Petestack Blog

The first rule of river crossings (as any mountaineer should know) is don’t! Which is why, when running a wild, wet and windy Lairig Eilde from Glen Coe to Dalness and back yesterday, I took the pathless east side of the Allt Lairig Eilde on finding the lower ford (see map, 1) under deep running water and only regained the path (constantly visible across the torrent) where it crosses back (map, 2) more than a mile higher. Then took that upper crossing (acceptable at a calf-deep splash) on my way back with a view to staying west all the way down, which everyone (including my forgetful self!) who knows how difficult it is to get to the road from that side will recognise as a mistake. So there I was, standing just above the road looking at the camera-toting motorists on the bridge with my starting point just round the corner, but facing the probability of a three-mile detour to the top crossing and back to get there. At which point I resignedly set off back up the river hoping to find a viable crossing without retracing my steps the whole way and, after backing off from a tentative foray or two, managed to find a place about halfway up (map, 3) that would go. But still broke the first rule of river crossings (don’t) as well as my own second (never, never, never enter fast running water above knee-depth on your own) and one or two more, and know I was lucky not to bite off more than I could chew. Didn’t get knocked off my feet, but could have been. Didn’t get swept away, but could have been. Didn’t get pinned against or under that tempting tree (another no-no if you know the rules), but could have been.

So, just to reiterate the first rule of river crossings, don’t! It’s the only one you really need to know if you stick to it. And don’t think knowing that (or any of the other rules) gives you any real leeway for creative interpretation when nature has no respect for ‘experience’ in misjudgement. The crossing might seem more tempting than that detour, but better detouring than dead. Although I’d still recommend the Lairig Eilde to everyone when the rivers and burns aren’t raging because it’s quite possibly the finest short trail run in the area when you can stay with the path. :-)

PS Ran up to Penstock this afternoon (all I could face on another grotty day) and the track’s been literally torn apart by water on the Z-bends above the wee dam… worst damage I’ve ever seen to it, with a trough a couple of feet deep running down the upper bends and a strategically placed digger looking like it’s up there to do some work!

Thought I was going to write an interesting post here combining a report of today’s testing run in much crisper conditions than Thursday’s soggy snow with some updates to my year-old running crampon review. But now (still sitting here after multiple false starts) I’ve decided just to settle for a brief note that I ran Binnein Mor and Na Gruagaichean, leaving the zigzag path up Sgor Eilde Beag to cut (literally!) straight up its south ridge snowfield (where I might not have been comfortable in trail shoes and MICROspikes without that nice series of slash steps) and taking a strangely snaking route along the south ridge of Binnein Mor as the cornice swapped sides from east to west and back again. And that’s basically that, with the detailed discussion of lightweight, flexible crampon design and my thoughts on the pros and cons of the potentially more capable Kahtoola and Hillsound models I’d like to test (subject to UK distribution or private import for the Hillsounds?) held over for another time.

Keen to get out for some good hill days on ‘new’ ground with February’s WML Assessment looming, but lack of excitement about current thaw conditions saw me settling for a wee run over the very familiar peaks of Am Bodach and Stob Coire a’ Chairn this afternoon. Not much snow left below about 800m and even what’s still ‘covering’ the ridge mostly soft and soggy, but found some steeper/firmer patches to cut some slash steps and pigeon-holes (quite reassuring in places with ‘running’ footwear) and thought the steep NE descent of Am Bodach testing enough for trail shoes and MICROspikes in its current shape. No idea why there’s an arrow planted in the cairn of Stob Coire a’ Chairn (seems about as logical as the Sgurr Alasdair squirrel!), but left it as I found it and ran on down, finding the snow lining the Coire na Ba path just the right depth to keep trapping and tripping a runner’s lower legs. So pretty crap conditions really for hill running or practising axe work, but still good exercise and hoping the forecast refreeze means some better snow up there for some big boot work soon.

Despite waking up late enough today (on a stunning frosty morning) to consider just going for a local run, it didn’t take long to start thinking sod-that-and-get-going-because-there’s-long-enough-to-settle-that-unfinished-business-with-Meall-Greigh and head off Loch Tay way for a hit-and-run on said hill. So that’s what I did…

Nice to be able to drive straight over Ba Bridge for the first time in ages, then loads of roadside snow from Crianlarich (they must have been buried!) onwards, with cars parked at the foot of the wee hill road from Loch Tay to Bridge of Balgie and even the few metres I could see of that in passing looking like an icy non-starter. A largely snow-free ascent of Meall Greigh’s south ridge, quick confirmation (as if I needed it!) in perfect visibility that I’d all but topped out before, nice run off towards the Lawers Burn on crisp snow down to about 700m and I was back at the van a couple of hours after setting out. Oh yes, and Sealskinz waterproof socks don’t seem to be waterproof although they do still wick away moisture pretty well when wet.

Not perhaps the most complete or memorable of hill days, but still satisfying for healing a festering sore! :-)

Happy to get the whole, wintry Carn Mairg group after another late-morning start from Glen Lyon (didn’t even pack my stuff till after the start of the S2S Ultra from Kinloch to Tyndrum), but might still admit to having been lured back by a fine MWIS forecast with notions of maybe (just maybe) finishing off Meall Greigh as well. However, that was never really on the agenda with cloudier/windier than expected conditions conspiring with the continuous snow cover (from about 700m) to convince me fairly quickly that this clockwise Carn Mairg circuit would be ample if I didn’t freeze before completing it!

Nothing much more to say here when I want to get the blog post done tonight, but might just explain the slight diversions before and (especially) after Meall Liath, where my self-printed (and should-have-been-laminated) A4 map finally disintegrated and I just had to get off the top for some shelter from the biting wind before digging out the full OS sheet (in map case) that I’d fortuitously packed (in my new OMM Adventure Light 20L sack) as backup before continuing on a better course.