Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis

Bryn

Wow three hours roughly after summiting Ben Macdui we where setting off up Ben Nevis. We had already climbed over Seven Hundred meters and had another Thirteen Hundred Meters or so of climb and descent oh and about another fourteen kilometers. You have to laugh because if you didn’t you would have to cry.

The first Six Hundred meters of ascent contours you around Meall an t-Suidhe to be honest I do not remember the first five hundred as it was so hard and we hit it so fast I was in a bit of a daze. I do remember the brief waterfalls and crossing the run off and the metal bridges, oh and lot’s of very nice people who stepped out of our way to allow us to pass. At around six hundred meters the path cuts back on its self and heads away from the summit. After about fourty meters I started to realise where I was and what was going on. Daz at this point was heading the other way after motivating me all the way up. He decided to have his funny four hundred meters. Amazing we managed to push on until the track changed from mud and rock to rock and gravel. The going got very rough, all the way swinging the knees high when you didn’t your toe clipped the top of rocks pitching you forward forcing you to stride out, stretching the calf and thigh muscles to the limit.

We managed it all the way no stops a really fast hike constant pushing forward and in the only direction possible. We hit the summit at two hours seven minutes. The visibility was about eight to ten meters but very cloudy and slightly chilly a quick touch on the trig point and a photo and off we went back down as fast as our aching limbs would take us. The clouds had to around one thousand meters. As we traversed the long beautifully maintained path the wind suddenly lifted and blew the clouds back up the mountain the view below suddenly opened up and the view was stunning, I could finally enjoy the view, the glimpses I got on the way up where awesome but just that glimpses. I actually started to enjoy myself and had a little laugh with Daz.

Slight tweek on my left knee kept making me pull up but our descent was perfect we hit the stile where we started at one hour twenty four minutes up and down in around three hours thirty one minutes, amazing. Our admin guy Tim had not meals ready for us and had already set up camp less than thirty minutes later I was stood in a well deserved shower shaking my head in disbelief at what we have achieved today. The two highest peaks in the UK completed in one day, what an achievement.


Right I’m off to bed night night