Saturday 18 May 2013
Distance: 0
Ascent: 0
Weather: dry start then persistent rain
Number of times Mick sneezed: 73
Yesterday's plan would have seen us arriving at Callater Lodge about now (16.30 on Saturday afternoon), ready to go over the Lochnagar tops tomorrow. But then Mick woke up this morning with a cold, and a walk in the rain today followed by a strenuous day tomorrow no longer seemed the best choice.
So, we've taken a day off in Braemar and will be heading out on a low route tomorrow (although I do have my eye on a Corbett that lies next to that route and I'm not discounting the possibility of nipping up it).
Yesterday Braemar was quite a quiet place (just 18 backpacking tents/tarps on the campsite last night); today it is rather busier, with lots of soggy, dripping backpackers having arrived.
There's nothing to report from our day, having spent it going from one place with chairs to another. At least we should be well rested and refreshed when we set out tomorrow (or I will be; bunged-up Mick may be rather more groggy).
... Some time later ...
... Oh my! I didn't expect to have to wade today, but in a quick trip back to the campsite found the entrance flooded. It really has been hammering down. Hope it's passed through by morning. Moreover, I hope that our pitch doesn't get any wetter.
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Saturday, 18 May 2013
Friday, 17 May 2013
Day 8 - Mar Lodge to Braemar
Friday 17 May 2013 (0920-10.50)
Distance: 4 miles
Ascent: very little
Weather: dry with sunny intervals
Distance: 4 miles
Ascent: very little
Weather: dry with sunny intervals
It was a leisurely start involving more than one cup of tea, and sufficient watching of the breakfast news to enable us to double check that the weather forecast for tomorrow is not as good as we would like.
Then it was a stroll into Braemar, taking the path through the forest rather than the road. There are some forestry operations going on, but only for the first half a mile, whereafter the old paths were as pleasant as ever.
Being a bit early to pitch up at the campsite, our first port of call was the Old Bakery where we ate a meal nearly as big as last night's offering at Mar Lodge, before waddling down the road to join the tent town (which tomorrow will no doubt swell to be a tent city).
Having splashed out on washing, we're now attired in fresh, clean clothes and a stock-take has shown that only a few groceries are required before we head out of town tomorrow.
Finally, we are meeting lots of other Challengers, so chatting has been the order of the day. I'm sure there will be plenty more later too.
Wrist update: it is still very painful and swollen, but no longer bruised, and I can now wiggle my fingers. My firm self-diagnosis is a nasty case of tendinitis and I have to now conclude that it's not going to get better whilst I'm still walking. It's surprising how much hands are required for this walking malarkey (although in truth, it's the camping, not the walking that's the main problem). Amongst many annoyances and inconveniences, I can't even put my own backpack on. If I was solo I think I would have been on my way home on Day 2, so it's a good job I have a helper to hand (he even cut up my lunch for me today, much to the mirth of others in the cafe!).
(Conrad - no Munro agenda, but I do like a summit (of any, or even no, classification) on a fine day. We spoke to someone today who went around the side of the hill, rather than over it, and confirmed that it was an arduous yomp, as we suspected it might be. Does your lack of recollection of the hill suggest that you did it in poor weather (and so didn't see it) or that they all merge into one blur after a while?
JJ - four shin-high channels rather than one deep channel. Still a lot of water either way, although probably not as much as if we'd arrived there a couple of days earlier.)
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Day 7 - River Feshie to Mar Lodge
Distance: 17.75 miles
Ascent: not much
Weather: dry!
Clear blue skies greeted us as we emerged from the tent this morning. Not a cloud in the sky and the tent was bone dry - for the first time since Day 1! I took the snap above just as soon as we got out into the open (having slept in some woodland last night), convinced that clouds would roll in any moment.
My pessimism was not misplaced, but they were high clouds and they refrained from dripping on us. It was still a fine day to be walking up the Feshie, which turned out to be an attractive walk.
Second breakfast was had at the point where we were to leave the Feshie, which is also where the going became somewhat softer and wetter underfoot. It was still easy walking on a well-defined path, so no yomping for us today.
A bridge took us over the top of an impressive waterfall - one of a few we saw today, albeit not all from such close range - then a few miles further on we reached the point which was supposed to provide our night-stop for tomorrow night. It looked like there were some good pitches there, but we walked on through.
What can I say about the track which runs from Geldie Lodge through to the Linn of Dee? It's hard on the feet and goes on forever, and whilst the surroundings are perfectly nice, they didn't strike me as anything particularly special. My feeling, on having reached Mar Lodge, was that I've been that way now, and don't ever need to go that way again, barring necessity for bad weather.
Our first question on reaching Mar Lodge was whether they had any beds available (they did - lots, as tomorrow is the busy night, so I'm typing this from my comfy twin-bed) and our second question was whether we could have a cup of tea. Apparently a few people have been through today, but the only Challenger we have seen today was Ian C, and that was a few miles back up the glen. All has been quiet since we arrived here.
Post-script - we opted for the meal at Mar Lodge last night, which was served in the dining room, under the watchful eyes of lots of deer heads. There were four of us for dinner, at a grand table which seats 20. I should have taken a snap of one of the meals, for the comedy value of the enormous portion sizes. We must have all looked very hungry!
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Day 6 - Dalwhinnie to River Feshie
Distance: 18.5 miles
Ascent: 3500'
Weather: dry morning, showery afternoon (all pretty light and some wintry)
Number of accidental summits: 1
A few hundred yards into our walk today we had to make the decision we had been putting off. To go high or to stay low. We decided that an amble along our low route was the order of the day, so off we went along a track which turned out not to be at all attractive.
Ten o'clock came, we had covered five miles and had come upon a sheltered spot outside of a shooting hut. Sitting there having second breakfast (along with Adrian and another chap, who caught us up within minutes of us stopping), I looked at the map. Then I looked at the lump in front of us, which we were about to skirt. Then I looked at the map again.
My sales-pitch to Mick pointed out that with a baggers' path visible on our side of the hill and a path marked on the map on the other side, and with the extra ascent being only 1600', it would be almost as easy to go over as to go around. And it was good weather for it too.
To my surprise, Mick didn't just agree with me, but he added to the list of benefits the thought that the low path would involve a very wet yomp, whereas the high route would be dry.
And so it was that elevenses were had in the lee of the summit cairn of the Munro Meall Chuaich (along with Adrian, who scampered up faster than my little legs could go). The views were excellent, with the Cairngorms in one direction and Ben Alder and its pals in the other, all snow capped.
Back down the hill and back on our intended route I had thought that the rest of the day would be pretty straight forward, being all on tracks and paths. Alas, one path proved elusive (and the excellent old track we found in the right direction suddenly ended), so we spent about two and a half miles yomping across a rough hillside. Having ascended quite a way to seek better ground, we were smug about avoiding the bog lower down - until we got to a valley we had to cross. Splosh, splosh, splosh.
The pull up the opposite side of the valley had me thankful that my legs seem finally to have accepted that they're going to get this sort of abuse every day. Even when the next path we intended to take, through a patch of forest, proved impassable due to blow-downs, my legs didn't baulk at the thought of another 300' of ascent to follow an alternative track around.
We should have ended our day a couple of miles further on, but the weather was being a bit inclement at the time and we thought it would be nice to get to the Feshie tonight, ready to ford it tomorrow.
Of course, when we got there we thought that we may as well get across tonight. It then took a while then for us to find a passable pitch on the other side, hence our day was prolonged further, but we now are well placed to reach Mar Lodge tomorrow. That will put us the best part of two days ahead of schedule. Ooops. We do, however, have a plan to use up an extra day (weather permitting).
But, for now, it's time for me to add some instant mash to my lentil stew and hope that some of the heat of the evening meal makes it to my feet. We had to ford four channels of the River Feshie (each only shin deep), and it seems that my feet haven't quite forgiven me yet.
(Conrad - we received your comment atop Meall Chuaich, just as we were saying "Conrad's been here, you know". Glad to hear you have a rail card and the back pack is being dusted off :-))
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Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Day 5 - NW end of Loch Ossian to Dalwhinnie
Distance: 18 miles
Ascent: no idea! Haven't got a map on me.
Weather: mainly dry, with some sunny periods
Number of snowmen found to be blocking the path: just the one
Today looked very straightforward on the map and the only bit which I perceived as being strenuous was the final pull up to the Beallach Dubh. I was wrong again!
After setting off under grey (but dry) skies, we took to the path beside the torrent which today was raging slightly less than last night. Perhaps it didn't rain all night; perhaps it was only for the hour and a bit that I lay awake waiting for it to stop so I could go and use the en-suite.
That river-side path was a good, solid path in some places, which were a joy to walk. In other places it was waterlogged and quite often it disappeared into bogs and wallows. Combined with the undulations, it made for hard work for my weary legs. I was definitely ruing that we'd brought forward our reservation at the bunkhouse, meaning that we had to make it to Dalwhinnie.
Then we crossed the valley and climbed up to the path which would take us all the way to Culra Lodge, and found it to be about as perfect a path as you could ask for.
Along we sped, only slowing when patches of snow proved to be very wet and slippery.
So good was the path, that I barely noticed the final ascent up to the pass.
Down the other side, some of the snow patches were surprisingly deep, but it was the thinner areas which had us skating about. It was down there that we met the snowman blocking our path. We had no doubt that it had been left by Adrian. He had camped by us last night and his were the only prints in the snow.
Culra Lodge Bothy was reached just before noon, and who should we find there but the snowman-maker himself.
He left before us, but missed the path which gives the shorter route to Dalwhinnie, and so we found ourselves in front until we stopped in the sun, alongside Loch Ericht, for afternoon tea.
It was then just a fast 3 miles into Dalwhinnie where we wasted no time in creating a veritable kit explosion in our room in the bunkhouse. Hopefully everything will be dry by morning.
After having only met a few Acharacle starters over the first 5 days, this evening we are in the company of 5 others Challengers from various start points.
And on that note, I have some chatting to do...
(Thank you for the comments - even Alan R who cruelly pointed out what good weather he's had further east!)
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Day 4 - Mamore Lodge to beyond the NW end of Loch Ossian
13 May 2013 (0740-1610)
Distance: 18 miles
Ascent: 2000'?
Weather: sunshine and showers (mainly snow of various degrees of wetness, until 3pm when they became rain)
Number of 'I don't want to plunge my feet into this cold river' moments: 2
Distance: 18 miles
Ascent: 2000'?
Weather: sunshine and showers (mainly snow of various degrees of wetness, until 3pm when they became rain)
Number of 'I don't want to plunge my feet into this cold river' moments: 2
Our night hiding behind the old Mamore Lodge Hotel was peaceful (except for 20 seconds at midnight when the alarm on Mick's watch went off).
We awoke this morning to even more peace - the rain had finally stopped. Taking my customary look out of the door vent whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, I saw that the rain had fallen as snow a little higher up. More than just a dusting too.
We had already decided we were going long instead of high (given the option of three moderate days with two more nights with everything wet or damp in the tent, or two long days and one night, we opted for the latter and changed our reservation at Dalwhinnie Bunkhouse), so off we set to track our high route at a lower elevation.
Most of the day was on tracks, of varying age and quality, apart from a few miles alongside the Abhain Rath (a river that was running fast and high today, although not to the extent of some we passed later). Our first two miles alongside that river were a veritable bog-fest. In fact, worse than that as the amount of standing water made it more of a wade than a walk.
The real wade came just before the bothy, which was originally to have been our night stop but had now been earmarked for lunch. Our feet had just warmed up as we got to the bothy, but it was a shame that we weren't ten minutes earlier arriving as we were caught in one of the longest snow showers of the day.
On and on it went as we sat in the bothy awaiting a break so that we could get water to make tea.
Finally the sun did come back out, but it was shortlived and when, after an hour of sitting, eating and drinking, we headed back out it was snowing yet again.
More sploshing, along a path which would be a delight in drier weather took us back onto tracks, although water obstacles were still plenty (I'm sure you're getting the idea: it's pretty damp around these parts just now).
The heaviest snow of the day came as we headed towards Corrour Station. Huge flakes fell fast and furious for about twenty minutes. Then the sun came out and we declared it time for afternoon tea.
After the previous three hard days (which wouldn't have been nearly as hard if I wasn't so unfit), my muscles were protesting loudly as we reached Loch Ossian. The end of the day was almost in sight, and the track on the north side of the loch (ooops, our route sheet had us on the other side - it was a spur-of-the-moment change of plan) got us there quickly but without much to capture our attention.
A whole selection of potential pitches presented themselves at the point we intended to stop. We've chosen the highest we could find, but we are right on the banks of an absolute torrent of a river. Fingers crossed that it doesn't rise by another 3 feet over night (given that I won't be posting this until at least tomorrow, if you're reading this then we didn't get washed away. We have the sound of crashing water to lull us to sleep tonight.
(Today's photo is the view through the vent of the fly this evening)
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Monday, 13 May 2013
Day 3 - Gleann Seileach to Mamore Lodge
Distance: 10.5 miles
Ascent: 4500'
Weather: a trifle damp
Number of spectacular views wot we didn't see: at least 5 (but difficult to say, as we didn't see them)
After a gentle mile along a forest track this morning (during which mile it didn't rain on us once), we shunned gentle terrain and took a brutal line up through the forest. It may have been a tad steep in places, but it got us to where we needed to be and after another long while of rough yomping we were atop Tom Meadhoin, our first top of the day (a Marilyn and a Graham, apparently).
Next up was the rather taller Mam Na Gualainn (a Corbett), but by the time we reached the ascent path, the weather had been less-than-favourable for a while and the top was in cloud. We paused for elevenses, watched five people head up, the cloud cleared a bit and off we went.
It's a straightforward ascent, and even though we tried to misplace ourselves on the way off the top in the cloud, we turned out to be exactly where we needed to be and a glimpse of visibility told us the way to the next rise.
It's a bumpy ridge but the only major loss of height is just before Beinn na Caillich. At the bottom of that dip, out of the wind and with the rain only lightly falling, lunch was had. It was another quick affair. This weather doesn't lend itself to long breaks.
The ridge up to Beinn na Caillich is truely lovely (even in today's weather). The views must be fantastic and one day maybe we will see them. Today wasn't to be that day, so we simply enjoyed the walk along the ridge, to the summit and down a little way.
I don't think any of us (we were still a group of 3 with Kirsten today) much enjoyed the second half of the descent. It goes on forever and is very stoney. I didn't mind the surface so much, but it did seem never ending.
We were due to finish our day at the bottom of that descent, but, as so few miles had been covered and as no idyllic pitch presented itself, we opted to walk on a short while.
As Kirsten peeled off to Kinlochleven, on we went towards the (closed and decaying) Mamore Lodge hotel. Whether their garden transpires to have been a good place to pitch remains to be seen. We're hoping it will be quiet on a Sunday night, without undesirables frequenting the car park.
(As for the photo, I don't remember taking it, but it looks like it must have been early in the day, as we made our way to the top of the forest.)
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Saturday, 11 May 2013
Day 2 - Ariundle to Gleann Seileach
Distance: 16.5 miles(ish)
Ascent: 1200'ish
Weather: a few showers, but far better than forecast (we even saw the sun briefly)
Number of times our feet were plunged into water: 217 (possibly more)
As you may notice from the timings above, it was not an early start today. As we left the warmth of the tea-room, just after 10 last night, the lovely owner agreed to open for breakfast this morning. She was happy to start early, but 8.30 seemed early enough to us as we had already decided in favour of our foul weather route.
Kirsten joined us for breakfast. She had decided that, given the likely state of the burns in Glen Gour, if she had to go alone, she would opt for the road instead, so our decision to go that way was popular all around.
Having set out as a group of three, we stayed that way, until (many many stream crossings, bogs and flooded path-sections later) we caught up with Laura at the foot of Glen Gour.
Joining the road, we would have almost immediately left it, except that Laura uttered the words 'tea room' and 'this way'. We were seduced. Alas, when we located it we found it had already stopped serving for the day, but (being part of the village store) there were other goodies available (ice creams :-)) and picnic benches upon which to rest our weary bones.
A few other Challengers were met in the vicinity of the Corran Ferry a short while later, but we didn't tarry. The day was marching on apace, so over we sailed to head on as far as necessary to find a pitch. We did lose Laura on the way as she had some belongings that needed drying out and so opted for the bunkhouse.
By the time we found a decent pitch we were too close to a farmhouse to just take it, so over to the house we diverted to seek permission. There we found notices on the window saying the house was vacant, locked up, stripped of furniture, and would be up for sale this year. We took that as permission to camp in their garden, which is exactly where we are.
The bad news of the day (which is why this post is curter than is my usual style), is that I've done quite a mischief to my right wrist. There are two areas of swelling and hint-of-bruise and it's very painful. The pain wasn't helped when I slipped over and flung out that arm to break my fall. I would never have thought that a poorly wrist could affect someone walking so much, but my opinion on that score is now changed. Fingers crossed (metaphorically, for pain avoidance purposes) that the ibuprofen do some good soon.
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Friday, 10 May 2013
TGOC Day 1 - Acharacle to Ariundle
Distance: 14 very long miles
Ascent: 3600' (felt like more!)
Weather: 3 hours dry, then persistently wet
That photo above, taken out of our hotel room window this morning, makes it look like we had a lovely fine day today. The weather forecast made it look like we were going to be favoured too. Looks can be very deceptive.
It was fine as we walked down the road from Acharacle, where, after a mile and a quarter we were faced with a decision: to take the road to Resipole to pick up the 'baggers' path up Beinn Resipol, or to go through the forest and cut across the hillside to pick up that same baggers' path. We contemplated the merits of both routes and came down on the side of our route sheet (rather than on the side of our vetter) and took the forest track.
Even in retrospect, we were happy with our choice, and in terms of timing there was almost nothing in it; we arrived at the path up to Beinn Resipol in between two other Challengers, who had signed out within minutes of us and had gone the other way.
I'm not sure when the rain started in earnest, but with 100 metres of ascent left (at which point I declared a hunger so great that we had to stop for lunch, rain or not) it had been decidedly wet for a while. That wet persisted in various degrees all afternoon (and, indeed, is persisting as I type this).
The east side of Beinn Resipol is not the best place to find yourself when enveloped in cloud and when being rained on. It's a tussocky, boggy old yomp over many an undulation, and probably quite good fun when you can see anything of your surroundings.
That wasn't the worst bit of the day, mind (I'm making this sound like it was all doom and gloom, which wasn't actually the case). When we finally picked up the miners path down to Scotstown (I confess that I did shout a little over-excitedly when I spotted that path which had proved so elusive for so long) we found that the Scottish Six Day Trials (a trail-motorbike event) had been through two days ago. It was hideously chewed up. (How ever bad you're thinking, it was worse than that.)
We were due to stop just above Scotstown, but Kirsten, with whom we had been walking since lunchtime, told us of an excellent bunkhouse at Ariundle, and we didn't take much convincing to continue on and take advantage of the facilities.
Alas, there was no room at the inn. But, the tea-room was open so hot bowls of soup and vats of tea gave us the opportunity to steam gently. It was one of those days when 'waterproof' proved not to be so and all three of us were wet through.
By and by the big wood-burning stove was lit and we migrated over there. We must have looked a sight: two ladies and a chap, all standing in front of a stove, with their waterproof trousers around their knees, trying to dry out the seats of their pants!
The owners of the bunk-house/tea room are lovely. So lovely that they took pity on us and said that we could camp in the garden and make use of the tea-room facilities until closing time. It transforms into a restaurant at night, so closing isn't until 10.30pm. We are mightily glad, as we have had the chance to dry out a bit.
Alas, there are other casualties of the rain. It seems that both Mick and I have leaking rucksack liners and as a result I have a wet-in-places sleeping bag (bin bags have been obtained to rectify that leakage). And, it seems that I still haven't learnt the important lesson that when putting things in plastic bags, it is necessary to seal those bags. Happily, my maps have now dried out on the stove in the tea-room.
Well, it's getting late, so it must be time to go and crawl into our sleeping bags, ready for another rainy day tomorrow (tomorrow I'm going to put both waterproof jackets on; wish I'd done that today!).
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Wednesday, 8 May 2013
TGO Challenge - the journey begins
It was at bed-time last night when I finally came to sort myself out with a pair of shoes. A rummage in the bottom of the wardrobe turned up two pairs of Inov8 Terrocs, but one was quite worn, and the other had a potential issue with the heel cup (hmmm, I meant to send those back a year ago!). After a bit of dithering, I decided to break out my last brand-new pair and trotted off to the kit cupboard to retrieve the box.
I didn't come to open that box until this morning and when I did it was with great surprise that I found that it didn't contain a pair of Terrocs, but a pair of Saloman XA Pros.
Oh, decisions! With an hour and a half until we were due to start our journey north I had to decide whether to go with the brand new XA Pros (the right foot of which didn't feel as spacious as it should), the dodgy-heel-cup pair of Terrocs or the quite-worn pair of Terrocs, all of the time wondering why I hadn't sorted my shoes out weeks ago.
Being an Imelda Marcos of the outdoor world, I rummaged some more and managed to locate three more pairs of Terrocs: one very old, one too big for the cold weather of the Challenge (good for California, though), and one pair that had good tread and an intact heel cup.
Phew! Shoe quandary solved. The same pair of shoes that I wore for the Challenge last year are on my feet for this year.
Our journey north has now begun. Journey times and timings dictated that to set out from Acharacle on Friday morning we needed to leave home on Wednesday morning, so I type this from the Glasgow train which forms the third part of our five-part journey.
As for the pack, it's awfully heavy, but that's one of the costs of choosing a route that only passes one shop and one other place that we can pick up a parcel. As a result we're setting out with six days' food. At least the pack weight will decrease by the day.
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