Gleoraich

14°C, misty rain showers,
Summit– Gleoraich, 1035m.
After an encouraging start, visibility was touch and go. On we plodded at a moderate pace. I was wary because of the remote location and the low chance that anyone else was on the mountain. Footprints were visible, but they could easily be from yesterday.
The walk was great until if mizzle turned to driving rain at the middle col. I looked at possible escape routes but they looked steeper descents than continuing onward and over the next summit. So, that’s what we decided to do. Sooner too because Rosie was visibly shivering under her raincoat. A col is usually a windy place and by now the rain was driving.

Summit 2 – Spidean Mialach, 997m, rain, I mean RAIN!
The climb up was easy, only a shame that there was no visibility: there must be some grand views below. Descent was mostly down a grassy slope without too many bolders. Then Rosie let herself down- she disappeared! That is a stressful thing to happen. Then a hare ran past. She was chasing them, dammit! She must have been on one, later she chased after a stag, a Red Deer stag. Hopeless, it had several times her speed, many times her size, on familiar lane and sporting huge antlers. Silly girl.
When she’s sleeping tonight, I will know what is going through her mind when the twitching and woofling starts.

Before the incident

Wild camp: Loch Quoich

14°C, light cloud, SW.
Wildcamp near Sgurr Mhaoraich near Loch Quoich, a man-made reservoir. Though it’s very remote here, there is some through traffic to the tiny village Kinloch Hourn. I found a spot by a small Loch on the watershed. It’s a bit more windy here so there should be fewer midges. Anyway, it’s beautiful here with grassy covered hummocky moraines. The sort of place that makes your heart feel big and swollen inside your chest.
I can’t help but be a little nervous though; there is evidence of deer, some droppings are fairly fresh. And footprints.
image
Later- encountered a small herd of red Deer while driving along the shore. About 4 hinds, and one stag. He ran along in front of the car and then jumped to the side. There he stood, only feet away, eyeing me up. We made eye contact. It felt like a while, but not long enough to get the camera out. The image will, nonetheless, stay with me- I am sure.

Creag Meagaidh.

16C, good start.
Creag Meagaidh is just one summit in a horseshoe of others well over 3,000ft. They form an undulating ridge with fascinating and varied views all round. Start at 9.30, but it still took me till 15.00 to reach the title summit. Okay, so I had to take a catnap on the plateau, but still…
That felt like a very hard day. I don’t know how it happened, but I normally don’t read the time very often. But when I did, it was quite a shock that it read 2pm and I had not wet eaten lunch. Terrible, no wonder that I felt so dreadful. Why not have a sensation of hunger to make it unnecessary?
Anyway, a great day only marred buy a tricky descent through a birch forest, the path was hidden, roots were a serious tripping hazard and the rocks mossy and slippery as ice.

Wild camp: Bohuntine

21°C, very wet morning, lovely later.
The bothy is out of reach, the river in spate, is impassable. I did try, but the brown water is too strong and deep in the middle.

Camp opposite the Bothy

Camp opposite the Bothy

It’s been a good day, all went to plan despite a rotten start. Rain poured all night, so it looked daunting. Once I got underway, the sky cleared and great photos presented themselves.
Today I did the half day walk intended- Bouhontine and the parallel roads. Guide-books always show photos of them them in winter but they are quite clear even now, all covered in grass, heather and bracken.
The best part of the walk was the secret valley behind Bouhontine hill.
As I write, I any lying in my tent, awaiting a good night’s sleep. Last time I wildcamped, I was spooked by a bellowing stag.
Wish me luck.

Buachaille Etive Mor

14°C, rain in afternoon.
Ridge walk with 4 summits over 3,000ft, though only 2 count as Monroes. The main feature was a snaking ridge which could have revealed breathtaking views if the cloud cleared. Only the first summit was clear and it stood over Rannock Moor with layers of mountains that ran on forever.

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So, today’s summits-
Stob Dearg 1022m
Stob Na Doire 1011m,
Stob Coire Altruim 941m,
Stob na Broige 956m.
The last three formed an undulating ridge which was easy to navigate, even in cloud.

Unmentionables

19C, heavy rain.
Collected some furniture from Bolton. There is the drawback of buying through ebay. The drive was not too far but it meant travelling to towns entirely unfamiliar. West Lancashire looks quite okay, not exactly “desolate” as the Tories think.

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The satnav did not, however, cope well with a closed road in the town. It took me over circuitous routes, each time, back to the road closure.
The guy who sold it explained that he’d moved house recently and that his wife used it to “keep her unmentionables”.

Metric Century.

Saturday ride- MapMyRide! Distance: 67.47mi, time: 04:21:03, speed: 15.51mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/345366821
The last few days I have had the fizzy legs syndrome. At last it’s good after this ride.
The ride was long enough to test the phone’s battery booster. Tracking with my little smart phone really drains the battery, some days down to 25%, or less. Today, I got home with 96% charge. A result that bodes well for highland hiking this coming week.