The Cobbler and the return of winter

Looking down on Arrochar from Ardgartan Forest

Looking down on Arrochar from Ardgartan Forest

After a distinct lack of winter in Glen Clova, I had been keeping a close eye on the weather and the amount of snow in the highlands. It seemed that there had been a sizeable dump of snow recently and the avalanche risk was high as a result. However, after a quick chat, James and I agreed that a Traverse of The Cobbler would be a pretty safe bet.

Heading up the path from Arrochar through Ardgartan Forest

Looking down Loch Long from above Ardgartan Forest

We left Edinburgh early and James drove in the dark to Arrochar. We had soon geared up and were leaving the shore car park, next to the turning for Succoth. We crossed the A83 and headed straight up the hill into the woods. We followed the old, wet mine track upwards until we met the main path that traverses the foot of Creag an Fhithich. We were still below the clouds and there wasn't much wind - more importantly, it wasn't raining - but it was hard going in our big boots and with our heavy packs. As we reached the main path, things around us were beginning to look quite wintery, and we had a great view down to Arrochar (still very green looking) below.

Looking along the Allt a' Bhalachain to The Cobbler

A rather wintery-looking Cobbler

We carried on and followed the path around to meet the Allt a' Bhalachain and into the full on Scottish winter weather. The cloud was low in front of us, but as we headed up the North banks of the river towards Coire a' Bhalachain, the mighty Cobbler emerged occasionally to greet us. As we got closer, we realised that we were going to need to head West sometime very soon... so we did... and we soon started swimming through waist-deep powder. Needless to say, it was tough going and as we approached the base of the 'ramp' at the bottom of the South Peak, the wind came rushing through from the West and things got rather 'chilly'.

A rather wintery-looking Cobbler

The 'swimming' approach the The Cobbler's South Peak

We got our gear on and managed to find a sheltered spot for the first belay. With a solid wire and a good cam firmly in place, I headed up the first pitch. We had thought about moving together, but the first part of the 'ramp' looked quite steep and a few tricky sections. Nonetheless, the worst was soon successfully negotiated and I was at the top of the steepest section. With the help of a half-buried axe belay on the other side of a big ledge, I brought James up safely. He then raced up to the summit of the South Peak and I simply followed behind, as the slope angle wasn't particularly steep. There was plenty of ice underneath the fresh powder, so progress was relatively swift.

A rather wintery-looking Cobbler

Our route ahead on the South Peak of The Cobbler

James found a good block and threw down the rope ready for the abseil. James went first; down to a wide ledge 30 metres below - then I followed. Unfortunately, we then discovered that the rope had jammed around the block above us and no amount of brute force made any difference. We couldn't go down from the ledge, as below us was a further vertical drop for 20 metres. We couldn't retrieve the rope so our only option was to attempt to climb up the rope - well... James did!

James on the ridge on the South Peak of The Cobbler

Looking towards the summit of The Brack from the South Peak of The Cobbler

I didn't envy him one bit. He fixed two Prusiks and made his way up the rope. We had a chat about how jammed the rope actually was, and whether it was a good idea or not to weight it. We figured that it was probably best avoided, as the ground was a little less steep to the left; but to the right were the rope ran was a sheer face. James made great progress up the crag but suddenly he slipped off on the final steep section. There was a horrible sound of metal against rock and I saw James pendulum from left to right as the Prusiks took hold of the rope... thankfully the rope held fast. He then traversed left again and this time reached the top safely - much to my relief, as all I could do was watch helplessly from below. Time was now pressing on, and we realised that it would soon be dark. After some shouting back and forth we agreed that it would be quicker (and the most sensible) for me to climb back up to join him and we could retreat down the way we came... or rather: we THOUGHT it would be quicker!

Looking back Southeast from the South Peak of The Cobbler

Arthur's Seat (South Peak) Summit on The Cobbler

It turned out that I took a similar whipper to James but I ended up hanging down the blank vertical wall and all I could do was make use of a couple of tiny edges to slowly pull myself higher and rely on James to take in more rope - slowly I got higher. I was totally wiped when I eventually pulled over the top and collapsed in a wreck in the snow. There was only one place we were going now: down.

James on the South Peak of The Cobbler

On the summit of the South Peak of The Cobbler

We wasted to time in descending down the ramp. The weather had closed in a little and the light was fading fast. James rigged an abseil from a lonely small tree and we had soon cleared all major difficulties. In our haste to retreat, we had veered off down the slope to the right, below An t-Sron. Instead of wasting time and contouring round to the Allt a' Bhalachain, we headed straight for the edge of the Ardgartan Forest. In front of me, I saw James' lower half vanish as he disappeared into a hidden stream below the snow. As I approached him to offer assistance, I promptly disappeared beside him - much to my surprise - soaked!

South Peak summit on The Cobbler

James abseiling down the South Peak of The Cobbler

James abseiling down the South Peak of The Cobbler

After slowly crossing the complex terrain, we reached the trees but found them extremely dense and hard to penetrate. With time ticking on, we had no option but to force our way through the trees and down the steep banks of the forest. Eventually we reached a forestry track heading Northwest; that we quickly followed back to the car park. It was late when we got back to the car - weary and soaked to the skin. We now had the long drive back to Edinburgh to reflect on a pretty full-on adventure with many experiences thrown in.

James retrieving our rope from the South Peak of The Cobbler

James abseiling down the South Peak of The Cobbler

GWC Kenya Trip 2010 - Training Weekend

Every couple of years, GWC run a trip to Kenya in the summer holidays. The trip involves many worthwhile charity activities and also incorporates a bid for the summit of Mount Kenya. In order to simulate the amount of ascent that will be faced on Mount Kenya, a training weekend up at Loch Tay was proposed and Fletch had asked if I would come along as a member of staff to help lead on the hill.  Naturally, after doing the SML Training earlier in the year, I jumped at the chance.
The plan was to traverse the Ben Lawers Ridge (5 Munros) on the Saturday and then bag the two other Munros (behind the main ridge) on the Sunday. However, the plans had to change last minute on the Friday night, as it transpired that half of the pupils were involved in hockey matches that were taking place on the Saturday morning in Edinburgh. The only obvious solution was to split the group in half; those that were not playing hockey could continue with the original plan, while the hockey players would climb the other two Munros on the first day (after their hockey matches) and attempt the ridge on the Sunday. Thankfully, I was instructed to stick with the group and the original plan.
We met at GWC at 7am sharp and were soon past Stirling and making our way to Killin. Most of the group took the opportunity to nap and they woke with a jolt as we pulled up at the Ben Lawers Hotel in the minibuses. We set off past the farm and up through the woods, while Jamie drove one of the buses back along the road to the Ben Lawers Visitors Centre and came back in his car and would catch us up. We were soon clear of the woods and out onto the open, grassy south slopes of Meall Greigh. The weather was ok: dry and mild, but not too warm. The sky was cloudy but only covered parts of the ridge ahead. The kids were doing well and the lads were, as usual, trying to show the girls how fit they were by setting a blistering pace out at the front. We weren't worried though, as they would have to slow eventually (hopefully!). The pupils seemed like a great bunch and were all very mature, which made it a pleasure to be with them on the hill. It was a comforting thing to know also, we knew that they had all done at least some Munro walking in the past, thanks to S3 Projects. By the time we were three quarters of the way up Meall Greigh, Jamie had caught us up in no time and we were taking a breather before heading to our first summit. As we sat on the grassy hill, we had a great view back down to Loch Tay where the sun was just creeping through the thick cloud and reflecting on the water - not a bad place to be on a Saturday morning.

Looking South to Loch Tay from the grassy slopes of Meall Greigh

Dramatic shot looking south from Meall Greigh

The mist rolls in over the summit of Meall Garbh

Which way now?!

Not much of a view...

Looking up at An Stuc

After a short break, we pushed on and we were soon standing on the summit of Meall Greigh with a buzzing group of pupils. We didn't hand around, but as we pressed on towards Meall Garbh, the mist well and truly rolled in; covering the top in front of us. Unaffected by this, we took a bearing and heading straight up through the mist to the summit. No view here at all so we steamed on along the ridge to An Stuc. Jamie, Fletch and I knew that the steep ascent up the side of An Stuc was going to be the crux of the day, and possibly the whole weekend, for many of the kids. As we approached the steep sides and looked up, it didn't look as daunting as the kids had envisaged... mainly because we couldn't see a thing because of the mist! However, this turned out to be a blessing; as no one could see how far away the top was! Everyone simply plodded up at their own pace and reached the top with relative ease - we were most impressed. As we stood on the summit for a brief chat and to take a breather, the clouds lifted and we were treated to a tremendous vista all around us. We could now see what we had just concurred and what still lay ahead.

Looking down to Lochan nan Cat as the clouds clear from An Stuc

Crew deep in thought

Looking West from Creag an Fhithich

Ben Lawers

We pressed on along the ridge and over to Creag an Fhithich and found a nice sheltered spot to have a munch. Here, we also had a great view to the west and were able to see over to the two targets for tomorrow. The kids were trying to spot the other group but they were nowhere to be seen - to be fair, I think they wouldn't be long started on their walk, as they hadn't left Edinburgh long ago. Straight after lunch, we just went for it. It was a long but relatively easy climb to the top of Ben Lawers but we were all glad to be at the top. Time for some tea and... lollies?!

Top of Ben Lawers

Lolly time for Fletch

Lolly time for Jamie

But we weren't finished yet; we carried on across the ridge above Creag nan Gabhar, towards Beinn Ghlas. The going was still good and the wind wasn't too strong at all. The ridge was still very grassy and never really 'narrowed', so we had none of the group freaking out at the exposure, or anything like that. We were soon celebrating our fifth and final Munro of the day, standing on the summit of Beinn Ghlas. As we reached the top, one of the lads spotted the other group across the valley on top of Meall Corranaich. Most of the group were now pretty beat after a long day and started to separate into a longer line, as we descended down through the small wood and past the remains of the Shielings, before arriving safely at the visitors centre car park. Everyone had coped brilliantly with the hard day and none of the group seemed particularly tired; very encouraging, considering what still lay ahead tomorrow.
We were staying just along the road at the High Creagan campsite. A very short drive later, and we were all busy putting up tents and cooking various boil in the bag meals on the Trangia stoves. Soon, the hockey group arrived and then it was their turn to get set up for the night. Speaking to Paul, Martin and Fiona, it sounded like they had a great day also and made very short work of the two Munros. After some good chat and some catching up, I turned in... only to be woken up later on by Paul's horrendous snoring! Just like the SML Training week all over again...

Day 2
We woke early the next morning, got packed up and had a good breakfast. Over a brew we talked about the plan; it was decided that Jamie, Fiona and I would take the group that did the ridge yesterday and tackle the two remaining Munros as planned. Fletch decided to go with Paul, Martin and the hockey group and traverse the ridge in the opposite direction to yesterday. We had enough minibuses and cars for the shuttles to work out and for everyone to get back to Edinburgh, so it made sense to do it this way.

Lochan na Lairige

Heading up the grassy slopes of Meall Corranaich

We took our group just up the road and parked the buses at the North end of Lochan na Lairige. There was no warm up; straight up the grassy slopes we went. Any stiffness from yesterday had to be put to the back of our minds - none of the kids were complaining though. We continued to climb due east over the boggy grass until we reached the remains of an old iron boundary fence. We then simply followed this to the summit of Meall Corranaich. And what a boring top it was; a very gradual rounded top with a small cairn with iron posts mixed in - we were also in the clouds, so I guess that didn't help inspire us either. Not wanting to dwell here any longer than was needed, we pressed on along the grassy ridge. As we passed over the top of Coire Liath, the wind picked up and we took quite a buffeting until we turned slightly and stated up the steeper path around to the summit of Meall a' Choire Leith. Not much to say about this summit either; very flat, very round, with a big cairn in the middle. What I can say is that the kids were absolutely elated to be at the top and to have completed the challenge of all 7 Munros over the weekend. A great feeling for everyone indeed.

On the summit of Meall Corranaich

Heading north along the ridge towards Meall a' Choire Leith

After a few photos, we headed back down the path we had just walked up until we reached the bealach before Coire Liath. On the way down, we had a great view of Ben Lawers and the ridge we had successfully conquered yesterday - much to the kids' delight. At the coll, we headed down steeply and around the shoulder of Coire Gorm. We contoured around to the south past the Sheilings and tried not to loose too much height. The going was quite rough here; very wet and boggy in places - a bit of a slog with tired legs! It wasn't long before we had reached the minor road to Glen Lyon and were back in the minibus safe and well, all celebrating a job well done.

Approaching the top of Meall a' Choire Leith

Having a moment...

On the summit of Meall a' Choire Leith

Heading back down to the coll above Coire Laith

On the drive back to Edinburgh, Jamie and I chatted about what a success the weekend had been and how fantastic the group of kids were. They should have absolutely no problem climbing Mount Kenya - good luck!
I must say: the kids were brilliant and what a pleasure it was to help take them up those hills - what a great weekend.