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Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map bag

Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map bag


Postby railton22 » Sun Oct 05, 2014 7:11 pm

Route description: Creag Dubh, near Newtonmore

Fionas included on this walk: Creag Dhubh (Newtonmore)

Date walked: 25/09/2014

Time taken: 4 hours

Distance: 3.75 km

Ascent: 564m

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Attracted to this walk by the description of the rocky scramble at the start and thought that this would be a great opportunity to test our scrambling "skills" to see if we'd ever be up for a Cullin or two, ended up in our poor dog hanging from a wire fence by one painfully trapped paw and me having a trip to A&E .

The walk began at the "benched" layby with a climb almost straightaway that soon required all four limbs.
DSC02606creagdubhsm.jpg
Challenging in places (no piccies for those bits- too busy trying to hold on!) but good fun nonetheless

We did fine but doggyboy, Nudge, slipped off a couple of tricky slidey rocks and a helping hand was needed to boost him on his eager way. Really steep and rocky to begin with, with a few creative detours to continue our ascent.
DSC02607creagdubhsm.jpg
The dog struggled a bit with these tricky boulders and had to have a bit of help



As we scrambled higher and higher, the boulders gave way to tall bracken (and lovely hungry ticks) . Great views opening up nicely now.
DSC02609creagdubhsm.jpg
Views over Strathspey

Not sure what was worse, the steep bracken slopes or the shin splitting boulders. With the ascent came an increasingly strong wind and we struggled to keep our footing in places.
DSC02614creagdubhsm.jpg
Not yet at the fence and the bracken has given way to scratchy heather. But it does make for easier going




The fence is reached but a little tricky for our dog.

DSC02626creagdubhsm.jpg
A helping hand for the dog. Warning: do not take a dog that can't jump or is too large to be lifted over the fence.

DSC02627creagdubhsm.jpg
....and over he goes as all dog-dignity flies away in the wind


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Made it over the fence...the dog too. Much easier underfoot however a lot windier!


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Looking down to the Spey and towards Badenoch

Once we reached the ridge
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The path on the ridge.....on our way to the final ascent

and began to scramble up the first steep side
DSC02622creagdubhsm.jpg
Another steep section as the ridge is approached. Easier underfoot but the strong winds make it difficult to keep upright

disaster struck as the map bag which was in Alice's possession was ripped from her neck by a particularly fierce gust of wind and flew off in a NE direction across the mountain.
DSC02631creagdubhsm.jpg
It was here on the last steep climb that the wind ripped the map bag from Alice's neck


We spent 20 mins looking for the map bag but no joy.....and we returned to the rocky ridge path and our ascent to the summit cairn.

DSC02634creagdubhsm.jpg
Hubs at the summit cairn with his trusty GPS....but no map bag

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Alice mourning the loss of the map bag

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Me and my furry fella at the summit cairn


Hunkered down out of the wind for a rather cold lunch stop

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"Biscuit" Non nom nom

DSC02650creagdubhsm.jpg
If I do the saddest, sad face on National Sad Face day and do my best "beg" I may get ANOTHER biscuit





and then dropped straight down from the ridge to a plateau below which ended 30mins later with David triumphantly clutching the blow-away map bag in a spot not 30metres from where it had been torn from Alice's neck. Result!
DSC02668creagdubhsm.jpg
Big smiles now the map bag is found!


Walked back up to the ridge and got back on track to continue our descent as per the WH's route.
DSC02657creagdubhsm.jpg
Alice and Nudge ahead on the ridge descent with lovely views over Badenoch and Strathspey once again on our descent
All peachy until the point when the ridge ran out and we found ourselves corralled between two wire fences. The three of us stepped over quite easily (in the absence of a stile) leaving Nudge to last so that he could show off his impressive jumping prowess to the camera.

DSC02678creagdubhsm.jpg
The two top wires sprung together firmly trapping the back paw which is sat on the wire in this piccie. Camera hurled to the floor and the all on rescue began


Huge trauma as Nudge caught a back paw painfully and firmly between the top two wires (mercifully not barbed) of the fence. He tumbled groundwards being suspended horribly by his one trapped paw and yelping in anguish.

We all rushed in to help him with me and David trying to pick him up to prevent his leg from breaking under his body weight. Alice tried to prise the trapped paw free but our poor dog was firmly trapped. David then took on the task of freeing our sorry boy with me and Alice holding him aloft. David's strength did the trick and our blood-soaked Collie stopped yowling and bounded off free with nary a hobble but not before peeing down my right leg whilst I was helping free him.

With Nudge free and his paw intact we puzzled at where all the blood was coming from. The adrenaline wore off and an incredibly painful puncture wound in the side of my middle finger soon answered that. It would seem that our gentle soft boy who in his terror had snapped out at me in my attempts to help him. Covered in blood and smelling of dog urine I got some 1st aid in the form of a waterflush , a sticky toffee and a hanky wrapped around my wound.

Next stop was the brilliant Aberlour Flemming hospital where a fab nurse gave me a much needed Tetanus shot.
DSC02683creagdubhsm.jpg
Map bag and dog (now smiling) both back down and safe. Who'd have thought that a little Graham could cause so much trouble?

Don't know what the nurse thought of the strong smell of dog urine wafting off of me!!! Oh the shame!
Walked, scrambled and limped home Sarah, David, Alice and Nudge
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railton22
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby dawnfoth » Sun Oct 05, 2014 9:32 pm

Brilliant! This report made me chuckle! :lol:

Suggest a Caribiner clip - attach the map to your rucksack, if it blows off, it won't disappear - Bonus you guys stumbling across it though :clap:

Poor Nudge - that sounded very painful. :(

Glad all ended well :D Love the pic of Nudge with the Map 8)
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby spiderwebb » Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:38 pm

Great report full of adventure. Hope the dog and yourself are recovering well. Love the pic of Nudge begging, brilliant :D
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby SAVAGEALICE » Mon Oct 06, 2014 1:54 pm

oh crikey, what a day! :shock: i too attempted this walk in strong winds ..didn't quite make it to the top ..i could hardly stand up! :( ..i think when i return i will ascend via the WH descent route ...the other way sure is steep if i remeber right?!
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby dooterbang » Mon Oct 06, 2014 2:56 pm

That was some story, an adventure and a half :)
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby railton22 » Sat Oct 11, 2014 3:11 pm

Thanks for the great comments everyone. Happy to say that our dog is completely fine and back up to jumping over fences again :D
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby dogplodder » Sat Oct 11, 2014 4:35 pm

Ouch poor Nudge! I've often thought about this hill for the shorter days but after reading this reckon it might NOT be one for the dogs after all. 8)
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby litljortindan » Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:05 pm

I do like your dog's "I will die if I don't get another biscuit" face.
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby BlackPanther » Mon Oct 13, 2014 10:06 am

Oooh that sounds painful :? for both you and the pooch... Hope you are both recovered by now!

Don't know what it is about Creag Dhubh, but I had an accident on it, too. Scrambled up the same way you did, slipped and bashed my knee on a rock. I suffered for a few months afterwards (must have done some permanent damage to my knee) and though the hill has nice views, I'm glad I've done it and don't intend to go back, at least not via this ascent route :lol:
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby Fife Flyer » Mon Oct 13, 2014 8:12 pm

Great read, you really described the events, along with some photo's that captured the moment :wink:
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby Huff_n_Puff » Tue Oct 14, 2014 10:25 pm

Hummm ... perhaps we'll avoid this one, but well done to you all for surviving the adventure :clap: :clap:
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby railton22 » Sat Oct 18, 2014 2:11 pm

BlackPanther wrote:Don't know what it is about Creag Dhubh, but I had an accident on it, too. Scrambled up the same way you did, slipped and bashed my knee on a rock. I suffered for a few months afterwards (must have done some permanent damage to my knee) and though the hill has nice views, I'm glad I've done it and don't intend to go back, at least not via this ascent route :lol:


That sounds pretty nasty BlackPanther. :shock: It is clearly a jinxed hill. Like you, we've no burning desire to return. As for our dog; well, the only way he'd return was if we laid a trail of steak 'n' biscuits from car to summit cairn :wink:
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby railton22 » Sat Oct 18, 2014 2:12 pm

Fife Flyer wrote:Great read, you really described the events, along with some photo's that captured the moment :wink:


Thank you Fife Flyer :) . It was certainly a more dramatic day than we were expecting...and for all the wrong reasons :wink:
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby railton22 » Sat Oct 18, 2014 2:16 pm

Huff_n_Puff wrote:Hummm ... perhaps we'll avoid this one, but well done to you all for surviving the adventure :clap: :clap:


Thanks Huff n Puff :) . It IS worth it for the views but I wouldn't recommend taking a dog (unless it was one of those tiny "zelebrity" type dogs that can be carried in a bag) :roll:
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Re: Hanging dog, A&E trip, covered in dog pee and lost map b

Postby AnnieMacD » Sun Oct 19, 2014 12:58 am

Hope you have both recovered - you won't forget this hill in a hurry! Great photo of Nudge with map!
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