Rannoch Mountaineering Club
www.climbrannoch.co.uk
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Rannoch Mountaineering Club
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Night on a bare mountain - the unabridged version Rhona J McInnes March 27th 2004 With predictions of great weather, S & R took to the road once again. The two munros in our sights were out of sight as we parked up the C Pussycat. Mist swirled around us, rain spattered on the windscreen, wind buffeted the car. Warnings of poor weather were every where. Undeterred we set forth. Brand new map so felt in control. Set off for the approach to first munro (Sgiath Chuill), aiming to cross burn at old farm by the well marked bridge. Never trust those maps, there was no bridge, spent considerable time looking for bridge, taking bearings, retracing steps, re-orientating map, fighting bales of wire and falling in bogs before opted for the boots off and wade approach. River icy. The team went for variable options: R: wide and shallow and S: narrow and deep (maybe reflects our perspectives on life?). Found road which heads up to bealach between the two munros; seemed much longer than anticipated on the map and before we knew it we were on the approach ridge to munro 2 (Meall Ghlas).
Rather than retrace our steps we quickly aborted Plan 1 and swung Plan 2 into action (essential to be flexible in your approach to the Scottish hills). Now that we were much further through our day than anticipated lunch became mandatory - S displayed the many advantages of Emmental cheese slice sandwiches: the super lightweight hill option where the holes outnumber the cheese. A quick sprint brought us to the Trig point - and the first photo shoot of the day (see gallery TO FOLLOW, ED). It took quite a while to deflate ITP and return it to the stuff sack but succeeded just before a crowd of ramblers arrived. A short conversation ensued whereupon we concluded that either they or we were on the wrong hill, whatever, they had a serious sense of humour bypass so we passed by.
According to the map the summit was not far, so after wading up and down melting snow runnels, leaping across semi-frozen lochans peering through the mist at ever rising slopes we were relieved to get there ('crisp packet phenomenon' out in force). Now for M-point 2 (originally M-point 1). Had to retrace our steps but by then the mist had cleared so it was all very confusing, not to be outwitted we made it to the coll below the trig point and prepared for the step descent down 300m. Made the logical decision of rather than climbing up to trig and then back down we would traverse in from coll - bad choice!. Strolled gracefully down over smooth grass & heather, round a corner to be confronted by hanging valleys, glacial meltwater, erosions, striae, bergshunds and terminal moraines. A quick glacial geology lecture courtesy of Son of S (in absentia), couldn't help. Nothing for it but to climb back up in an attempt to negotiate a downward passage while avoiding cliffs, steep wet grass and runnels of slushy snow. Finally confronted the only option of somehow picking our way down the slushy snow. Picked a patch that did not end in a precipice and went for it, all was well till S decided to bum slide but without an axe. I watched in sheer jealousy as she hurtled down the hillside at speed putting less & less distance between her & M-point 2. Luckily a quick thinking fellow mountain dude stepped in and saved her before she reached the valley bottom, thus ensuring she actually had to walk the rest of the way down. She seemed a bit shaken by this and required much empathy and encouragement to make it off the hill.
Was surprised when she enthusiastically embraced the idea of going up M2 - just shows what the power of peer pressure and competitiveness can do for your sanity. An excess of conversation, conviviality and socialising delayed arrival at the summit ridge of M2. On ridge we turned south to tick outrigger before turning north to arrive at M-point 2 in a beautiful clear evening, with freshening winds and the promise of night fall not very far way. The descent which should have been quick (but had left snowboards in the car) was complicated by awkward terrain, poor visibility and S taking convoluted diversions to avoid even one snow flake. Aimed for pipe line as good indicator of direction, diverted to a forest as potential indicator of direction and headed for break as optional route off hill. House lights were in sight, the river and road were visible in the gloaming, nothing could stop us, we were home and dry. Jogging down the hillside in the dark, fantasising about beer and log fires we came to an abrupt halt as a 12 foot deer fence loomed out of the dark, oh no and this time Shaz was with me. She climbed it with her rucksack on! Next we forded a ravine. Now just clear hillside between us and the road. Wrong again. Cleared hillside more like. The chain saws had been out and the hill was a sea of brashings, truncated tree trunks and holes. Bad news in the daylight, worse in the dark. The beer fantasy was dwindling to be replaced by a night on a bare mountain actuality. Not to be defeated the A-team hacked their way through till the pipe-line offered real hope, this lead to the road and an easy stroll to the car. Not the last off the hill either -that honour was left to two young dudes in a BMW roadster. Today's learning experiences
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