical landscape that I won't soon forget. Dinner at the Rod and Reel was a wonderful finish.
My feet stayed wet all the way down and then all the way back to Glasgow on the train. All in all, I had wet feet for about 6 hours. Lesson learned.
A delightful day in the Highlands. Everything I'd hoped it would be. Beautiful mountains, great environment, delightful people. Taking the train to a trailhead and then eating a good meal after a long walk were novel treats. Next time I'll wear hiking boots and I'll read the route description here--which clearly states: "avoid the forests on the way to Cruach Ardrain from Crainlarich."