Tranter's attempt No 1

I had thought about attempting Tranter's Walk much earlier in the year but what with the weather and other things time was running out. With the excellent forecast for today in the West I decided to give it ago. I haven't run or walked much here apart from getting down Ben Nevis after ice climbs.

I based schedule times on a 23.5h Ramsay attempt to see how I would cope with that, and with a 4am start I thought I would get back to easy ground before it got dark that evening. I had thought about starting earlier but the unknown rocky ground around Carn Mor Dearg put me off that idea. It was still very dark when I set off opposite the youth hostel in Glen Nevis. To start with I felt alright and a very pleasant temperature for running. However, once on the screes by Red Tarn I began to really struggle. My calves felt very tight and my stomach was all over the place. Motivation as really low until dawn broke, but the ground really was very loose and I couldn't lift the pace.

At the summit, which I had never seen in summer before, I was 20min off the pace. I gave myself until CMD to start hitting the schedule. The arete was tricky and I kept too close to the crest instead of the probably quicker path lower down. The sun crested the Aonachs and lit up NE buttres whilst the lower straths remained shrouded in cloud. All ascents seemed to go on for ever and I was worried what I would feel like once I got on to the Mamores. At the summit cairn of CMD I was a total of 35min down and I decided that I would bail off into Glen Nevis as soon as I really began to struggle.

Another tricky descent from CMD into a very deep bealach was quickly followed by another steep but grassy climb up to the summit plateau. A small fox trotted along the skyline, stopped, glanced over and dropped over out of my view. After Aonach Beag a vague path strewn with greasy slabs wound over a subsidary top. I dropped steeply off the nose, and after a couple of steep and decidedly tricky steps got on to easier ground to the broad bealach before Sgor Connich Beag. For the first time, I sat down on a sun-warmed slab of rock, ate some more food and decided to go on for a couple more peaks. I couldn't find a path up so struggled for a while on wet slippy, grass. Inevitably, I decided that enough was enough as I seriously doubted my motivation would sustain me for the next 12-14 hours. Glen Nevis was teeming with midgies and the road section back to the hostel was painful on my feet and thighs. As I hobbled along the tarmac I was quite upset and demoralised about giving up so early on into the run. But I suppose I was happier, on balance, to be miserable and back at the car rather than miserable and heaving my tired legs up another hill. At least I had checked out the trickiest section of the round and I have a much better idea of the terrain, pace and feed strategy required.

Stats: Time: 7h Dist: 26.2km Height gain: 2000m?

Beinn Bhrotain Loop

I am not a big fan of the Cairngorms. Although I admit that the glens are spectacular, the tops and the plateau area have been the arena for some of the most soul destroying runs I have ever done. Or perhaps it it just that I leave these hills until the weather forecast is not too good. I would rather be somewhere with better views if the weather is good. The week before I had a rather character-building trog between Beinn Bhreac and Beinn a'Chaorainn. The ground was nearly as wet as the all enveloping cloud and the hills had no redeeming features.

The weather forecast was slightly better for my next jaunt in an attempt to 'clear up' the Linn of Dee, although the long-distance glen runs look good. The track up to White Bridge made quick going and after 5km turned up a track running alongside the Dee which I presume the NTS had converted into a path fairly recently. Heading off the path up the hillside by Allt Garbh the ground started heathery and gradually got wetter, as did the weather. I put my jacket came on and, fighting an early urge to turn back, pulled down the toggles and stomped up. The higher I got the strong the gusts and the rain turned from a steady drizzle to sharp showers which drummed on my hood and seeped into my sleeves. Everytime one of these showers came on, I turned and contemplated turning round down the hill. A combination of pig-headedness, an urge to never to return to this hill gain and an annoying habit of the rain the lull kept me heading up. I shouted out loud to vent my frustration and cursed my strange need to tick hills from a list. The only interest was navigating from the map reading contours rather than relying on the compass (good training after all).

After the summit of Beinn Bhrotain, the clouds did indeed clear to be replaced by a strong cold wind, which at least dried my clothes. A least I could see a path down an area of red granite 'roof tiles' to the bealach leading to the rise of Monadh Mor. Just by the bealach the sun caught the rain in the glen below and gave rise to a strong rainbow. The respite was brief and the rain came back with renewed vigour and by the cairn it was sleeting. To drop as much height as quickly as I could I dropped down the steep hillside over grass and rocks directly into Glen Geusachan and followed a muddy rut towards the Dee. As it hadn't rained for the last 3km and I had almost dried out, I forded the several rivers here abouts and bagged Sgor Mor via Creagan nan Gabhar. The clouds meanwhile had rolled back and I sat for a minute or two working out the names of the surrounding hills.
After a steep descent into Glen Dee I followed the track back to Linn of Dee where I changed, for the second time in a week, in the fine drizzle of water and midges in equal proportions.


Stats: Time: 6h Distance: 20km offroad 12km track

Glen Kingie Round (almost)

A long run I did in early June as a build up to the Cluanie Double.

The road to Strathan must be one of the most frustrating in Scotland with more than its fair share of blind summits and blind bends. Despite the good forecast we drove to the road end at the west end of Loch Arkaig in thick mist. Changing into hats and gloves we set off along the track past Strathan itself and headed north up on the east bank of Dearg Allt. After a couple of hundred meters the cloud thinned and then we broke through. The change in view and temperature was astounding. The peaks, slightly dusted with fresh June snow, rose above a layer of thick mist which snaked far down the glens and straths.

With the sun still relatively low in the sky, I ran over to a low ridge and spent a glorious couple of minutes playing with my brocken spectre. Relucantly we set off to the first top, Sgurr Mhurlagain, up a boggy, broad undulating ridge past several false summits to the cairn. The rocks were still frosted and the mosses had spears of ice on their fronds. We dropped staright down to Kinbreack bothy down a very steep grassy slope. The bothy, inhabited by two walkers still fast asleep, seemed clean, but would be a pain to get toasty on a cold winters night due to large open-plan downstairs area.

River Kingie, which can be notorious in spate was low and easily crossed, and we made good time on a superb track up to the bealach between Sgurr an Fhuarain and Gairich. A stalkers path zig-zagged up the steep side of Gairich taking the easiest line. Hats off to the men who constructed these paths all those years ago. In some ways it is sad to see such labour slowly disintergrating back into the hillside. From Gairich we could see that the mist had thinned and retreated leaving only patches lingering in the shadows. We dropped back down to the bealach and headed up Sgurr and Fhuarain aiming for the left hand sky-line until we reached another stalkers path, filling our water bottles for water-less ridge ahead from a burn enroute. We followed the path up and over the peak on to Sgurr Mor, which at 1003m was the high point of the day. The weather was getting hotter and the lack of water on the ridges noticeable. My legs certainly felt the pull up to An Eag. After scrambling up some clean, warm slabs we reached a fine sharp ridge leading up to Sgurr nan Coireachan. We back-tracked, traversed rough ground beneath An Eag, and scrambled up to the lochan dotted summit of Sgurr Cos na Breachd-Laoigh. With time running short and being tired we decided to miss out Fraoch Bheinn, which was a bit of a shame. Instead, we scrambed up A'Chioch (a fine rocky pinnacle above Coire Chicheanais seen from Glen Dessary) and then dropped down into the rough corie and gratefully refilled our water bottles. The remaining 5km was all on hard track but the views and heat induced a amble rather than a run back to the car.

Stats: Time: 8.5h Distance: 34km Height gain: 3400m 3 Munros, 3 Corbetts (possiby 1 extra)

Torrents of sheep?

After Monday's epic Thursday's run was a lot kinder to me. As I was over in Kishorn any way for work I decided that Sgurr a'Chaorachain (which the various books seem to argue as to whether it should be translated as peak of the little torrent or the little sheep) would be an easy little run. The weather was superb and if I had more sense I would have taken a day of work and had my long-planned attempt at Tranter's. As it was the drive up to the Bealach na Ba was more dangerous and stressful than the run as various tourists got caught out by the switch-backs at the top. Although it was breezy getting changed once on the go it was a lovely temperature for running. From the car-park it is nice steady run up a track to the mast and then a short undulating run of about 2km over sandstone slabs and short grass to a summit with great views across to the Cullin and the Nort-West. All completely mud free too! The top also gives a great grandstand view of Cioch Direct, which definetly has to be on my tick-list. How nice it was to be running in shorts, t-shirt and not needing a map or compass.

Stats
Time: 50min Distance: 6km Height gain: 350m

Good OMM training??

After recieving confirmation of entry into this years Elite Class of the OMM. I decided to do a spot of training. As I was down near Loch Awe for work I decided to head up Ben Cruachan and bag that together with Stob Diamh and Beinn a Bhuiridh (2 Ms and a C - bargain). The weather all day was pish but cleared up when I left the car at the station. After my good form at Creag Dhubh on Saturday I felt quick and was soon jogging along the reservoir. It even looked like the clouds were clearing the ridge. All the burns were impressively in spate. I went straight up to the beleach of Ben Cruachan into the mist and once exposed on the slopes a cold wind whipped over the ridge. The mist now became heavier and as I slogged up to the cairn, it became rain. The summit bagged in good time I set off down the ridge, heading east. I was a bit unprepared for the easy scrambling which followed but the rock was grippy in the wet. A couple of slabby bits slowed me down, several steep sided crags dropped of the ridge. The gusty wind drove the rain harder into my rapidly reddening thighs and my hands went numb. After numerous up and downs I reached a summit with a cairn. A bit easy for a Munro I thought, but I was getting chilled so I took a quick (read cr@p) bearing and set of down into the mist, away from the obvious path. After about 5 mins it all looked wrong. The streams flowed in the wrong direction and the slopes were in the wrong place. Bugger. I could see about 50meters and all I could hear were the burns rushing down the hill-side in spate. With a mounting sense of panic, I worked out that I had to head up South and hopefully hit some ridge line with a path on it. It was at this point that I began to think a quick jog around the Cruachan horse-shoe on my own in the rain on sight wasn't a particuarly good idea. I had also lost a bit of confidence in my own ability so it was a very worrying 15min before I topped out on the ridge with its huge path. Never before have I been so glad to see the signs of human caused erosion. The next section of ridge was very straight forward running and I finally reached the top of Stob Diamh. Easy going now as I headed South again. Until I took the wrong ridge, again! This time at least the cloud was blowing through giving intermitant views of the steep-sided green glens and I just had to traverse about 500m to the correct beleach. I had now been on the go for over 3 hours and was seriously cold and did all I could to get out of the wind on the ascent. All I could think about was trying to be mentally tough and get to the bloody top so I could at last drop some height and get a bit warmer. As I staggered feeling decidedly unwell off the last hill I actually paid some attention to the map and when I finally got out of the cloud I was in the right glen! Running down to the steep slope was tricky as the ground was saturated. I hit a mossy patch, tumbled forward and aqua-planned for a couple of meters down a mossy burn face first. All I could do was laugh as I couldn't get any wetter. The final straw was a minor cliff edge right above the access road which involved a bit of detour to scramble down. Aware of the time I legged it down to the car, changed and then tried to find a pub with food. They don't lie in these parts when they say they stop serving at 9.00pm. I went into a deserted pub, full of highlan' charm, and despite being there at 8.45 had to beg for food. Anyway at least they served me unlike the unfortunates who arrived about 10min after me who were told 'there's no food left'. There is obviously a shortage of chips and scampi in Argyll at the moment.

Stats for the run: Time 4h, Distance 13.4km (plus a bit for unplanned detours!), Height about 1500m. No photos, but I will take some next time I am out in the mist again ; o)