Page 23 - MERCIAN Eagle 2015

Glen Shiel, Sgurr na Forcan, at 963m, was next in line. This is a walk that requires a head for heights and experience of scrambling, however our instructor (Mark) decided to keep this a secret. This was by far the hardest day in Scotland and definitely one of the scariest things I have ever done, hence no photos as I was too scared to
get my camera out! The first 20m were
very demanding but Mark said this was the hardest bit (another lie). The scrambling
was simple at first, but the ridge became progressively more exposed. Some sections are a real knife-edge, at one point there was no where to go except to traverse over a 10m patch of snow which was vertical with at least a 1000ft drop. This was easily the scariest thing I have ever done in my life; to make things worse it was snowing (in June) with very high winds! After the traverse there was a small 5m climb (still with a 1000ft drop!) up what can only be described as
a frozen rocky/grassy assent. At this point we realised there was no going back, as nobody wanted to traverse the snow patch again. With a cheeky grin on his face Mark said “we are nearly at the summit it gets easy now”. The response from the group was a resounding “Press that (obscenity removed) button that calls in the mountain rescue helicopter now!” And all I could think as I clung onto a wobbly rock was I am not climbing up that little metal wire ladder into a helicopter. Mark just grinned and said “come on let’s keep moving it’s getting late”. Shortly after we arrived at the summit but all I was interested in was getting down of that peak and being on safe flat ground.
Our final two days were spent in Glen Brittle, climbing Sgurr Dubh an Da Bheinn (938m) and Sgurr non Eag (924m). True
to Scottish form, we began our overnight adventure In heavy rain (again!). The going was tough and not helped by the amount of kit and food being carried, nor the waterfalls and cliffs along the way. After a fair walk
I was happy to reach the campsite; it was still hammering down and it was freezing cold so I climbed inside my sleeping bag which, as everybody knows, is the best place to be when morale is low. Seconds later I heard a noise, it was Mark. He said “come on lets go we need to go and climb a peak” (this was the
last thing I wanted to
hear!) But he managed
to motivate everybody
into getting out of our
lovely sleeping bags
and start the accent
to Sgurr Dudh an Da
Bheinn. Fortunately the
rain had passed but it
was still very overcast. The route involved
a scramble over a fairly steep boulder field up to the ridgeline. Once on the ridge the views - both over to Coruisk and back down over Coire Ghrunnda are breath taking (Apparently, as all I could see was 10m in front of me, maybe this was another one of Marks tails to keep us motivated,
but I am sure he was probably right this time.) We tackled the scramble along
the ride for about another 400m slowly heading upwards and in no time we were
at the peak. I could not tell you if there were
any views from up there we could have been 2m in the air for all I knew it was just thick cloud, but there was still a sense of achievement floating around the group.
We stayed at the summit for about half an hour before we descended back down the same way we came up. On the way down I remembered I had brought a bottle of wine in my Bergan (no wonder it was so heavy, but worth it) we arrived back to the camp after about 30 minutes, where one of the guys pulled out a disposable BBQ, sausages, burgers and another bottle of wine (awesome more wine!) That evening, we all sat around a disposable BQQ drinking wine out of the bottle in the cold (it was great!).
The next morning we were awoken by Mark at 07:00 (Obviously the REME don’t appreciate, or like being in a sleeping bag, as an Infantryman I do!). As per usual he got us all up and ready for the next peak
by 08:00. We headed round to the right of the loch and then begin to climb the steep boulder field beyond aiming almost directly for Sgurr nan Eag there are a few small paths but you need to plan your route from the vantage point of the loch in order to avoid any crags. The boulders in the Coir give awkward going but have exceptionally good friction they are made of peridotite,
a variant of gabbro which is even rougher than normal (layman’s terms, gives good grip). Once on the ridge we had a nice easy 500m scramble to the summit. The summit cairn is in the centre of the long, narrow ridge, and apparently the views are breath taking (still waiting to see one!). After a short
break we headed back down to towards the camp. We took the direct rout down over a fairly tricky boulder field and were soon back
at the Coir where we collapsed our camp and headed back to Glen Brittle.
Mountaineering in Scotland with ATG Scotland was great but you can also Canoe, Mountain bike, rock clime or do
all 4 as they offer a multi activity package. All activities are instructed by civilian instructors who are highly professional and the best instructors around. Despite being occasionally cold and wet, I can honestly say my Summer Mountaineering course has been one of the best experiences I have had in the army and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone that gets the chance tom go.
Fortunately the rain had passed but it was still very overcast.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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