Munro Bagging

After completing 72, in 2004 and early 05, I have decided to start to log the routes and conditions of the paths. Hopefully the blog will keep you on route and avoid any navigation nightmares thru bogs !

Nick

Ben Fhada -Glencoe

A superb day. Sunburnt face the day after. Parked up, walked up and then climbed linking series of snow gullies to the summit. Stripped to thermal tshirt till the summit.

Brilliant views of Bidean ridges and Aeanich Eagach. The ski mountain and Nevis had summit covered in cloud. Ambled up and down the ridge, crampons on for the 3nd half. Beautiful big cornices and scooped snow. Spoke to the only other walker who said the step before the munro summit was not doable as a traverse without a rope.

So I went as far as I could and decided that the traverse below and after the step was dodgy with crusty topped snow with very slidey snow for 1-2ft underneath.

Spent an hr on the top watching climbers around on various gullies and butresses. So still I could hear people on both ridges and the twin munros east of me. Some folk abbing or down climbing a headwall gully above the hidden valley.

Slid and slimed down the descent just before the Fhada top beside the river gully and then bottomed out at the path. Went to take the last photo and realised my digital camera was gone.

A small blck bag clipped to my rucksac waist belt, doh.

It's a Kodak CX7310 in a black snap link shut bag with a GB mem card. Luckily I backed up the card with 1500 photos on it last week. I have digital camcorder footage of today as well.

Buachaille Etive Beag - No 99, 100

A late start, again, then tanked up the 'Alt Alrige Eilde' to the well laid flagstone path twisting up to the snowline, approx. 450m, exactly as per the www.mwis.org.uk forecast.
An icy path then deep snow with a firm padded top layer snaked up to the Bealach. Windy steps later and a quick chat to folk descending and on up to the first summit, 'Stob Coire Raineach'.


A very windy break just of the summit and my 99th Munro done. Crampons on for the descent and the rest of the ridge. Much safer on the hard packed snow, normally it would be bucket steps but it's consolidated since last weekends big dump.

Back down then up along the Buachaille Etive Beag ridge to the top then the last summit of the day and my 100th ! Quite tricky at points but a geat ridge walk with fantastic views down to the glistening Etive river and Loch.











More photos here http://www.munrobagging.fotopic.net/c872259.html

Stob Na Broige -No 98

The weather forecast on http://www.mwis.org.uk/ was a peach for the Western Highlands. Parked up at 11am, in Glencoe, then trudged offin the sunshine thru the ROW up 'Lairig Gartain' in the Glencoe area.

Icy frozen path but fast. Then knee to thigh deep powder up the flagged path then snaking up to avoid going below the avalanche littered slopes below 'Stob na Doire'.

Broke out of the small cornice (scary) onto the ridge and blinding sun, relief from the trail breaking and plodded up to the top. Amazing 'reminder you're alive' views spread out in all directions. Beyond Schiehallion was grey and murky, cairngorms looked poor.

Ben Nevis dominating the north view. No wind at all and I heard french voices coming from the summit across the glen. Stilljust a fleece and no gloves.

A nice narrow corniced ridge led to the 98th Munro of mine, Stob Na Broige. I checked to see another descent but trundled back and returned down theascent route. Still amazes me how many folk are up just now WITHOUT axes. A group I met asked how far the summit was, I was tempted to say'look at your map'. A peculiar question considering there was 70 miles of visibility.

A great day route and weather wise.

Photos here http://www.munrobagging.fotopic.net/

A bit of Bouldering at the largest indoor climbing wall now.(www.adventurescotland.com)

Nick

Stob 'a Choire Odhair & Stob Ghabar No 76,77

Another good day, 19/3/05. With some sweet views and temp. inversions. An easy ascent up Stob Ghabar with nice switchbacks. Great views of the next munro Stob 'a Choire Odhair when descending to the bealach and a scramble up the aonach eagach ridge to join the ridge and onto the ascent up the knife edge arete, good exposure and easy walking. T shirt weather while walking.

Amazing views of Nevis and Lui sticking up above a sea of cloud. And a weird circular rainbow effect cast from shadow of the summit.

(I have since discovered it's called a 'brockets sphere')

Beinn a' Chocuill & Beinn Eunaich No 74,75

13th of March 2005 - Ascent 4365ft, 4hrs 15mins.

Fantastic weather and vistas. Stipped down to a thermal tshirt and slogged up to Eunaichs long grassy ridge, bone dry and like straw, with some nice crunchy snow to finish. Very blinding sun and a cold wind. The view across to Cruachan waw amazing.

I never realised how many peaks, and how far apart they are, within the spectacular Cruachan ridge. Alpine in scale if not overall in ht. Seven seperate peaks counted. A view to remind you you're alive.

Continued on down towards a' Chocuill with a twisting narrow ridge with perfect under foot snow just enough to get the edge in, without crampons.

A full hr on the summit soaking up the 360 degs vistas. Only when I saw a pillar of snow coming in off Jura did I start the easy descent down to the hydro tunnel rd and back to the car.

Sunburnt face and a great day, after missing last weekends walking due to a bad cough.

Nick

No 74 & 75 Map

Map

Nick

No 74 & 75 Route Stats

Stats

Nick

Beinn Mhanach No73

Beinn Mhanach No73 - nr Bridge of Orchy/Tyndrum

Parking down the private rd then slogging up the path/landy track. A sweet section of singletrack worth MTBing sometime. The Munros book suggest parking at the A82. But discrete parking at the track junctions only got a polite wave from the landowners/workers.

Many fords across the river broke the flow. Up across the moorland to the end of the track. Next cut up and across the col to the 849 spot height. Then thru the gate and dogleg left. An icy rocky but easy ridge to finish. About fifty ft visibility all the way from the col.

Descend off the summit. Head back, aim off, towards the fence line. No cliffs to worry about. Then descend the fence line avoiding crossing it to avoid the rolling stream gullies. When pasing the large shed on the way back Igreeted two chaps working on the roof. I had passed two crumpled 30ft roof sections after reaching the track.

Then soak up the 'Loch Lyon' view and back along the ford and landy track.

No 'All Day Veggy Breakfast' at the Little Chef in Tyndrum since it's shut down. The 'Green Welly Stop' has excellent Lattes though.

Chow

Nick