30B - LOCH MONAR SOUTH
Bidean a' Choire Sheasgaich from Beinn Tarsuinn the Corbett, Craig had to cross, showing the precipitous descent Craig went down in the cloud and dark. Photo tms.nickbramhall.com
18.5 miles 2990 metres
Start Tuesday 16.00
Carn na Gobhar 17.15
Sgurr na Lapaich 17.56
An Riabhachan 18.37
An Socach 19.30
Lurg Mhor 21.30
Bidean a' Choire Sheasgaich 22.10
Finish 23.44
Squares: yellow - changeovers. Circles summits: green - this leg, purple - to do. Map Colin Matheson
Time: Estimated 5.34 Actual 7.44
Craig's amazing luck with the weather deserted him today which was also his first leg that went into total darkness. The weather which had been deteriorating since about midnight was at its worst for Craig – pretty well continuous heavy rain and low clouds.
This was also his longest leg and one of the toughest with, (by my probably conservative measurement,) only 10 m below the maximum climb for any single leg of 3000m. After the first four reasonably ridge like hills he had to drop right down across the watershed SW of the Loch Monar resevoir, a very remote and desolate place in this weather, followed by a big climb up Lurg Mhor.
Descending north from Bidean a' Choire Sheasgaich was one of those moments that I had hoped would be in daylight. I had explained to Craig that there is a diagonal grassy rake that pierced the cliffs and that he had to find what appears like a large standing stone directly at the top of it. Craig however, failing to see this relied on his climbing skills and had a “very interesting” free descent of the cliffs in the cloud and the darkness!
Even after this he still had to cross the Corbett Beinn Tarsuinn before reaching Steve in his usual cheerful state.
Peaks done 235 Time elapsed 233 Peaks to do 42
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