The rest...Day 4-9....

Sunday - Day 4

Darragh –“Ouch, My cock hurts!”

You’re first thought upon begin climbing with a harness. If you're male,and significantly endowed of course!

The majority of the group took a rest day today, but as one group member was heading off home, he was brought out to get a taste for some technical climbing. Conor and Andrew climbed No 3 Gully Buttress on the Ben. The rest of us, mere mortals, needed some down time. After large amount of sleep, we took a wander into town to do some food shopping, topping up the essentials - bread sticks, brioche, miller and white cider.

We decided to stretch our legs in the afternoon and took a walk down to Steall Falls in Glen Nevis. On route we stopped to say hello to some highland cows before a short walk up to a beautiful hanging valley with a wire bridge crossing the river. We took our lives in our hands, some more than other (Fergal) and ventured across the water on the bridge. Fergal gave it a go in an alternative fashion, "limp wristed", aka arms and legs crossed over, pulling his way across the ice cold river. Luckily Pappa Duck was on hand to assist..and we all made it safely across and back, with multiple bouncing and attempted knock off attempts, snow balls and all.

Meanwhile Conor was getting the "best ride of his life" along side Andrew up on the buttress. On the first pitch up a few ice falls, Conor took a few falls, and without line of sight with his lead...things got interesting. The weather was pretty nasty, visibility about 5m with crappy snow and a positive lack of working head torches..the men soldiered on. Eventually reaching the donkey trail on the other side...with the promise of a bottle of buckfast and feed for buster, the worm, Jeremy and Mr. nibbles...they began their trek down to a gang of some what merry group members awaiting their return. There were multiple offers to assist the sodden men in removing their wet clothing, and they were soon in the drinking spirit with hot jager to warm their souls!

In the hours before the regroup, a huge BBQ was cooked up, with veggie alternatives to suit all. Cillian char grilled some meat and the team (some pre hydrated with some dodgy white lightening cider) got the veggies prepped and skewered. After a huge feed, the group antics progressed into a game of "never have i ever" and some interesting truths were revealed...not to be mentioned here...what happens in scotland stays in scotland!

Getting the wet men home became an epic with the gang embarking on a road trip, and calling into town for an alcohol pick up on the way back. The 3 stooges were let loose drunk and unsupervised onto the wet streets of FW...Mac, Fergal and Darragh wandered into some local pub where they got chatting to some local bar ladies. After getting quickly acquainted with the locals, the boys promised to call back again soon...I’m sure they locals will be praying they don't return!!

Things got a little violent when we squeezed into the bunkhouse - with some egos a little larger than usual! Mac wildly swinging a technical axe (hammer) to try and get people to bed...it worked in the end!

Monday - Day 5

Woken early by Macs lovely wake up call - a boot through the door and an invite to the gay bar! The group sent off one of it's beloved members - and gathered their sore heads and dodgy stomachs for another day in the hills.

It was a fantastic day, very mild, no wind and very little cloud. The group split into two groups, one group headed out to do some climbing with Darrach and Andrew on Sgorr Dhearg while the other group followed a trail on the creaking mountain – aka Beinn a Bheithir .

Darragh and Judith (innocent) worked together on a rope with Andrew soloing along side them, and Jen and Fergal were shown the ropes by Darrach. Each group member took a turn at leading, placing gear, belaying and setting up anchors. It was a really educational day which finished in a flurry after reaching the summit. After assessing the snow quality and doing some sliding in the snow on rope from the summit, crampons were ditched and some serious snow sliding took place. After taking hours to ascend hill, they slid on their behinds down over 200m in less than a minute. Fun times!! A long slog of a walk out followed which lead to some wonderful views over the lakes in the night with the lights of bailecholish twlinking in the distance.

Meanwhile, Cillian, Mac, Ash and Judith (dirty) followed a track up a nearby valley in order to reach the lower slopes of Beinn A Bheithir. After a quick lunch the guys began their slog up an ever so slightly loose scree slope in order to gain access to the bottom of a gully, their goal for the day. On reaching the gully Cillian went in search of some protection while Mac checked the avalanche danger (finding that it was somewhere you really didn’t want to be). Almost simultaneously they shared an internal "oh shit!!!"

Following some ice/snow flying down over a cliff above the group...

Mac- "Cillian, was that you?"

Cillian- "no..."

Mac- "Where did that come from?"

Cillian- "You don’t want to know"

After that Mac and Cillian swiftly began the descent showing their immense knowledge of rope work lowering Ash and Judith with nothing but a rope, a sling and an ice axe and the friendly help of a tree for the second pitch leaving Mac to abseil down. After a few near rock slides and a couple of slips they flew back out the track. Moral of the story know when to back out. Ash and Judith learnt that Scotland is no joke.

Later that evening, after necessary Nevis prep was done, we had a quick blackboard session with Darrach on avalanches - what causes them, how to avoid them, reading the avalanche forecast and what to do if you find yourself caught in one. After the day that was, it was very beneficial to expel some of the myths associated. Bags packed and lunches made heads hit the pillows early in prep for the Ben the following day.

Tuesday - Day 6 Nevis Take 1

A 5am start...sleepy heads dragged out of beds, excited and ready for the Ben. Set out from the North Face car park in the dark and made good time up to the CIC hut where we stopped for breakfast. It was a beautiful morning with stronger winds promised for the afternoon, but we had hoped to make it to the summit before the weather closed in.

The wind had picked up as we walked through the valley, and as we moved up the ridge towards Carn Dearg it soon became apparent that conditions weren't suitable for the route we had chosen. We stopped to attempt to fit crampons in biting winds filled with stinging spin drift. Quickly heads were put together and it was decided to turn the day into a snow skills practice session - which provided very useful for the entire group.

We tracked back towards the CIC hut and found a nice snowy slope to practice ice axe arrests and belaying off a snow bollard in Macs capable hands. After a very cozy lunch inside the club kishu (group shelter) we made our way over towards some ice to practice in crampons. We all got the chance to practice the different techniques used to walking in spikes, once comfortable we settled into a quick jig on the ice to show off our crampon skills! Afterwards we all got the chance to play with the technical axes while ascending a slightly steeper slope - getting a taste for what might come later in the week.

After a solid day in the snow we tracked back through the valley in the dark and back to the bus. A failed attempt at the Ben - but a very worthwhile day all the same. Fingers crossed we'd get another attempt later in week.

Wednesday - Day 7

A rest day for some, and a challenging day for others. Mac and Darragh decided to stay home and clean the bunk house and rest their weary bodies and blistered feet. They attempted to make it into Fort William, but plans didn't come together.

The rest of the gang headed to Stob Corrie Na Lachan to attempt some climbing and hiking. Darrach and Andrew soloed Dorsal Arete (Grade II) along side Jen and Fergal on one rope and Cillian and Judith (innocent) on the other rope.

Aislinn and Judith (dirty) hiked up into the valley to the summit of Siob Mor. The walk was a challenge, lots of steps but gaining height quickly. After a quick stop at the lakes below the climb we went our separate ways and started heading up the steeper slopes to the start of the route. Crampons on we attached ourselves to the ropes and got our teeth into leading and belaying. Each rope member took a turn at leading the route (some sections a little hairier than others!) and then belaying their followed up. Under Darrach and Andrews watchful eyes we choose suitable belay locations, set up anchors, placed gear and made our way up the arête. The wind whipped the spindrift into our eyes at times, and at the top summit eyebrows, eyelashes, gear, ropes the lot were covered in icicles. It was a fantastic route and all climbers were elated when they reached the safety of the top. Belaying from the edge of a cornice (attached to an anchor of course!) was an experience!

Cillian - "only god an my laundry person knew how I felt at that time" - describing a stickier section at the top of the route! After taking over 3 hours to reach the summit, it was back to sliding down on the ice crusted snow as a quick escape back to lower ground. Light was fading fast and the walk off was illuminated by snow on higher ground. Andrew took a rather spectacular fall on the ice on lower ground - very graceful!

The group gathered back at the bus, exhausted but very satisfied after a very rewarding day in the snow and ice covered glencoe hills!

Back at the bunk house after feeding time it was time for the first ever OPC movie night. After some minor seating rearrangements we set up a mini cinema under sleeping bags and relaxed into War of the Buttons. Some relaxed a little more than others - snoring their way through the end credits. The die hards stayed on for a second movie, with sleepy heads heading on to the warmth of their cots!

Thursday - Day 8 - REST DAY!!

Finally, a full rest day. A late start by all (even the true mountaineers) lead to a quick shopping trip in FW, followed by a trip to Ice Factor, then on to the leisure centre and finally a relaxed feed of fish and chips in the local hot spot.

Ice factor was a great way to spend a down day. In the warmth of an indoor climbing wall with extensive routes to suit all ability we got to practice climbing techniques, belaying, and leading. It was nice to shed a few layers and relax between climbs over coffee or multiple plates of chips (Fergal!). Some had considered entering the giant fridge to test their hands at ice climbing in the controlled conditions but the cost put them off. We would venture out ourselves and find some ice to play with later in the week.

With tired arms we headed to the leisure centre to revive aching muscles with some hydro therapy - and water slides!! After building up an appetite we descended onto the club hot spot to refuel on fish and chips and kick back outside of the bunkhouses somewhat squished quarters.

This evening saw the addition of a new member to the group - Jessie a friend of Aislinn. She would have the pleasure of joining the 4 ladies in the ladies dorm for the remainder of the trip.

After a long rest day we made our way back to the bunk house to pack up and plan the next days activities. After checking the weather and avalanche reports it was decided the Ben was on! Heads down and alarms set...the morning would only come too quickly!!

Friday - Day 9 - THE BEN - TAKE 2!

A slightly later start this morning - 5.30am (that extra 30 mins made all the difference!!). Again we headed for the North Face car park, but with a different route in mind. We planned to climb through the forest into the valley, cross the river and follow a spur on the right hand side over to the path that lead to the zig zags which would hopefully bring us to the top without any serious problems. In the dark, heads were put down and we started the long slog in to the steps before we would attempt the river crossing. Finding a suitable place to cross the river wasn't as easy as we thought it would be. We tracked the river bank looking for a spot that would allow a dry crossing for all. Unfortunately Cillian took a slip into a rather deeper section of the river while attempting to scout a possible crossing. Soaked through, that was the end of his trip for the day, but he made himself useful as a crossing aid while standing knee deep in the river. Once we all made it across with dry feet the heads were put down for the long hard slog across the spur to the track. We came across some male young deer on the hills, who were rather curious and followed up us the track for a bit.

With Fergal at the helm we made good progress up towards the zig zigs, with eyes peeled for any possible avalanche dangers. We came across a few slopes which had the potential to drop, but thankfully we passed them all (twinkle toed) without any incident. Soon it was time to attach the crampons and we were all getting excited as we neared the summit! Unfortunately visibility was poor with quite a lot of low cloud, but the winds were light and the weather was pleasant in general. Mac took over leading the group as we reached the cairns at the top. Effectively the top levels off with a number of stone structures (cairns) signposting your route to the summit along a wide ridge. Visibility was quite low so compasses were out. Mac lead us safely to the top where we took the necessary photos with numerous flags and had a quick celebration and reunion of the finger puppets.

Soon we were on the trot back down along the donkey trail which is effectively the tourist route to the summit. We met a few different groups on the way up - who may have enjoyed a few extra hours in bed! We stopped on the steps to have a bite to eat (thanks Mac) and take in the wonderful views up through Glen Nevis. Soon we could see the hostel at the end of the route - like a giant carrot on a string! Those with sore knees were suffering and the weeks activities were really catching up with peoples feet and muscles. Papa Duck arrived in perfect time to whisk us back to the bunkhouse and collect Jessie who had been out hiking in the glen all day. Despite the short 10 mile trip back the majority of the hikers were snoozing by the time we reached Inchree. Sleeping and eating were the order of the night, with a celebratory trip to the pub at pints o clock - after a massaging lesson to help soothe some mountain aches.

Ok i'm tired of this blogging, the Ben took it out of me...until tomorrow...