Petestack Blog

If you’ve read Tuesday’s blog post, you’ll know exactly what! Meant to turn right at Meall Dearg today to head straight for Garbh Bheinn, but conveniently ‘forgot’ and fortunately found most of the ridge (apart from the steep descent from Am Bodach) in similar good dry condition to Monday. So (armed with GPS) I managed to record some times today, taking 16 minutes from Am Bodach to Meall Dearg then almost exactly half-an-hour each way along the Aonach Eagach proper to Stob Coire Leith and back (= 76 minutes for what I guessed took me 90 on Monday). Thought Garbh Bheinn direct from the south a real b*gg*r with much steep, loose ground, purgatorial scree and the effects of my half litre of water and two gels (see, not travelling so light today!) long since having worn off, so was almost glad when the GPS battery dying (couldn’t find the charger last night) gave me an excuse to slow down and ‘enjoy’ the rest (NB the blue line on the map is my hand-drawn continuation to the red one recorded). And that’s about all I’ve got to report right now, apart from nearly running straight into a baby deer while descending to the bealach between Meall Dearg and Garbh Bheinn (who knows whether its surprised squeal or mine was louder?), a total time almost identical to Monday’s despite the inclusion of Garbh Bheinn, and a feeling that Sron a’ Choire Odhair-bhig (Monday’s route) is after all a more logical and aesthetic approach from the north than Meall Ruigh a’ Bhricleathaid (today’s).