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A rather urgent case of… I need to go hillwalking- now!!!, made me made pack my camping and hillwalking kit during Saturday afternoon. Packing my car is usually done in less than an hour, but this time I also needed to pack all my gear for an upcoming business trip on Sunday evening
. My brain was working overtime and I was hoping, that between thoughts of 'need to pack…tent, suit, ice axe, blouses, walking socks, perfume, laptop, work badge and sleeping bag', I would not forget vital things. It was certainly the strangest mix of clothes I had packed in a single outing in ages.
By 5pm I was finally ready and with a bag full of fridge leftovers, to be used for diner and lunch, I made my way towards Glen Etive for the first time this year. I was happy and officially started my own camping season of 2013.
I arrived by 8pm and even though a drizzle made the night a bit less welcoming, I was as happy as anyone could be…back to my beloved Glen Etive. I quickly put up my tent and even thought I had thought about a pint in the Clachaig, I felt rather unsocial. On the other hand the sound of River Etive was far more appealing than any band and so I enjoyed a pint in the tent while listening to the noises of the night.
When I woke up the next morning I realized, that the light drizzle which persisted through out the night had stopped and my tent was dry. At least I would be able to leave dry gear in the car, as I would not be able to return home to unpack after my climb.
While I put my kit away and searched for the walking gear, I realized that I forgotten to pack my map and Munro book argh! I did however had my GPS and I vaguely remembered, that there was supposed to take a track trough the forest at the bottom of Glen Etive.
On my way down the glen I passed a group of deer which lay right beside the road…I had seen sheep do that, but it was my first encounter with deer so close. I stopped and even with my radio blaring, the ‘dears’
did not shifted an inch and I was able to take some photos, while making cooing noises to attract their attention.
Using my GPS to guide me, I found a parking space, which was nearly empty-only only one other car had parked there. Guessing that this would be the starting point, I looked at my map, but was confused with all the different paths leading into the forest. Could there be another way? I got back into my car and drove along the road, but within a couple of miles it became clear, that I must have found the right place first time round.
I returned and got kitted up. There were 2 ways, one which lead into the forest straight from the car park and one leading towards the left. The left one was the right one and after a short time I got to the path I had seen on my map. I eyed up the path suspiciously, it seemed rather overgrown and within a few yards, I was in a thick overgrown rhododendron plantation with a barely there path. Checking my GPS, it said I was on a path…but from what I saw it was an old discontinued path.
Mmm I actually walked back again, but that seemed wrong as well, so at the end I just thought ‘hey it is a path’ and made my way up the forest. The sun was warm and soon I was walking around in my jumper. It was lovely and the smell of the forest with the crisp air an ideal combination. The path lead higher and before I new it, Dubh Chnoc came into view on my left hand side. Looking at my GPS the most logical way was to climb it, as it would lead me directly to Beinn Fhionnlaidh. Needless to say I realized at this point, that this was not the ‘official’ path, but I enjoyed the solitude of knowing I was alone.
- The strange looking path
- Close to Dubh Chnoc
- On top of Dubh Chnoc towards Beinn Fhionnlaidh
By the time I reached the top of Dubh Chnoc, Beinn Fhionnlaidh lay in front of my eyes and a trip across open moorland separated me from the mountain. There was even a rather faint path at times, which made me guess, that once in a while people use this way.
Looking up the mountain I hoped to find a path, but from the angle I had approached the mountain, there was none. My GPS had no reception either at this point, so I made up the path as I went and enjoyed the warm sun first time since begin of winter.
When I had climbed a good bit up the mountain, I had build up a good sweat and was wondering when I would finally see the top. It was a rather long approach and looking down towards my left, I suddenly saw 3 other walkers, who were on their return. I could not see the path they followed, but guess that the ‘official’ path must be down there and decided to use it for my return. I carried on and soon the snow covered top came into view. By that time I was crossing field of deep snow, which made the last bit pretty hard going. Climbing on I was soon in knee deep snow and got to the first real obstacle of the day, a small rock face covered in snow with a drop to the right. It looked rather dodgy and even though a pair of footprints showed me, that the previous walkers had climbed it, I decided that it was too narrow and opted for a bit towards my left which was equally steep, but missed the drop to the side.
- Crossing the burn
- Looking back
I got up ok and further along, was another scrambly bit, but that was all the excitement of the day. Close to the summit was a pretty big cornice and a steep drop right behind it. I saw footprint right along it and could only shake my head…no wonder accidents happen when some people are so careless and don’t realize that that they can be dangerous, but luckily no one had fallen. When I finally reached the top, 3h had passed since I left my car and not wanting to loose previous time…(after all I had a flight to catch), I only stayed to take photos and made my way down the hill soon after. This time I followed the footprints of the 3 walkers I had seen and soon found the path. OMG it was so much easier and I half hoped to have found it before, as it would have saved me time. I made my way down quicker than I thought and even had time for a late lunch…my grumbling stomach thanked me for it
. Looking towards Glen Etive, the beauty of the landscape was breathtaking. It wasn’t the lush green countryside of early summer, but the colours of beige, brown and grey after a long winter, were equally pretty. I was reluctant to leave, but I was short on time, so I packed my bags and made my way down towards the forest plantation. From the top I had seen a gap in the trees, which made me realize that there was a completely different way through the forest. Checking the GPS, I realized the path would make a big circle, but would finish at my car. Happy with the wide forest track, I followed it and was soon reunited with my car.
- The dodgy bridge
- The easy walk back
It was now time to unpack my car and repack my kit. There weren’t many people around (just as well) as the sight of an open suitcase, clothes, shoes,hill walking and camping gear everywhere on top and the side of my car, would have been a strange sight for anyone. Realizing that I had packed too many clothes for my business trip I had to downsize the gear and even managed to polish my shoes and boots
for good measure (as it saved me taking the shoe polish)
With rosy cheeks and windblown hair, I made my way towards the airport, still smiling when I climbed on board the plane…not caring how I must have smelled to others
as it had been a great 24h in the mountains.