On a random note: the first song playing on the radio as we woke that morning was the Beatles' 'Live and let die' =)
Here's a map of our route.
Don't worry - we used a real map on the day=P
Anyways, lets get on with the story... at the Lochan (the Red Burn), I decided to put an extra layer on (which entailed removing a few layers). At the very moment when I'd partially undressed, the skies opened up, and I've never seen hands go cold so fast...It was quite embarrassing as it got so cold in the space of 30 secs that my numb fingers couldn't handle the buttons on my raincoat, meaning I had to get Steven's help - male bonding time inspired by a moment of sheer serendipity.
The Lochan from about 100m above:
There's so many lakes (lochs) in Scotland... lets just say they don't have a water problem =)
The clouds and snow kicked in once we hit 800-900m, meaning the temperature, and visibility dropped. Steven and Maude were 15m away when I took this picture.
But there was one perk. I saw snow for the first time in my life, and remembered the old adage about yellow snow. Fortunately I wasn't that thirsty. And no. It wasn't me.
Hakim, Patrick and I:
We were greeted with a procession of people retreating from the summit. One told us the summit was an hour away. This wouldn't have been so bad, except that 40 mins later, another person told us it was another hour away. This happened a few times. It's a bit dispiriting. On the other hand, on our descent, it was pretty fun playing the same mental games with people on the way up =P
The last part of the climb was probably the hardest. Freezing hands, tired legs.and bad visibility. The path was pretty brutal on the feet, and the snow had a treadmill effect.
The novelty of snow rapidly wore off after my right quads cramped up... (I can almost hear my UWA football kaki telling me to eat more salt). Ever tried walking uphill without your right leg?
Here's a summary of my thoughts at that point
At certain points along 5-Finger Gully, the path seemed endless, and uphill. Sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and plant one foot in front of the other.
However, after 4 hours, we got to the top of the UK!
It was bloody cold (-10C i think), but on the other hand there was an observatory meaning we could get out of the wind, and grab some packed lunch. Couldn't really order a pizza.
The descent was way easier... Anytime one felt tired, one could simply look up at the mountain top... and thank God that we were heading DOWN. Plus, as mentioned earlier there was the entertainment value of telling people on the way up that the summit was 2 hours away =P
Steven and I all smiles. He was absolutely flabbergasted upon realising:
The best part about the descent were the views, especially when combined with that satisfactory feeling you get after you've climbed that high. I'll end off with some hard-earned pics (some are from Steve's camera):
Aside from a great sense of achievement, I also got a souvenir from Ben Nevis.
Let's just say I felt every single rock on the path through my boots...
Don't worry - we used a real map on the day=PAnyways, lets get on with the story... at the Lochan (the Red Burn), I decided to put an extra layer on (which entailed removing a few layers). At the very moment when I'd partially undressed, the skies opened up, and I've never seen hands go cold so fast...It was quite embarrassing as it got so cold in the space of 30 secs that my numb fingers couldn't handle the buttons on my raincoat, meaning I had to get Steven's help - male bonding time inspired by a moment of sheer serendipity.
The Lochan from about 100m above:
There's so many lakes (lochs) in Scotland... lets just say they don't have a water problem =)
The clouds and snow kicked in once we hit 800-900m, meaning the temperature, and visibility dropped. Steven and Maude were 15m away when I took this picture.
But there was one perk. I saw snow for the first time in my life, and remembered the old adage about yellow snow. Fortunately I wasn't that thirsty. And no. It wasn't me.
Hakim, Patrick and I:
We were greeted with a procession of people retreating from the summit. One told us the summit was an hour away. This wouldn't have been so bad, except that 40 mins later, another person told us it was another hour away. This happened a few times. It's a bit dispiriting. On the other hand, on our descent, it was pretty fun playing the same mental games with people on the way up =P
The last part of the climb was probably the hardest. Freezing hands, tired legs.and bad visibility. The path was pretty brutal on the feet, and the snow had a treadmill effect.
The novelty of snow rapidly wore off after my right quads cramped up... (I can almost hear my UWA football kaki telling me to eat more salt). Ever tried walking uphill without your right leg?
Here's a summary of my thoughts at that point
- I've used up most of my energy already - God I'm less fit than I thought I was
- Have I got enough in the tank to reach the summit?Have I got enough to get down? On the other hand, if I die here, I won't have to lead cell group in Perth. Or deal with the joys of 5th year Law.
- How much longer is it anyways? The guy we met 60 mins ago said it was 40 mins more...
- Bloody (&^l my leg hurts! I look like a fool crab-walking up this mountain.
- I'm hungry (typical male)
- I can't believe Evan put me up to this...
At certain points along 5-Finger Gully, the path seemed endless, and uphill. Sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and plant one foot in front of the other.
However, after 4 hours, we got to the top of the UK!
It was bloody cold (-10C i think), but on the other hand there was an observatory meaning we could get out of the wind, and grab some packed lunch. Couldn't really order a pizza.
The descent was way easier... Anytime one felt tired, one could simply look up at the mountain top... and thank God that we were heading DOWN. Plus, as mentioned earlier there was the entertainment value of telling people on the way up that the summit was 2 hours away =P
Steven and I all smiles. He was absolutely flabbergasted upon realising:
- I'd never seen snow in my life,
- I'd never climbed a mountain in my life, and
- I'd decided to knock both these things of my "things to do before I die" list. Simultaneously. On the highest mountain in the UK...
The best part about the descent were the views, especially when combined with that satisfactory feeling you get after you've climbed that high. I'll end off with some hard-earned pics (some are from Steve's camera):
Aside from a great sense of achievement, I also got a souvenir from Ben Nevis.
Let's just say I felt every single rock on the path through my boots...
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