Petestack Blog

Back last night from a quick trip north-west (planned on some expectation of a wet Sunday and dry Monday) with Jamie B and Dan from The Ice Factor. Which predictably brought us both wet, claggy Sunday hillwalking and damper-than-hoped Monday climbing…

So we might have taken in three Fannich Munros (Meall a’ Chrasgaidh, Sgurr nan Clach Geala and Sgurr nan Each) on Sunday, but we didn’t see much. Not even enough for a good game of ‘snow, sheep or quartz?’ had all the ingredients been present. Although I did get full-blown hot aches (not so crazy in October when I’ve had them on the Buachaille in June!) after belatedly pulling on my gloves approaching the summit of Sgurr nan Clach Geala.

Monday took us to the gneiss (groan?) Jetty Buttress at Gruinard Bay, where we climbed Munroron (aka Crack Route, V Diff), Doddle (V Diff), Lilly the Pink (aka Red Slab Route, Hard Severe) and Route 6 (Hard Severe) in chilly, occasionally showery conditions. Now Lilly the Pink (or Red Slab Route, as it seems to have been named by no less than the great JHB Bell) was my choice of lead, up a clean streak of (guess what?) pink/red rock, with a short, steep, early crux up a little wall that felt just a little bold in the sub-optimum conditions and caused me some hesitation before committing. But that was nothing to the cold fingers that brought me my second bout of hot aches in two days as I followed Jamie up the more steeply sustained Route 6. Which reminds me (as if I needed it!) that I’m susceptible to them and suffered every time I went out last winter, and leaves me wondering what kind of glove system might both leave me some dexterity and spare me the pain this season.