Evolution

I had an interesting conversation with a colleague at work the other day that made me realise how far my interest in the outdoors has developed over the years.. He came to me looking for advice as he and a few friends are doing a sponsored Southern Uplands Way jaunt next month. None of them are regular walkers but they are all keen to experience the outdoors.

I'm quite envious of the obvious excitement he is experiencing at the planning of this adventure and at the same time worried for him and his friends hoping that they don't overload themselves with kit and kill themselves trying to walk with it all. When I see him at work this week I shall have a list of the essentials they need in the pack and the luxuries that make the long walk more bearable. I'm instantly taken back to my first few backpacking adventures which I have fond memories of but also vividly remember the pain attached to these also. I just hope I can ensure that this will be the start of something good for them rather than en endurance event for a good cause.

Sgurr a' Mhaoraich

The story of this adventure will seem familiar if you have read PTC, Sandy and Phil's blogs already but I thought I'd write up my thoughts anyway. Apologies for the repetition and delay.That thing called work that finances my gear habit and excursions has been demanding way too much of my time and energy but hey ho.

Loch Quoich is an area that is virgin territory for me. I had looked at in wonder from the South Glen Shiel Ridge last year but it still hadn't made it onto this years "must do" list. When I got the email from PTC outlining the options for a weekend adventure this was the one that most took my fancy. The drive up was very familiar until we turned off at the sign saying Kinlochhourn. The light was fading fast but I could see there were lots of very interesting hills in here that will need to be explored at some point. We parked right at the start of the stalkers path onto the ridge up Bac nan Canaichea. Its a well maintained path so there were no difficulties even though we were walking in the dark having set off at 930pm. The sky was  clear so we were all trying to pick out the stars, looking for shooting stars and tracking the satellites. Then some cloud started coming over and I had to succumb to putting the red light on in the headtorch. This initially did me quite well until the ground got a bit more undulating and my depth perception was non existant, bloody nystagmus and astigmatism. This slowed me down a bit and eventually I had to put the white light on. We were initially planning to camp near the wall that disects the ridge just after the summit of Sgurr Coire nan Eincheallach but when we came across a really nice flat plateau at around 800m with a snow bank perfect for water purposes we decided to pitch there for the night.

We were soon set up, stoves were on and the food was out to refuel before bed. Amazingly I was still feeling very awake despite it being well after midnight. Our stars had disappeared under cloud which was a shame but it was a lovely still night with not even a whisper of wind. I eventually retired to the tent about 130am lying there listening to the music shuffle on the phone before drifting off. I woke a couple of hours later with a cold bum - I should have taken either the Downmat 7 or my PHD Down Trousers - but soon drifted off again after strategically placing my insulating jacket. When I next peaked out the tent at 515am the sun was already teasing the sky with tinges of orange. I opened the fly of the tent a little more and repositioned the pillow to make the most of it. PTC chuckled at me when I let out a "wow" at one point. Eventually around 6am we were all awake and exiting our various sleeping quarters to get the full effect of the sunrise. We all wandered over the ridge to get our various pictures of the scene and grab our own private moments with it. Hunger then got the better of us and the stoves were on for breakfast cuppas. We exchanged banter over how we'd slept and our thoughts on the sunrise. Perfect apart from not getting an inversion. Hey ho, we can't have it all ways

First peak out the tent

The boys enjoying the view

The perfect spot

We regretfully packed up and started up the rest of the route. We all agreed that we had found the perfect camp spot and were glad not to have pushed on for the original destination. When we reached the top of Sgurr Coire nan Eincheallach we were rewarded with a fantastic view of our intended peak and there was snow!!!!! The 360 degree views that we were getting were just getting better and better. To our north the Glen Shiel and Kintail hills, to our south Glen Kingie and Knoydart. Its an intersting undulating craggy little ridge with some entertaining rocky bits that we had fun scrambling over. We enjoyed taking our time drinking in the views and the feel of the mountain under our feet. Before too long we were on top ooing at ahhhing at the panorama. I couldn't get over how far we could see. Torridon, Cairngorms, Ben Nevis looking majestic  and Skye out west. We set up camp on the summit for cuppas and sticky gingerbread muffins. Again none of us really wanted to move but we needed to keep going.

The wall

Nice grippy rock to play on

Summit of Sgurr a Mhaoraich looking towards Ben Nevis

Our route off was down to Bealach Coire a Chaorainn then onto Am Bathaich before dropping into Glen Quoich. The route down to the bealach still had a fair bit of snow on it. The first section was perfectly angled for some sliding down. I just couldn't resist. The next was not so forgiving. The angle was a lot steeper and the snow more consolidated so crampons on and I followed the steps made by PTC, Phil & Sandy for me. When we reached the bealach we were able to see the next stage, working our way through the rock bands and grass terraces to the summit of Am Bathaich. It turned out to be easier than I first thought. The rest of this wee ridge down gave us some intersting rocks to play on and oggle at the strange letters that were on some of them. Soon enough we were on the stalkers path down into Glen Quoich, not the most exciting part of the day that's for sure.

Entertaining snow slope

Approaching Bealach Coire a Chaorainn

Heading down stalkers path to Glen Quoich

One more obstacle to negotiate before we were on the path back along the loch side, Allt Coire a' Chaorainn. PTC wondered if this would be a "Blondie stopper" I certainly wouldn't be able to cross it the same way the boys had as my balance is so crap I'd almost certainly fall in trying to rock hop. So the socks were off, the boys chucked some more rocks into the gaps on the river bed and off I went. That last 4km along the loch inlet really drained us all so we were really glad to eventually get back to the car 22 hours after we had left it. Irn Bru was graftefully consumed, fresh clothes donned and into the car as the sun was setting once more over Loch Quoich. A cheeky deer tried to stop us from leaving by standing in the middle of the road staring us out. We won. As we headed back to the main road we had the sudden realisation that we may have a problem. The road south of Fort William was due to close at 9pm. The race was on PTC's trusty stead was ever so slightly overloaded but despite his best efforts, within the law of course, we reached Spean Bridge at 858pm, no chance of getting south on the A82. We were off on a tour of Scotland heading over to the A9. By this time we were all craving proper food and we debated where we were likely to obtain some. It is really disappointing to realise that this country doesn't cater for those who find themselves needing food after 9pm on a Sunday night. We travelled 130 miles from Loch Quoich before we found anywhere open, the services at Perth where the selection was limited and delayed as the staff were changing shifts. We were soon back on the road and I eventually put the key in the door at 1am.

This was certainly a weekend that will put a smile on my face every time it is mentioned or comes into my thoughts, even with the sting in the tale.

Thanks boys :-))

For those who want to see more photos (of which there are many!!) you can find them here.

My name is Elaina & I'm a gearaholic.................

This weekend has turned out to be a no hill zone due to my knee being  grumbly after last weekend's adventures and a heavy week on my feet at work. I should have been using the time to catch up on the domestic stuff that I have been ignoring for ages but that aint any fun. I used Saturday to catch up on the much needed sleep that my body craved and then confirmed my ongoing knee grumbles with a walk along the canal. My wee brain started wondering what distraction I could come up with for Sunday other than doing the dreaded housework. I had a sudden flash of inspiration - a visit to Escape Route could be on the cards to check out the Haglofs Matrix pack that I was considering. OK Pitlochry aint round the corner but Steve doesn't mind driving especially if we can stop off at The Real Food Cafe.

This was my first visit to the store but it had come highly recommended by Phil and PTC. As we walked in Steve started shaking his head and saying "oh no". I had walked into Haglofs heaven :-)) I didn't know where to start. I spotted the packs behind the counter and asked if they had the Matrix 60. I could see by the look on the staff's faces that my luck was out. It was at this point I started cursing PTC & Phil for misimforming me. We began looking over the stock that they had and trying on some other but none were suitable for the job I wanted. I decided to have a look at the rest of the lovely Haglofs kit and found to my delight that they had wummins versions of a lot of the range and in my size. I was getting giddy by now. I found the Lizard Shorts and just had to try them. I was over the moon when I came out the changing room as they fitted perfectly. What I wasn't expecting was to hear this voice say "they had better not be the ones I had asked to be put aside for me". It was Phil. He'd been working up in the area and had come in to get his prized Lizards. I  started shouting at him for luring me to this place under false pretences. I soon got over that and before I knew it Phil and myself were going through all the lovely kit with help from Peter whilst Steve stood looking on wondering how to deal with two gear freaks who were bouncing off one another. 

Peter then gave us a lovely cappiccino. Now this is what I call shopping. Before I knew it I had a pile of stuff that I wanted Lizard Shorts, Lizard Top, Box Cap along with some Sealskin socks and an amusing sunhat from Animal. I needed to get out before I spent any more money. I didn't quite make it. Somehow I just needed to order the Lizard top in the lovely purple as well as taking home the black one.

The shop had stayed open way later than they were supposed to. We really needed to go but not before Peter had said he'd get in the Matrix in red for me to try. Thanks staff at Escape Route for exceptional service and I hope not to cite you in my application for bankruptcy ;-)

Wildcamping Kit

Apologies for the delay in getting this out. That thing that finances my gear habit  and excursions  has demanded way too much of my time and energy for my liking. Anywhoose, last weekend's adventure had me pondering over many items of kit before we headed out. I don't go wildcamping enough to be fully confident in my choice of kit but hopefully that will change the more I get out. 

Tent

I really only have one backpacking tent my Terra Nove Superlite Voyager which I have had for 4 years so it aint the lighter version available now but the 1.7kg original version. It's luxury as a solo tent and not too shabby for sharing either. But this was being left at home as I had been given a Big Agnes Fly Creek to play with for the night. I was very impressed. 

At less than 1kg fully packed you hardly know it's in the pack. It's a inner pitch first and considering that I had never seen it before and I was pitching in the dark it went up very easily and quickly with no major hassles. It's got a rather unusual pole design in that it has a hub that splits at the front to form the porch support. I'm used to a front entry tent but I did have to think hard where I was putting kit as the entry is on the narrow side but still very workable. The porch is certainly large enough for you to cook in and if you can sit cross legged you're soted. I prferred the lying on stomach approach which was very comfy. Although very narrow at the footwell there was still space at the side for my pack and plenty space around my head for stff I wanted nearby. It's narrow footprint makes it a perfect wildcamping and I certainly had a comfy enough night in it.

Pack

I knew that I probably needed a larger pack than my usual choice of the Macpac Amp 40 to get the extra winter gear accommodated. On a whim I rushed to the local gear shops to see if any had an OMM Vilan 45+10 returning home to find that although this is a very nice pack it didn't allow for any more gear than my Macpac Amp so it has gone back to the shop. That meant I had to use my old Gregory Zpack. Another piece of kit about 5 years old that has now evolved to be a better pack. It is a comfy pack and carries very well even when fully loaded. My main gripes with this old pack are the lack of easily accessable side and hip pockets. I have added some Decathlon pouches to the hip fins but it looks messy and they move about too much. I see the latest version, now 55L capacity compared to 50L, has rectified that.  For this foray my old Zpack did what it needed to do.

Sleeping

I have recently taken delivery of a a PHD Minim 500 sleeping bag, a bargain in their sale. I knew it would do the trick perfectly.It's got a temp rating of -10 a drishel outer in this lovely "gold"

What I ended up dithering over was what mat to take. I had bought an Exped Downmat 7 short for winter but decided as the weather was not going to be that bad I would risk taking the Thermarest Neoair which is just so super comfy. I also had my Decathlon pillow and my PHD down booties. I had a little thermometer with me so when I was woken up with what turned out to be a cold bum, I checked and it was -2C. Maybe I should have taken the Downmat. Other than that the combo worked very well.

Other Stuff
The only other area where I had a wee quandry over was what spare clothing to take. My insulation layer was decided purely on aesthetic reasons. I wanted to wear my lovely mango coloured Haglofs Barrier Windstopper. It weighs a third more than my PHD Yukon  and is no where near as packable but is very toasty and the colour is just so easy to see on the hill.

I had packed my PHD Ultra Vest but it didn't come out at all. I had also wondered about whether or not to put the PHD Down Trousers in. I decided not to. It may have helped with the cold bum issue and Phil certainly seemend nice and comfy wandering about camp in his in the morning so they may well be considered for other camps. Everything else packed was pretty much the same as always. Jetboil for cooking, Travel Tap water filter, Platypus hydration system, Alpkit Gamma Headtorch, Buffalo windshirt, Haglofs Oz, Kahtoola Steels and microspikes, Camp Corsa ice axe.

I'm still not sure how my gear nearly filled a 50L pack while Sandy managed to get his into a 35L. I'll just need to keep tweaking.........

“Instructions on how to engineer an epic out of a daywalk”

I've nicked the title for this post from PTC who has written up the weekend's events to perfection as serialised here in Camp Freddy and Camp Coffee . A wee overnight wildcamp with PTC, Sandy and Phil on Sgurr a' Mhaoraich which turned out to be one of the best hill experiences I have had.

I shall put something together properly when I manage to get through the 395 photos I took and my energy levels get to a stage where I sort of make sense. Hopefully that wont be too long ;-)

Preperation

At last, a week of work torture is over. I badly need a hill fix to rejuvenate this bruised and battered soul. PTC has formulated a plan that sees four of us going off to play up high in the dark near Loch Quoich. I'm sure this trip will do the trick perfectly.

My body is weak at the moment so I'm sitting here going through what kit to take in my head rather than getting it all together. It has been way too long since the last wildcamp for me to be able to  easily recall all that is required. This will have to be rectified. Bed is calling. I shall be dreaming of my sleeping quarters for tomorrow night ........................ :-)

Beinn Ime

I needed a hill fix but had the ususal post work hangover. Destination Arrochar, Beinn Ime. There were a couple of options on the table, doing it from Butterbridge possibley taking in the Corbett Beinn Luibhean or a nice easy meander from Succoth. It would be decided on whether there was space in the car park at Succoth. There was space and as I had done nothing but sleep in the car on the way there we decided to take the easy option.

As you'd expect from a holiday weekend, it was mobbed but we had chosen the less frequented hill. It was looking a bit murcky as we approached but thankfully for us the weather didn't appear to want to touch our hill. It's great in that area around Bealach a' Mhaim, the views of the surrounding hills are just majestic.

Beinn Ime

Beinn Narnain

Ben Vane

We hit the snowline around 750m and its the type of snow we like, not to wet and hard enough to be able to take your weight. Bliss :-) This was where I started cursing the fact that I had forgotten to lift the camera and Steve had left his at home too. I was praying that the shots I was taking with my Nokia 5800 would turn out. I couldn't see the screen so it really was just pointing and hoping for the best. Thankfully they worked. The views from on top were phenominal.

On the route up we'd been recceing potential sliding, sorry Easter egg rolling areas after all that was why we had come up the hill ;-) You're never too old to follow traditions.

Tradition

Easter Sunday, a day to go up the hill and roll your Easter egg down. Then again, maybe just go for a slide myself as well as my egg :-)