The toughest day I like to recall 26 2 18
Scotland..? 19 6 13 (6) 25 2 3
That is to say the only new peaks I managed to climb in 2019 were all climbed or at least summitted in Mist and Rain, and on one occasion, the worst day when it rained pretty much without respite for all 13 hours I was out in it! That then is the bad news!!
And the good? That in order to climb these 3 new summits involved me in 3, 4 and 3 days subsisting in the Scottish outback: walking and climbing and/or spending the second of two consecutive rainy days simply drying out my equipment, and resting to recover my strength.
Adrenalin the unmistaken driving force for such activities..? 19 6 14
This second outing turned out to being in still more sustained falling rain and mists, to the extent that I walked 8 hours before gaining my main summit objective in altogether more strenuous conditions than I had bargained for, but when wearing a pair of shorts under my waterproof over-trousers I continued beyond dusk to finish my walk some 13 hours after setting out, when my main sustenance was provided in the second half of the day with a giant sized bar of Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut chocolate, after eating my Cheese Onion Tomato and Cucumber sandwich lunch, with a flask of hot tea earlier in the day. The success of this outing later impressed me with the fact that it must have been the adrenaline on top of the chocolate which kept me focussed and in such high spirits for the whole of this mammoth day’s undertaking, which to my great surprise at the time that I accomplished it undaunted, albeit very tired.
The foregoing then snippets from the 2nd of these three outings when as my third blog I shall describe my ascent of Gulvain this date of 2026 2 18 almost 7 years on, as my toughest ascent of all my Munro ascents...
On the day itself I roused myself in the best room of the bothy, a few metres away from the fireplace on a raised platform, ate breakfast including a couple of cups of instant coffee and left fully kitted out for the rain around 9 30, later than I should have given the route I had projected for this my at least third attempt to take Gulvain.
Heading off north west in what soon became what seemed like interminal up a hill then down before ascending again, then repeating the excersise, map getting wetter and wetter, until at last my last ascent to the summit in a mixture of mist and rain came into view, to stand atop this long sought after noted mountain around 6 pm.
Then heading off on a more distinct southerly route which gave way to a good track, no way I could have reversed the route I had chosen for my ascent owing to encroaching darkness.
Then my biggest decision whether to strike out due west at 9pm with the last light and a compass bearing to find my way through what appeared as ancient forest, fenced off, which otherwise would have meant adding another hour's walk to the main road, 1/2 hour more in a westerly direction along the road, then a further hour's walk in a northerly direction, say in distance 4 or 5 times that of my forest "short cut", to re-attain my bothy. That is distances of a different order of magnitute when I chose the shorter option but maybe only shorter in distance, spent traversing the forest in reducing then failing light, my torch not such an imppressive device.
But the excitement mixed with a feeling of being highly focussed and in control, climbing over fallen trunks of trees some of which had lain there for years, and therefore of questionable strength, threading one's way, attempting to hold to my chosen compass bearing...and then at last coming through, not more than a hundred metres from my bothy.
And my bothy, luckily now its second room occupied by two couples, one Scottish the other from one of the Balitic states of Latvia, or Lithuania, with their hire car parked nearby the bothy (unlawfully). I say luckily because next day before their departure then gifted me so many essential supplies I had omitted to take along : candles, toilet paper, plus surplus food items, all of which allowed me to stay an extra day, and dry all my sodden gear out, while resting up recharging my batteries, keeping the log fire in its purpose built crate from a plentiful supply of timber outside in a nearby garden.
That is to say the only new peaks I managed to climb in 2019 were all climbed or at least summitted in Mist and Rain, and on one occasion, the worst day when it rained pretty much without respite for all 13 hours I was out in it! That then is the bad news!!
And the good? That in order to climb these 3 new summits involved me in 3, 4 and 3 days subsisting in the Scottish outback: walking and climbing and/or spending the second of two consecutive rainy days simply drying out my equipment, and resting to recover my strength.
Adrenalin the unmistaken driving force for such activities..? 19 6 14
This second outing turned out to being in still more sustained falling rain and mists, to the extent that I walked 8 hours before gaining my main summit objective in altogether more strenuous conditions than I had bargained for, but when wearing a pair of shorts under my waterproof over-trousers I continued beyond dusk to finish my walk some 13 hours after setting out, when my main sustenance was provided in the second half of the day with a giant sized bar of Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut chocolate, after eating my Cheese Onion Tomato and Cucumber sandwich lunch, with a flask of hot tea earlier in the day. The success of this outing later impressed me with the fact that it must have been the adrenaline on top of the chocolate which kept me focussed and in such high spirits for the whole of this mammoth day’s undertaking, which to my great surprise at the time that I accomplished it undaunted, albeit very tired.
The foregoing then snippets from the 2nd of these three outings when as my third blog I shall describe my ascent of Gulvain this date of 2026 2 18 almost 7 years on, as my toughest ascent of all my Munro ascents...
On the day itself I roused myself in the best room of the bothy, a few metres away from the fireplace on a raised platform, ate breakfast including a couple of cups of instant coffee and left fully kitted out for the rain around 9 30, later than I should have given the route I had projected for this my at least third attempt to take Gulvain.
Heading off north west in what soon became what seemed like interminal up a hill then down before ascending again, then repeating the excersise, map getting wetter and wetter, until at last my last ascent to the summit in a mixture of mist and rain came into view, to stand atop this long sought after noted mountain around 6 pm.
Then heading off on a more distinct southerly route which gave way to a good track, no way I could have reversed the route I had chosen for my ascent owing to encroaching darkness.
Then my biggest decision whether to strike out due west at 9pm with the last light and a compass bearing to find my way through what appeared as ancient forest, fenced off, which otherwise would have meant adding another hour's walk to the main road, 1/2 hour more in a westerly direction along the road, then a further hour's walk in a northerly direction, say in distance 4 or 5 times that of my forest "short cut", to re-attain my bothy. That is distances of a different order of magnitute when I chose the shorter option but maybe only shorter in distance, spent traversing the forest in reducing then failing light, my torch not such an imppressive device.
But the excitement mixed with a feeling of being highly focussed and in control, climbing over fallen trunks of trees some of which had lain there for years, and therefore of questionable strength, threading one's way, attempting to hold to my chosen compass bearing...and then at last coming through, not more than a hundred metres from my bothy.
And my bothy, luckily now its second room occupied by two couples, one Scottish the other from one of the Balitic states of Latvia, or Lithuania, with their hire car parked nearby the bothy (unlawfully). I say luckily because next day before their departure then gifted me so many essential supplies I had omitted to take along : candles, toilet paper, plus surplus food items, all of which allowed me to stay an extra day, and dry all my sodden gear out, while resting up recharging my batteries, keeping the log fire in its purpose built crate from a plentiful supply of timber outside in a nearby garden.
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