Hillwalking (Isle of Rum) 11:30:00 [4] 24.0 km (28:45 / km) +1620m 21:30 / km
ahr:102 max:153
Rum Cuillin Traverse. Coire Dubh, Cnapan Breaca, Hallival, Askival, Trollabhal, Ainshval, Sgurr nan Gillean, Dibidil bothy, Kinloch. A Corbett-bagging pinnacle? When the weather looked set fair for Rum for a few days at Easter I couldn't resist it. Set off jauntily up the well-made path, then got slightly gobsmacked by the reality of the Manx Shearwater colony nesting grounds on Hallival. Other worldly! What must it be like there when the birds return from feeding all day after dark? The rock bands coming off the first hill were a sign of things to come. I managed to bypass the Askival Pinnacle by a faint path on the left, but the rest of the day was a battle with route-finding through the crags. The state of my shot knees (especially the right) didn't help either. After claiming both Trollabhal summits (saw the only people all day here) I got into all sorts of trouble descending to the Bealach an Fhuarain. It was reminiscent of the Skye Cuillin and its many dead ends. Thank goodness I had full visibility! Luckily spotted the detour via the scree chute up Ainshval. Being late made me hurry which made me more tired. I forgot to head south from the summit of Gillean and only managed to descend eventually with the help of a crumbly, wet and horrible gully, where I had a bad slip. Worst of all was the prospect of the boggy 9k path back to the tent. And it was even worse than I feared. Tried to stay in the moment and enjoy the sublime views of Eigg in the evening sunshine, but I was proper pooped and the path made hurry impossible. Lucky to make it before dark. Big day and managed to catch it all on gps.
