So our plan for the weekend didn’t happen…
After spending the majority of Thursday night trying to fit crampons onto boots that were the wrong size and attempting not to chop our heads off whilst attaching ridiculously giant ice axes to our bags, we decided that maybe it wasn’t the best idea to attempt very snowy peaks, which were around 2.5 hours drive away. We felt there was no point in driving all that way only to be met with bad weather conditions and have to turn back. So we made ‘Plan B’ with chief adviser, Tom (Lewis’ brother) and instead went for a leisurely saunter up Ben Wyvis (around 15 mins drive from Base, aka Lewis’ house).
So at 10.40 – after a much needed lie-in – we got all geared up and set off up The Wyv:
As you might have guessed, it was less of a leisurely saunter and more of a quest that wouldn’t be out of place in one of J.R.R Tolkein’s finest. A grim day at best, we trudged up An Cabar, veering from the path just long enough to end up waist-deep in snow and struggling to find our way in heavy fog. At this point, however, we did feel that the decision to stay closer to home was justified! Unfortunately, we soon discovered that a water bottle in my bag had leaked and so we had a short break to wring roughly a pint of water out of my spare socks. Another highlight were the two ‘snow pigeons'(don’t exist)/’collared doves'(very unlikely)/ptarmigans(probably) which appeared a few times throughout the day and a lively dog which belonged to some other brave souls on the mountain side.
We enjoyed lunch just before the summit, which offered us some protection from the elements but we did end up with very chilly bottoms and some slightly suspect pasta. Food was a particular highlight of the day, especially the ’emergency’ mars bars which made several appearances throughout the journey.
Once we made the summit, there was an absolutely cracking view of dense fog and a blistering wind which had us questioning the season. We made a swift withdrawal, retracing our steps across the flat top. It felt like another world up there in the snow and fog.
The descent was…steady. Lewis coaxed me down with the promise of a warm shower and we were both relieved to get back to the car still in one piece at around 5pm. The overwhelming sense of achievement was only slightly dampened by the reminder that we had another walking day planned for Saturday. The day ended on a high with a trip to Tiso and a pizza (each) for dinner. The adventure has very much begun!
Morgan
onehundredpeaks 