Jotown and Wally on the road!: Snow Excuses, it’s Ben Done!

Friday 22nd October 2010

I awoke in Glen Nevis campsitehttp://www.glen-nevis.co.uk/index.php?id=13 shortly before 6-30 a.m to the sound of rain spattering down on top of the roof, hmm, will it clear I wondered ? and lay there a short time wondering whether to venture out into the torrent from above !

After a time deciding, and the rain not getting better, or worse (where have I heard that before ?) I decided to just put my heavy rain gear on, and ‘go for it’ ventures upon the highest mountain in Great Britain are not supposed to be easy !http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Nevis

So after a large breakfast of 2 mugs tea,2 Weetabix, and a banana…and good wishes from Wally the duck I put all my raingear, and ventured out into the torrential rain, if anything it seemed even worse – I suppose it would be when you’re out in it !

It was shortly before 8-30 a.m. as I trudged out of the campsite, along Glen Nevis, to the Youth Hostel, and crossed the River Nevis, and started my ever upward climb.

Everything was packed inside my Rucksack, beneath a rain cover, so,today would not be a day for pictures !

Immediately I passed a notice ‘ Have you told anyone where you’re going and you’re route ?’ No, says I defiantly, although any readers of this would know where I was !

I made quite good speed climbing out of the Glen, and into the low lying mist, or cloud ? I’m not sure which, either way it was still bouncing with rain..

There was no one in sight ,above or below, as I gained height crossing the ‘Red Burn’ a sight that many times in the past had been a deciding point in continuing upward or returning home…although that had always been in Winter conditions, and it was hardly that today, although the rain was coming down quite cold at times.

I tramped around the zig zags of the path, ever upward, and into the cloud and rain above, no views were to be had, it was just a day for ‘doing it’, as that’s what I had decided to do ..

Eventually around 10-30 a.m. I saw some people coming down the track towards me, they must have been up early I thought – they had, they said, setting off at 7-30 a.m., even so said they’d done well getting to the top and back already…ah no, they’d turned back leaving the rest of their party still climbing, and they descended into the mist.

I continued into the cloud, and rain which by now had turned into an icy sleet/rain,building up on the path, although mainly just slushy and wet.

Around 11-40a.m. I saw three further people,descending towards me out of the mist, they told me it was their ‘first of the day’- they were climbing the ‘3 Peaks Challenge’ of Ben Nevis (highest Scotland), Scafell Pike (highest England), and Snowdon (highest Wales), all within 24 hours ! Not for me, Thank You, I wished them luck and off they went.

The final part of the climb, I was accompanied by snow,hail, high winds,mist, but most importantly…cairns which now are placed across the summit plateau guiding people to the summit (and back again!), saves having to navigate…

I arrived at the top around 11-50 a.m., to find the remainder of the 7-30 group just starting their descent, comical really, lots of young people shouting ‘Well Done’ to me ! I don’t look that decrepit do I ? I didn’t tell them I’d started an hour after them !

I then had the summit of the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis, all to myself, and became quite emotional, not sure why, but managed to get a couple of ‘wonky pictures, as everything - fingers,me,camera froze up in the biting wind and snow.. and I obviously couldn’t get the angles right – I was standing on the small summit cairn though as the howling wind cut across the plateau..

I didn’t stop for anything to eat, and rapidly turned about and ran off the top, hoping to generate enough heat to stop me freezing any more…I can still feel the frozen fingertips,even as I write this!

Descending down the mountain, initially I couldn’t see anyone, so I thought I may be the ‘last of the day’ and no one else may be climbing, how wrong I would be ! After about half an hour I started seeing a steady trickle of people, ascending up the path towards me – there’s nothing more warming than seeing others suffering ! and I happily continued down. By this time the rain/snow had stopped, and when the wind increased speed it blew the clouds away, intermittently, and I got views down the valley and could see the snake of people toiling there way up the mountain…