I was awake early and so was James. We had a good breakfast and laughed about how heavy each others rucksacks were - we were much more relaxed; as we knew the worst had to be over. We were actually looking forward to the expedition over the next few days and were keen at the opportunity to bag a few more hills in the process.
Richard and Steve arrived shortly after 9am and Darren and Mike followed closely behind. James and I loaded our gear into Richard's car, while Darren and Mike went with Steve. We headed out of Fort William and towards Spean Bridge. There, we turned off and headed to Gairlochy. Richard seemed far more relaxed and was very chatty in the car with James and I - this really helped us relax even more; it was a good feeling. We took the road around the North side of Loch Lochy to Clunes and stopped a bit further West at the farm at Achnasaul. We said goodbye to Richard (knowing we would see him in a few days at the end) and Steve gave us our briefing. We were told that the format would be much the same as our micro nav day; someone would lead a leg and the others would follow but not know the destination, and would have to show him where we where on the map, individually. James was given the first mission and we set off, following him North up the track towards the hills.
It was a fine day; bright and sunny with only a slight chill in the air. The blue skies made a very welcomed change from the torrential rain of the previous few days. The ground was very wet underfoot but we made good progress on the track. Looking at my map I could see that we had turned off the main track and were now heading East following the Allt Achadh nan Sabhal. We were chatting away as we made our way further upstream and Steve commented that we should still try to concentrate on where we were, despite the bright sunny weather. James stopped at a fork in the river to check his map and while we were patiently waiting, Steve asked us where we were. I pointed to the fork on the map and I was confident I was bang on, but Steve was pokerfaced as usual. I suddenly realised that this wasn't going to just be a pleasant walk in the hills after all - this was the real thing. James was still looking at his map and looking worried. He pointed to the map and Steve just chucked and said that we were actually somewhere else. James was disappointed and flustered but Steve did a very good job of reassuring him and getting him back focused again. Steve told him to get us back on course and James bounded off over the river, this time heading North back towards the main track. Steve turned to the rest of us and said, "Don't be fooled by the sunshine!" as he chuckled. I was now very nervous - this was the first mistake I had know James to make... ever! I was going to have to stay on my toes.
James lead us to the end of the track at the source of the Allt Dubh between Glas Bheinn and Beinn Mheadhoin. He was still apologising and everyone felt for him. Darren then took us West up a gentle slope to the bealach between Beinn Mheadhoin and Geal Charn. Then I lead us to the shoulder Southeast shoulder of Geal Charn and then Steve just said, "Let's go to the top". Here, we paused and had some food and some warm tea. The air was getting chilly, as the sun was almost down but there was not a breath of wind.
Mike then led us down the steep slopes to the East to Bealach Carn na h-Urchaire and stood next to the small lochan. My turn again and I headed up to the shoulder of Meall Coire nan Saobhaidh to the summit. It was now quite dark and we all took the opportunity to strap on our head torches before we continued any further. Our route then took us down to Bealach Choire a' Ghuirein, back up to Meall na h-Eilde and then down again to Bealach an Easain. It wasn't too difficult to follow where we were, as the route was pretty straightforward and the conditions were good - it was a perfect night. Steve then said to us that he wanted us each to plan a way down to Fedden (ruin) from where we where. I told him that it looked better to descend down to the North of the bealach, as the slope was less steep. The others had the same idea but Steve laughed and said that he agreed but there were no features on the map for us to find so he said we would head down the steeper South slopes. After a few more shorter nav legs each, we were almost down at the river. Steve asked Darren to find a campsite and he chose a great spot down by the river at an obvious dog leg (or kink) at NN194932.
After putting our tents up and having a brew, Steve came over to talk to James and I about how the day had gone. Steve was in great spirits and seemed quite relaxed. He gave us great encouragement and made us feel at ease - something he has a real knack for. We were told that we had done really well today and that we had been spot on with our nav on every leg. This was really good to hear and it was great to finally get some feedback.
Before bed, James and I confirmed with each other about where we had been and what the precise points on the map we had been asked to find. We both agreed on every one. Both knackered, we slept well.
