Sunday, June 9, 2013

Stuchd an Lochain

The weather forecast was for a stunning weekend (a rare thing in Scotland!), and with my knee feeling quite good, I was keen to get out and at least try to get up a decent-sized hill. I was a little restricted with time, as I was due in Glasgow for a certain 4-year-old's 4th birthday party. I scanned the map for hills that were close to Edinburgh that I hadn't yet ticked off and my eye was soon drawn to Stuchd an Lochain.
Highland Cows in the River Lyon, Glen Lyon
Highland Cows in the River Lyon, Glen Lyon
Highland Cows, Glen Lyon
Highland Cows, Glen Lyon
Giorra Dam, Glen Lyon
Giorra Dam, Glen Lyon
Loch an Daimh
Loch an Daimh
I left Edinburgh just after 9am but a few delays meant that I only set off from the car-park below the Loch an Daimh dam at 12:30pm. The cloud was still low and so was the temperature - although things were beginning to warm up. As I rounded the South shore, leaving the track at the cairn, small patches of blue sky were visible above me - hopefully the cloud would burn off and the afternoon would be a scorcher.
Loch an Daimh
Loch an Daimh
Loch an Daimh
Loch an Daimh
Heading up above Coire Ban
Heading up above Coire Ban
Looking East down Glen Lyon
Looking East down Glen Lyon
The path wasn't exactly brilliant - rough, boggy, and steep - I was surprised at just how wet it was, considering how little rain there had been lately. My knee was feeling good, despite the steep incline, and I was pleased to find that my fitness hadn't seemed to suffer too much… I was at the top of the main ridge in only 30 minutes. I passed a few large groups on their way down, and I was thinking that they can't have had much of a view. For myself, however, the sky was clearing all the time and the views were becoming more stunning by the second. From the spot height of 887m, I had a great view looking down on Lochan nan Cat. My eyes were then drawn along the remainder of the ridge to my left and along to the summit in front of me.
Stuchd an Lochain summit above Loch an Daimh
Stuchd an Lochain summit above Loch an Daimh
Looking back towards Creag an Fheadain
Looking back towards Creag an Fheadain
Looking North towards Meall Buidhe above Loch an Daimh
Looking North towards Meall Buidhe above Loch an Daimh
Looking Northwest towards Ben Nevis and the Mamores
Looking Northwest towards Ben Nevis and the Mamores
As the sky turned blue and I headed along the easy slopes to the summit, I passed above a large patch of snow that remained on the steep North slopes; still shaded from the sun's reach. After a short steep section, I was standing next to the small summit cairn admiring the extensive views in every direction.
Stuchd an Lochain and Lochan nan Cat
Stuchd an Lochain and Lochan nan Cat
Stuchd an Lochain with Beinn Sheasgarnaich in the clouds behind
Stuchd an Lochain with Beinn Sheasgarnaich in the clouds behind
Looking Southwest to Loch Lyon and Beinn Sheasgarnaich
Looking Southwest to Loch Lyon and Beinn Sheasgarnaich
Meall Buidhe and Loch an Daimh
Meall Buidhe and Loch an Daimh
The air was now clear and the sun was burning off the remaining cloud and haze. I could see hills in every direction. Meall Buidhe to the North; Ben Lawers to the East; Ben More & Stob Binnein to the South; Rannoch Moor & Buchaille Etive Mor to the West; and Northwest to the magnificent flat-topped Ben Nevis. I sat on a boulder, opened my lunch and looked out towards the Ben - not a bad spot for lunch, I have to say!
Stuchd an Lochain summit cairn
Stuchd an Lochain summit cairn
On the summit of Stuchd an Lochain, Beinn Sheasgarnaich behind
On the summit of Stuchd an Lochain, Beinn Sheasgarnaich behind
Looking East from the summit of Stuchd an Lochain
Looking East from the summit of Stuchd an Lochain
Looking Northeast from the summit of Stuchd an Lochain
Looking Northeast from the summit of Stuchd an Lochain
On the way back along the ridge, the view really opened up to the East and down into the heart of Glen Lyon. I can't say I enjoyed the path any more on the way down, and - more importantly - neither did my knee! I'm not sure if it was because the path was so rough and steep, or if I descanted too fast, but I do know that I was extremely grateful to reach the track by the reservoir at the bottom of the slope.
Ben Nevis from the summit of Stuchd an Lochain
Ben Nevis from the summit of Stuchd an Lochain
Looking West towards Glencoe and Buachaille Etive Mor from the summit of Stuchd an Lochain
Looking West towards Glencoe and Buachaille Etive Mor from the summit of Stuchd an Lochain
Looking West towards Glencoe and Buachaille Etive Mor from the summit of Stuchd an Lochain
Looking West towards Glencoe and Buachaille Etive Mor from the summit of Stuchd an Lochain
Beinn Sheasgarnaich and Loch Lyon from the summit of Stuchd an Lochain
Beinn Sheasgarnaich and Loch Lyon from the summit of Stuchd an Lochain
I got back to the car at 3:30pm feeling a bit sore and rather frazzled by the sun. I was glad that I'd remembered to buy suncream at Stirling services earlier this morning on the way. I was very pleased with how the day had gone and I really felt like I had timed it just right with the weather - the car told me it was 29 degrees Celsius!
Creag an Tulabhain (left), Sron Chona Choirein (front centre) and Meall Ghaordaidh (right)
Creag an Tulabhain (left), Sron Chona Choirein (front centre) and Meall Ghaordaidh (right)
Looking East down into Glen Lyon
Looking East down into Glen Lyon
Looking along the South shore of Loch an Daimh
Looking along the South shore of Loch an Daimh
Loch an Daimh
Loch an Daimh
Unfortunately, the drive to Glasgow wasn't the smoothest - a couple of accidents delayed me and I arrived a little late for the birthday party. However, a short and fairly easy day but a good test for my knee - perhaps it's not quite match-fit again just yet! I was also surprised at how underrated this particular Munro is - on a nice day, the views in all directions are some of the best I've seen - well worth the effort.
Loch an Daimh
Loch an Daimh
Loch an Daimh
Loch an Daimh

Monday, May 27, 2013

Torn Patella Tendon

So... I took a trip to SPACE Physiotherapy this morning to find out what the damage to my knee was - it wasn't exactly the news that I'd hoped for...

After listening to my description of the injury and how it had happened, Ross checked me over and informed me that I'd torn my Patellar Tendon and I was looking at 6-8 weeks recovery time. I was pretty gutted to hear the news but while I was coming to terms with the diagnosis, Ross had the needles out and was starting with the acupuncture!


After releasing the spasm under my knee, he started working on my quad. I was told that due to the tendon injury, my quad had tightened and was pulling on the injured tendon; causing the tightness in my knee. So, the idea was to loosen the tension to relieve the pressure and the pain on the injured tendon - makes sense!

It was agony, but right now feels much better. I've been told to stretch it and also do some exercises to help strengthen the knee. I'm told that I can do some 'easy' hill walking if I want (need!) to, but might find it hard coming down, as right now I'm kind of struggling with the stairs! Might have to get the poles out!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Meall nan Tarmachan

The weather over the weekend had been absolutely stunning, but this also happened to coincide with the family visiting to take in the Scotland vs Ireland Six Nations Rugby game at Murrayfield on Sunday. After a great weekend of Rugby and catching up, I had an extreme feeling of FOMO building inside me! I cheeky call to the boss and I had the day... and a plan to make the most of the stunning weather forecast. I had been saving a winter traverse of the Meall nan Tarmachan ridge for just such a day.
Crossing the bridge and heading down the main track below Lochan na Lairige Reservoir, Meall nan Tarmachan
Crossing the bridge and heading down the main track below Lochan na Lairige Reservoir, Meall nan Tarmachan
Heading up the shoulder towards Meall nan Tarmachan
Heading up the shoulder towards Meall nan Tarmachan
Looking West towards the South ridge of Meall Garbh from the South shoulder of Meall nan Tarmachan
Looking West towards the South ridge of Meall Garbh from the South shoulder of Meall nan Tarmachan
An early start from Edinburgh saw me gearing up and departing the car before 10am. I crossed the bridge to the private track, just South of the Lochan na Lairige Reservoir and gazed up at the mighty Tarmachan. It was a stunningly fresh blue sky day - not a cloud and hardly a breath of wind. Magic.
Looking East from the South shoulder of Meall nan Tarmachan towards Beinn Ghlas
Looking East from the South shoulder of Meall nan Tarmachan towards Beinn Ghlas
Looking West towards Meall Garbh
Looking West towards Meall Garbh
Looking North towards the summit ridge of Meall nan Tarmachan
Looking North towards the summit ridge of Meall nan Tarmachan
I made good time up the track before making a sharp right; leaving the track and heading straight up the shoulder over the snow-clad grassy slopes. The snow was solid and I crunched my way up to the spot height of 923m in no time at all. By the time I got there, I had a bit of a sweat on to say the least - the hot sun was relentlessly beating down on my back and reflecting back at me from the snow all around - was very glad that I had remembered my sunglasses! I took a breather and paused to admire the views of Beinn Ghlas and the Ben Lawers ridge - stunning.
Looking Northeast towards Meall Corranaich and Beinn Ghlas
Looking Northeast towards Meall Corranaich and Beinn Ghlas
Looking South towards Killin, Ben Vorlich and Stuc a' Chroin
Looking South towards Killin, Ben Vorlich and Stuc a' Chroin
Approaching the Meall nan Tarmachan summit ridge
Approaching the Meall nan Tarmachan summit ridge
Looking South from just below the summit
Looking South from just below the summit
I descended to the style and then attacked the steeper slopes that lead up underneath the main ridge of Meall nan Tarmachan. These slopes were quite steep in places (possibly grade I due to the amount of snow) but with all the footprints and the high-quality of the hard snow, I was up without much effort. It was then a short walk up to the summit on good névé.
On the summit of Meall nan Tarmachan with Meall Garbh to the right
On the summit of Meall nan Tarmachan with Meall Garbh to the right
On the summit of Meall nan Tarmachan
On the summit of Meall nan Tarmachan
On the summit of Meall nan Tarmachan
On the summit of Meall nan Tarmachan
Meall Garbh from Meall nan Tarmachan, Ben More and Stob Binnein in the background
Meall Garbh from Meall nan Tarmachan, Ben More and Stob Binnein in the background
At the top, the first breeze of the day greeted me - not much to distract from the views for as far as the eye could see in every direction. I gazed all around and tried to name as many of the hills that I recognised: Ben Vorlich and Stuc a' Chroin to the South; Ben More and Stob Binnein to the Southwest; Meall Ghaordaidh to the West; and the Mamores and the unmistakable Ben Nevis to the Northwest... an unbelievable vista. It was simply breathtaking and it had a definite Alpine feel to the landscape.
Looking South back down the route of ascent from the summit of Meall nan Tarmachan
Looking South back down the route of ascent from the summit of Meall nan Tarmachan
The Ben Lawers ridge from the summit of Meall nan Tarmachan
The Ben Lawers ridge from the summit of Meall nan Tarmachan
Approaching Meall Garbh from the East
Approaching Meall Garbh from the East
Approaching Meall Garbh from the East
Approaching Meall Garbh from the East
The breeze was quite chilly, so I didn't hang around too long and pressed on Westward along the broad snowy ridge. As I looked down to my left, I could see around six other teams heading over the spot height of 923m towards the summit. It was nice to have the open hills in front of me all to myself and I felt good that I had beaten the crowds to the first top. It was then that I noticed just how spectacular Meall Garbh looked before me. The snowy cone looked not-unlike the Matterhorn in the current Alpine surroundings - out of this world.
Approaching Meall Garbh from the East
Approaching Meall Garbh from the East
Approaching Meall Garbh from the East
Approaching Meall Garbh from the East
Approaching the summit of Meall Garbh
Approaching the summit of Meall Garbh
Looking Northwest towards the Mamores and Ben Nevis from the summit of Meall Garbh
Looking Northwest towards the Mamores and Ben Nevis from the summit of Meall Garbh
I didn't waste any time in attacking the mighty inviting peak and, after kicking into more good névé, was soon approaching the summit. At the top, the view of the surrounding peaks seemed even more impressive - the Ben was now particularly clear and didn't appear very far away at all. Looking back to Meall nan Tarmachan, I saw that the other teams were descending the ridge after bagging the main top - from now I had the whole ridge all to myself... fine by me!
Looking Southwest from the Summit of Meall Garbh
Looking Southwest from the Summit of Meall Garbh
Looking West into Glen Lochay from the summit of Meall Garbh
Looking West into Glen Lochay from the summit of Meall Garbh
Ben Nevis from the summit of Meall Garbh
Ben Nevis from the summit of Meall Garbh
Approaching the summit of Beinn nan Eachan
Approaching the summit of Beinn nan Eachan
The next section proved to be the narrowest of the day but didn't offer any difficulty due to the excellent conditions - just a tad slightly more exposure. After the narrow arete, the descent became quite steep and I had to down-climb a grade I snow slope (cutting steps) before I was able to traverse across to easier ground a join the main trail of footprints along the ridge once again. I found a lovely sheltered spot in the blazing sun and looking across towards the impressive ridge of Creag na Caillich and Beinn nan Eachan (my next target); I stopped for a munch and to enjoy the scenery.
Meall nan Tarmachan (left) and Meall Garbh from Beinn nan Eachan
Meall nan Tarmachan (left) and Meall Garbh from Beinn nan Eachan
Approaching the summit of Beinn nan Eachan
Approaching the summit of Beinn nan Eachan
A Raven on the summit of Beinn nan Eachan
A Raven on the summit of Beinn nan Eachan
Meall Garbh from the summit of Beinn nan Eachan
Meall Garbh from the summit of Beinn nan Eachan
After a lengthly pause, I headed on towards Beinn nan Eachan. On the way I spotted some good-looking ice that had cascaded down a large crag on the ridge. The ice was solid so I had a bit of a 'play' and climbed up to the top of the crag - great fun. There was a great deal of ice around and all looked to be of the highest quality - conditions must be fabulous on the Ben right now.
The Creag na Caillich ridge from the summit of Beinn nan Eachan
The Creag na Caillich ridge from the summit of Beinn nan Eachan
Enjoying the view of the Creag na Caillich ridge
Enjoying the view of the Creag na Caillich ridge
Enjoying the view of the Creag na Caillich ridge
Enjoying the view of the Creag na Caillich ridge
Approaching the summit of Creag na Caillich
Approaching the summit of Creag na Caillich
I was soon approaching the top of Beinn nan Eachan - just in time to see a raven leave the summit cairn - much to my delight. From here I was treated to a fantastic view of the East face of Creag na Caillich. I knew there was the option to descend from the col before heading up to the fourth and final top, but I was having so much fun that there was simply no way I was doing that - I wanted the complete circuit. Looking across at the wintery crags, I could see that they were heavily filled out with plenty of snow and I spotted an easy-looking diagonal line of descent; just along towards the end of the ridge after the final summit. A plan was now hatched.
Looking South along the Creag na Caillich ridge
Looking South along the Creag na Caillich ridge
Beinn nan Eachan and Meall Garbh from Creag na Caillich
Beinn nan Eachan and Meall Garbh from Creag na Caillich
Meall Ghaordaidh from Creag na Caillich
Meall Ghaordaidh from Creag na Caillich
It wasn't long before I was crunching over more hard snow to summit cairn of Creag na Caillich and looking East to a majestic-looking Meall Ghaordaidh and a green Glen Lochay. I headed along down the final part of the ridge a peered over the small solid cornice - I could see the line sweeping down below to my left. After a bit of hacking, swinging and digging I was through the cornice and bounding down the solid slopes towards the corrie basin - only pausing to check out the ice conditions above. I could see that Great Gully looked in excellent condition and there was a large icefall directly above me that was as white as milk - begging to be climbed. I suddenly found myself wanting for a longer day, more reserves of energy and my technical climbing axes. Another time.
Looking up at Beinn nan Eachan (right) and Great Gully (right) from below Creag na Caillich
Looking up at Beinn nan Eachan (right) and Great Gully (left) from below Creag na Caillich
Great Gully from below Creag na Caillich
Great Gully from below Creag na Caillich
Ice conditions on the East face of Creag na Caillich
Ice conditions on the East face of Creag na Caillich
I traversed the grassy slopes over the soft snow and headed for the old abandoned quarry. With plenty of daylight left, I made the most of the large boulders and stretched out as I ate the remainder of my food for the day. I sat for around an hour, soaking up the rays and reflecting on what an amazing day it had been. I was totally elated and thankful for such an experience, as I know only too well that: you don't get many days like this in Scotland in winter.
The abandoned Quarry below Beinn nan Eachan
The abandoned Quarry below Beinn nan Eachan
The track back to the car
The track back to the car
Looking back towards the Creag na Caillich ridge
Looking back towards the Creag na Caillich ridge
All that was left was to get the poles out and power back along the track to the car. The track was firm so I made swift progress and was back at the car before 5pm.
Looking back along the track out
Looking back along the track out
Looking along the track out towards Beinn Ghlas
Looking along the track out towards Beinn Ghlas
A truly special day.