Two weekends of ridge walks/scrambles

So since we have been quite lazy with the blog the last wee while, feel it is time to update. Here is what we have been up to for the past two weekends:

 

Bivi in the Grey Corries

Last saturday after the weather forecast predicting snow and hail showers our plan to do Cuillin Ridge was cancelled, so we headed up to Fort William and decided to do the Grey Corrie Circuit to log a walking day. Plodded in along the old tram way, which was rather boggy and unpleasant, but at least the sun was out. Upon reaching the dam we saw what we thought was a wild wolf chasing the farmers heavily pregnant sheep down the hill. Turns out this was someones husky, so a very angry Keith was straight on the phone to the police. We chased the husky back up the hill (turns out there was two of them) but no owner in sight. The poor sheepsie had been forced into the pool of the dam, and sadly Keith scared her trying to hook her antler with a piece of cord to guide her out the water. However she managed to swim to the other side of the dam and climb out into the forest. What a stressful start to the trip. 

We continued on up the hillside and found ourselves a nice wee dry, flatish bivi spot near the start of the ridge we were going to walk the next day. 

getting roasty toasty in my winter bag

moonrise :)

We made some fruity tea, had pasta for dinner and by the time we got into our bags it had hit zero degrees and was getting colder. We woke up a couple of times in the night to the snow falling out our faces, which continued through until about 8.30/9am the following morning. 

wakey wakey

frozen nalgene :(

We pushed on with our walk, although contemplated just heading back to the car and going to mcdonalds several times. Once we reached the summit of the first munro top the weather started to clear and it turned out to be a lovely day :)

Morning snow and whiteout. Janey not impressed.

A few more pictures of pretty views and sun:

view of Aonach Mor on the right, and Ben Nevis in the middle/behind

finishing the ridge

view of the ridge we walked

The munros we did were 'Stob Choire Claurigh' and 'Stob Coire an Laoigh' as well as several 'munro tops', and of course afterwards we made what may be becoming a fairly regular post hill day trip to Mcdonalds.

Three days later Keith received a phone call from the owner of the two huskies. Turns out they had escaped from his house the night before we saw them and he had been searching the hills for 4-5days. Even after notifying Fort William police station on the Friday, it somehow still took them three days to pass on Keith's contact details or let him know they were seen, ridiculous. Anyway he has now found his huskies, so a happy ending, just not for the poor pregnant sheep that has probably lost her baby lambs!

Aonach Eagach Ridge

Yesterday, we took Keith's dad and our friend Debbie up Aonach Eagach ridge, a grade 2/3 scramble depending on the guidebook you read. We had quite fancied doing this ridge for a while, and with an ok looking forecast the plan went ahead. 

The morning started off with a complete epic on Debbie's behalf. It seems her brain cells, or should i say 'cell' (singular) does not function in the mornings. She arrived at 7.18am (only 3minutes late, an all time record for the girl) as we were due to pick Keith's dad (John) up from Corstorphine at 7.30. She knocks on the door, heres me thinking everything is fine and dandy whilst finishing off my toast and comes out with 'ive locked my keys in my car'. Now, not only had she locked her car keys in her car which could be sorted later, she has also locked her bag and walking boots and everything else she needs INSIDE the car. good one!! 

So after a trip back to Debbie's house and her mother searching her tip of a room high and low, the spare key is found! So we set off. 

The path is very straight forward heading up to Am Bodach, and after this the fun begins. We had beaming sunshine and no winds for the first 1.5hours of the day, but of course, as soon as we start scrambling in comes the snow/rain showers, and the visibilty drops to about 20metres. Everyone scrambled down and along to the summit of the first munro - 'Meall Dearg' with no problems though as it starts of fairly easy. 

Keith guiding his dad down the first descent of the ridge

As we are standing around for a wee rest we notice a guy coming down the first descent of the ridge, looking very sketchy, with nothing but what he is wearing, trainers on his feet and walking poles. He arrives and asks me 'how long does this ridge go on for?', so I tell him that is about 4kms long, with much more scrambling than he has just done and that there is no safe descent until the end, he replied telling me that that was ok. After telling him to turn around and go back the way he came he refused to listen (I think he was worried about climbing back up what he had down climbed) and he continued to follow us.

5 minutes later I decided to use what Keith calls 'the tone'... I asked if he had a map or compass - no of course he didnt. I told him to turn around, he kept dismissing that as well. So I then told him I thought he was being a right idiot and putting himself in a dangerous situation....what does he do.... 'I know its stupid, don't worry about me, I'll be fine.'  Me: 'I'm not worrying about you, I just do not want to see mountain rescue being called out for no reason as you're unprepared and clueless'. 

Anyway, after me having a wee bit of a go he continued to follow us for a while and then was never to be seen again. Must have eventually realised he needed to turn back. Unbelievable. No wonder there are so many fatalities in the hill side!

The Team

Debbie descending :)

Janey and Debbie

en route

When we reached what I think is called 'red chimney' the rock was completely drenched with all the rain and snow we had been experiencing, that we decided it was time to rope up. I climbed up the chinmey and set up a direct belay off an awesome spike to bring John and Debbie up on. Climbing wasn't very hard mind you, but we didn't want to risk then having a wee slip on our watch :) 

a grim and wet looking red chinmey

More ridge photos:

Upon reaching the summit of the second munro, 'Sgor nam Fiannaidh' and what is essentially the end of the ridge, Keith ran down the loose scree slope to the main road in order to hitch back to the car and pick the rest of us up from Glen Coe village. I guided the others down a much better, although longer path to meet up with him and the car.

Keith must just have one of those faces, the third car stopped for him!! It was an old couple and the man made his wife get in the back of their 3 door car so Keith could travel in sheer comfort along the road! He always manages to hitch so easily....I cannot see why, it's not like he's attractive or anything haha.

With today's weather and wet rock me and Keith feel that the ridge was more like a grade 3 scramble/moderate climb than some sources suggestions of a grade 2. Felt rather spicy in the wet, and Debs and John did very well in the conditions :) It was actually quite a bit more full on than we were expecting. Awesome though.

Aonach Eagach Ridge

Janey