twenty four down, 258 to go!

For a couple of months now, I've had this idea in my head that I would like to bag 30 Munros by the time I turn 30. Last September I bagged my 23rd Munro, Meall Chuaich, leaving me 7 hills to conquer to reach this target.

However I made the call in February 2014 that winter hills are not for me (after this adventure on a snowy Munro!) so really that has left me with a very short window to bag those 7 hills, as the birthday is rapidly approaching. I also knew I was not fit enough for a 6 or 7 Munro day!

My cousin Colin had expressed an interest last year in an outing to the Carn Mairg circuit in Glen Lyon, bagging 4 Munros in one go. We set a date weeks and weeks ago for Saturday 26th March.

As I was off work on Easter Friday, I thought I'd head up that way early and bag a single hill in Glen Lochay. This meant 5 Munros in 2 days, leaving me 2 to do on the Saturday before my birthday. Colin and I planned to camp near Invervar on Friday night and get a good early start on the circuit.

A good plan. However, as the week went on, the forecast for Saturday looked more and more ominous...

Friday, on the other hand, looked reasonable, if a tad windy. I left Stow around 9.45am and got to Killin at 12. Easter Friday traffic was fairly slow but it was a nice drive up. It was cloudier and definitely windier up at Killin. There were already 5 cars in the layby when I reached the start point on the Glen Lochay road, but I managed to shimmy the car into a wee space.

It was 12.40pm by the time I set off, heading back along the road for a short distance and through the big gate that says 'Access to Meall Ghaordaidh' - my navigation was off to a good start.

A wee trudge through the fields and then it's up onto the climb. I was struggling already. Clearly unfit (I walk everyday but I don't do very much 'up'!) I was seriously wondering whether I would make it up this hill, let alone another 4 tomorrow!

As I was a bit later in starting out, everyone I met that day was on their way back down. First a couple of male walkers, both of whom warned me about the winds and wind chill at the summit. As I was sweating profusely and down to a single layer, I couldn't imagine ever feeling cold again...

The path was pretty boggy and I lost it (and found it again!) frequently. It was a slog - my calves were tight and I was annoyed at myself for not being fitter. Thankfully, the next couple I met were full of encouragement and sensible words ("you're about a third of the way up, there's a plateau up ahead, stop there and turn back if you are struggling"). It was just what I needed to hear - and they also warned me about the wind chill at the top - and losing the path in the snow further up!

At this stage the views were pretty good, I spotted Ben Challum, and was looking forward to summit views. 

As I got closer to the final push to the summit - I had decided by this point to push on as I'd come this far - I did indeed lose the path to the snow, and had to pick a route round it. I'm sure it doesn't look too bad in the pictures, and for experienced walkers it is nothing, but for a novice like me, I was quite anxious about crossing patches of snow! At one point I lost my left leg into the snow, and had to haul myself out. I was very glad of my poles at this point - the wind was indeed picking up!

 

I didn't take many pictures on this day as I had to batten down the hatches, but I managed to get my camera out in time to catch the ptarmigan! The mountain hare that ran in front of me five minutes later was too quick though!

I was properly scared on the approach to the summit. The wind was wild, the cloud was sweeping in, I was picking my route around snow and slippy rocks and grass. It was bloody freezing! I wasn't cut out for this.

Then I met my last walker of the day descending from the summit, a chap who lived locally. We had a brief shout over the wind, and he said "you'll not last 20 minutes up there if you break your ankle" - just what a nervous scared anxious person needs to hear!!

When I got to the summit (HOORAY!!) I was there for less than a minute. But I had to get a summit picture to mark number 24. Tremendous views...

 Munro number 24, Meall Ghaordaidh, in the bag!

Then I needed to get off that hill as quickly - and as safely - as possible. I kept chanting in my head "don't break your ankle, be careful, don't break your ankle"!

The descent was harder than the ascent. My legs were not happy at all!

However, I made it without breaking any bones, and found myself back at the car at 4.25pm. I was chuffed to have made it in less than 4 hours, given how frequently I had to stop to catch my breath on the way up. I guess the fact that I had less than a minute on the summit helped!

It started to rain when I got back to the car, so I got my boots off and the heaters on as soon as possible. I jotted down some notes on a bit of a paper, thinking I might forget elements of the day after doing the 4 Munros the next day. Reading them back now to write my blog, the note ends:

 "scary scary scared! sore limbs! safe!"

I headed up the Loch Tay road to Fortingall where I met Colin around 6pm. The rain had stopped by that point, although with the forecast predicting a wet and wild night, the Fortingall Hotel was all too tempting!

However we made our way to Fearnan, and stumbled upon the Boreland Loch Tay Bunkhouse, and its delightful owner Harry, who let us pitch our tents on his land (the bunkhouse was full of stags - a stag do that is!). Here's a pic from their Facebook page of the barn - we camped on the grassy area, but it was so great to have shelter to eat our dinner in! Thanks Harry! Great views too...

Unfortunately, it wasn't a restful night. The wind was blowing a hoolie, and it sounds so much worse in a tent! The sides of my tent were getting battered, and I could hear gusts of wind swirling around the barn then hitting the tent with full force. At some point during the night/morning the rain started, and again it sounded so bad from inside the tent!

I thought I'd be tired enough to sleep but I barely dozed. I was sore, and could have done with a hot shower or bath!

When 6.30am eventually arrived, I felt exhausted and achy, although not nearly as bad as I thought I'd be. With a bit of Deep Heat that Colin had thankfully brought, my knees felt almost normal again and I was semi-looking forward to the hills ahead!

It wasn't raining at this point, and although cloudy, it wasn't a low cloud.

However, on the drive to Invervar the heavens opened. Torrential rain battered our cars and the road was even flooded in places. There were no sign of any hills here, just the beginning of craggy slopes with no visibility of any more than that. I had an ominous feeling...

When we got to Invervar, we made the sensible decision not to head out. It would have been absolutely daft - we would've got absolutely soaked within 5 minutes of starting, but much worse than that, we wouldn't have seen any of the hills or views, and we would've been putting ourselves in danger.

It was definitely the right call - but it was gutting!!

We drove to Aberfeldy for a breakfast roll, then decided on a wee stroll at the Birks of Aberfeldy. The waterfalls looked amazing after so much rain!

Then we said our goodbyes and headed south, both a bit deflated by the unsuccessful trip.

However I certainly felt a sense of achievement, not just for Munro 24, but mostly for having survived a wild noisy night in a tent - I can't say it was fun!!

On the drive home, my legs started to feel a bit sore. And sure enough, by Sunday the DOMS had fully hit!

Most of all I felt disappointed not to achieve what I'd set out to do. But the hills will always be there, and these 4 seem definitely worth saving for a better day. I think Colin and I will be very glad whenever we do bag them that we saved them!

So I may not reach my goal of 30 Munros by the age of 30. But that's okay. The hills will be there for the next 30 years and the next and the next...so I'll get there. Slowly, but surely...

It was lovely to have another day off today to recover, and I took Alfie out for a walk, run, sprint and paddle around Stow. I may have a dog-related update later this week which is very exciting!