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We eventually managed to muscle our way into a corner of the Ben Wyvis car park around 1:45pm. Having just bagged Ben Klibreck and journeying up there overnight to get the Far North Munro, we knew tiredness would be an enemy as we assaulted Ben Wyvis.
We got re-booted and re-suited and were ready to walk by 2pm, Fiona felt this one was maybe a step too far, so she would wait for me, Wullie and Jim in the car and try to grab some kip.
As we made our way up through Bealach Mor the weather gods threatened to heap misery on us, blobs on rain splattering us, but with grim determination we kept on heading towards An Cabar.
Thankfully it didn't last long, but as we approached the beginning of the Wyvian Staircase, I had to stop. Streams of people passing on their way down, wondering why I was finding this supposedly straight forward munro so tough! I pulled my bag off my back and munched down a biscuit boost and half a bottle of lucozade sport.
While I ate, Jim and Wullie battled their own tiredness and hill demons, trying to stop them from getting up their second complete munro of the day, so they kept on walking slowly uphill.
The burst of sugar did the trick and I had soon caught back up with Jim on the main part of the boulder staircase, then I found Wullie waiting patiently on us a bit further up. As Jim approached he declared that he was "a burst baw, nuhin left in the tank."
I told him to try the sugar burst trick and Wullie said he'd wait with him, while I took advantage of the Sucrose Surge rushing through system. Agreeing to meet them at the summit of An Cabar, I headed on up the staircase.
On and on it heads up, the only break in the monotony, the stunning views out to the west. Views of the Beinn Dearg group and of the Fannich munros.
The staircase last until nearly the top of the steep slog up on to An Cabar and the final section of the path is badly eroded.
What had looked like the summit was, as usual, that cruelest of cruel tricks, the false summit!
At the false summit the gradient greatly eases off and the big cairn at the second false summit can be seen, another cruel trick for an overly tired body.
However, the real summit is a matter of only yards behind this one and the cairn contains a plaque containing information about the conservation projects trying to restore Ben Wyvis' natural balance, from literally under the boot of man.
I waited here for some minutes on Wullie and was delighted to see Jim, grinding up the hill just behind him. The back of the hill was broken, from here a gentle 100m climb across and undulating plateau like ridge.
From here it was easy to see the damage done to the summit area of this hill by man. So we kept to the main track, as requested and made our way wearily across the ridge. Over one bump then, up to Glas Leathad Mor, passing more examples the regeneration going on, on this hill.
Soon we were at the top, success!
We practically ran back down the same path as we ascended, we were the last people off the hill for the day and sun came out to welcome us back to down to the car park.
We then made our way back along the road to our makeshift campsite, by a deep layby on the A835 and to enjoy a cool beer before a deserved long lie, before the looooonnnggg drive home to Falkirk.
....well if the midges would let us!
