Training Log Archive: Kitch

Ben Lawers group.
This was a tour of all 8 Munros in the Ben Lawers range and it was good.
Decided to aim for an 8 hour day and thought this might fit the bill, plus its a day trip from Edinburgh and I hadn't been up there since some vague memory as a small kid.
After a few different route ideas and eventually spotting all 8 Munros in the group I decided the best circuit was to start from Glen Lyon and not the more obvious Killin or Loch Tayside start points. Glen Lyon gives more elegant circuit with options to cut short if necessary.
Today things were a bit ... un-smooth. An early get away, dropping Kate, Sam and Beth at the rail station at 8am was scuppered when I got to Crammond and was contemplating cold feet when I realised I'd have very very cold feet without any running shoes - so 50 minutes wasted. Overnight snow meant the drive up was slow and then I drove around a bit thinking I wouldn't be able to get to Glen Lyon, but I did.
I parked at Invervar, changed socks and shoes and made some "orthotics" (also forgotten) out of cardboard, cooked up a big portion of Smash and then finally set off at midday.
So, to the first summit, fresh snow on the lower slopes was not too deep. I just got a pair of poles and as I got used to using them they proved really helpful for keeping balance and momentum on slippy snow slopes. After the first climb out of the glen I crested the ridge and there were the mountains shining out in the sun, glorious, glasses on. On the ridge the snow had a firm neve on top and going was good. A long and gentle ridge run brought me to Meall Greigh, following in the tracks of a skier and a walker in Big crampons.
About turn and I headed quickly down to to the bealach the climb up Meall Garbh looked long and steep, it was steep but didn't take to long. There were several walkers out on this section. I dropped off Meall Garbh in the cloud and at the next bealach An Stuc was a shadow in the mist a very very steep and rocky shadow. After a brief, steep approach climb it got a bit serious. I was on steep neve kicking steps into the crust, holding my poles at the base I had to use them as picks to climb the slope. There were no big crags but it was very rocky and lots of small crags. I didn't look down, I just focussed on going up and maintaining good purchase, A slip would have meant an express schute to the bottom. I weaved my way up and breathed a sigh of relief at the top. Exhilirating.
Next the title hill, Ben Lawers. I was enjoying myself now, making good progress the tops ticking off quickly. From the summit in mist and a biting wind I needed a careful bearing along the right ridge and to be wary of a set of crags, no drama though and I was soon climbing the ridge to Bheinn Ghlas, I say climbing, this ridge was a shallow as An Stuc had been steep so it was a quick run along, slowed only by being shrouded in mist. Another bearing off and I took my own route round the crags rather than mess around trying to find the path.
As I started the climb up Meall Corranaich I heard a shout, turning round I saw a bloke waving at me. He looked fine, but shouted something so I thought I'd better wait. I ate some food and had a drink. When he was near enough I asked what was up, he asked if I was going beack to the car park, I said I was going up the mountain then towards the car park, he said he had got "caught out in the mist up there" He'd obviously put the shits up himself and wanted me to hold his hand back to his car. "Can you see that track coming across the hillside ?" I asked. "Yes" "well the car park is near the end of it, head for that." silence. "have you got a map?" "yes I've got a map". "Then you're alright then" (If you get it out and use it you half-wit) I turned and got on with the climb. As I came down the ridge towards the road I checked down to see if he was on his way - he was.
Meall nan Tarmachan had been sitting in cloud all day and now as dusk gathered it looked dark and threatening. This was an option to miss out if necessary but I decided that I'd made good time and darkness was not an issue. I dropped off the ridge, crossed the dam and picked a line towards a wee coll, it was steep and heathery and the snow was wet lower down. At the coll I decided to get kitted up for the dark and have a bit to eat out of the wind. So an extra layer went on, head torch went on and the malfunctions started.
I only zipped one leg down on my over-trousers and within 3 steps of setting off I had trodden on the loose leg and ripped it half off. I pinned it up. Now where is my map ? It had slid 30 yards down to the coll. Right get a grip. I was now on the main path and able to follow it up to the ridge and back too the summit. From here my route was to head north along a ridge and pick up a fence before dropping to the road. It was virtually dark, cloudy and a biting wind was blowing. What the ! my compass was spinning like a top ! Eh ?
had it de-magnetised ? can the cold do that ? Ah. No. the housing has smashed and the fluid gone. So no compass, no bearing, I don't like this. Can I find the fence ? probably. Will I try it in the mist ? I don't think so, there are some big crags on the right, I shouldn't go anywhere near them but I've turned 180 in the mist before, its too easy to do. Without a compass you can't be sure, you can't be safe. So I reversed my route and followed my own track back down, out of the cloud and to the reservoir dam.
It was fully dark now. As I ran north along the road by the reservoir I considered my options; complete the round or run 12 miles along the road in dobs!!
The route back across the hill was shorter and presented only one danger a crag off the end of Meall a Choire Leith. The navigation could be done using dead reckoning and handrailing. The right combination of confidence and caution and it should be perfectly do-able. The one challenge would be getting a decent line on the climb to the ridge of M a C Leith, without following the burn too far round and adding extra distance.
I decided to go for it and turned right up the track off the road corner, buoyed by the presence of foot prints, over the top of the ridge they disappered. So it was dead reckoning and reading the slope to get my line down into Glen Da Eig. Good. Over the stream and contour north along the slope, I passed some irrigation works - marked as "Intake" on the map. Good. Swing right along the contour and in to Coire Gorm, hit the burn. Good. Now for that tricky line off the burn, diagonally across the slope, how will I hold a line ?.
Out of the corner of my eye, the answer. Stars, use the stars ! perfect. So I kept a big bright planet over my right shoulder and off I went. I even swung round for an optimum line as I got higher. I pretty much nailed the summit with just the right amount of aiming off to be certain. Done.
Now for another star bearing down the ridge, turn right at the huge crag, drop down, cross fence, cross wall, cross river, follow track all the way back down and along Glen Lyon.
I quickly grabbed some warm kit from the boot (could only find one sock), pulled the lumps of ice off my shoes and ankles and then got on with sorting out the day's last concern, could I get out of the Glen? No problems, snow on the road had melted and dried during the day. At Aberfeldy I stopped to phone in and to change socks and shoes (laces now thawed) and discovered my missing sock - still on my right foot. So I'd run all day with one woolen sock and one neoprene sock. any difference? One foot cold, one fot warm ? No. Just that the neoprene one rubbed my shin.
No pizas in Aberfeldy, Ballinluig cafe shut (again) so back to Edinburgh for piza at 11pm

Pack 8.5kg

Invervar
Meall Greigh 1:19
Meall Garbh 40 / 1:59 (inc 4 min faff)
An Stuc 17 / 2:16
Ben Lawers 31 / 2:48 (inc faff 3 min)
Bheinn Ghlas 19 / 3:07
Meall Corranaich 22 / 3:29
Dam 24 / 3:53
Meall nan Tarmachan 48 / 4:41 (inc faff 9 min)
Dam 25 / 5:06
Meall a Choire Leith 1:24 / 6:30
Invervar 1:26 / 7:57 (slow)

C • but the key question remains... 5

The Seat
once up the Dassies & north face, then down to Duddingston and back up.
quads feeling a bit heavy.

I'm holding back on volume this week
which is really rather good

ran up to homebase via Tiso's
i'm feeling fit and couldn't see any value in just trotting up there and back so stuck in a few reps - 5 x 90 seconds 30 sec recovery.

circuits, 16 stations 3 laps
feeling stronger after last weeks stages

MASH - set off late but managed to find Jack and Doug at the top of the Crags, we then headed to the top of the Seat via he Dassies to try and find the other headtorch, then down to Duddingston and up again. The other torch was Oleg ho we met at the roundabout on the way home. Hector had been out there too. we were all late, so reckoning a leter start time would be a good plan for next week.