Petestack Blog

No joint training for the Highlander this past weekend with Jon and me heading for separate weddings (his brother, my cousin) on Saturday. But, with a high-level circuit of Glen Turret (or Loch Turret if you prefer) to grab Auchnafree Hill and Ben Chonzie (my only ‘unticked’ Munro or Top in the Southern Highlands) not too far off my direct route to Edinburgh, you can probably guess what I did on the way! So you might spot some interesting zigzags in my track as I played ‘join the dots’ with multiple, hilltop cairns to give 12.7 miles/3,700 ft of ascent on mostly rolling heathery terrain (not forgetting all those peat hags on the north-east side!) and might be interested to know that I’ve never seen so many mountain hares in my life (now all on the turn from winter to summer colouring) but, apart a quick mention for the burning April sun, I think that’s about it for now.

Another great training run for the Highlander with Jon yesterday, although we nearly canned our plans (to go ‘almost regardless of conditions’) for a two-Munro, three-Corbett circuit of Loch an Daimh after a night of wild weather and the MWIS forecast from hell. But a good thing we didn’t because, despite a fair breeze and a few showers, we were never fighting the grim battle implied by the forecast and conditions were both surprisingly benign and pretty enjoyable for most of the day.

Now, this circuit (cooked up mainly to let me ‘clean up’ Section 2 of Munro’s Tables with bonus Corbetts) proved to be a true runners’ round on rolling hills with well-spaced contours, straightforward climbs, largely carefree descents (periodically enhanced by lingering snow patches!) on gentle gradients, almost no ‘dancing’ through rocks or scree and only really a few awkward peat hags on some of the bealachs to impede progress at all. Should be pretty obvious from the maps where we went (NB the first shows the route I’d planned in blue and the second our actual track in red), but probably worth highlighting a couple of points in 1. our little triangular tour of the Corbett Meall Buidhe’s summit (where we changed direction to head for the cairn I spied as we arrived, then discovered another two with each one looking higher from the others!) and 2. our run southwards down the open scoop from the final Corbett of Cam Chreag (not what I’d drawn but a prettier shape on the map, right?). 21.9 miles and 6,900 ft of ascent all in, definitely a recommended running route and I still managed to hit 5:08 mile pace on a final ‘sprint’ down the last short section of track! :-)

Might just add that this was the first outing for my new OMM Cypher smock, which finally got christened on Cam Chreag after spending most of the day in my sack and looks like a great lightweight shell top (post edited 1 June 2011 by quoting email below!). Quite snug (but not tight) in a ‘large’ size (specified for height 5’10″ to 6’2″ and chest up to 43″ when I’m 5’11″ and would normally buy 42″ for 40″ chest), with a nice ‘drop tail’ and truly excellent hood which somehow manages to provide good protection while overcoming my normal dislike of hoods as making me feel ‘blinkered’. So perhaps I’m still not wholly convinced by the cuff/thumb loop arrangement, but can see a trivial modification to improve that later if I’m not getting on with it exactly as supplied. Didn’t take the Kamleika pants (ordered simultaneously), however, which just aren’t cut for me at all and will be getting changed for some other waterproofs that fit.

Peter Duggan wrote (2011-05-22 19:40):
> Just discovered today that the front panel of my Cypher Smock has
> started delaminating badly after being worn just a handful of times, so
> afraid I’m looking for a refund (might have got a rogue sample, but
> couldn’t trust the eVent fabric in any like-for-like replacement) and
> think you might also want to pass this on to OMM.
>
> So how do I go about returning it to you and securing a refund?

(Note: tried plotting both tracks on a single map, but didn’t like the look of that!)

Been out running with Jon today after he suggested some training together for the Highlander Mountain Marathon in three weeks time, so headed for a round of four ‘new’ hills (including Corbetts Geal Charn and Meall na h-Eilde) north of the ‘Dark Mile’ at the east end of Loch Arkaig. And this gave us a satisfying day out, with about 15.2 miles and 4,400 ft of ascent on runnable terrain with some interestingly varied contours (why we chose it!) completed at a respectable but reasonably comfortable pace. Some snow patches to cross, but nothing left requiring spikes/crampons or axes, which all got left in the van when we saw what it was like.

Might not have snow at sea level here, but 500ft or so up that all changes and along the main track to the Dam (at c.1,000ft) there’s way more than I expected. So perhaps the Dam (where I didn’t go yesterday because of the wind) wasn’t the most obvious target for today either but, sick of the roads and low-level village circuits that have formed much of this week’s weather-influenced fair, I stuck to it like a pig-headed bull, ploughing a furrow through the deepest snow of the year (fantastically sculpted into drifts of up to chest height), running as much as I could and taking about three hours for a return trip I habitually complete in well under two. But, strangely enough, also finding myself strong enough to be actually enjoying it!

Also met David Graham from Ardfern (who said he’d been expecting to meet me at any minute!) walking the dog up the Penstock track, so popped into The Ice Factor on my way home to say hi to Carol and young Tom, who he’d left climbing there.

Just finished John L. Parker, Jr’s Again to Carthage (sequel to Once a Runner), which I’ve had begging for attention since receiving my pre-ordered paperback last July but only got around to reading this past week. And it’s another cracker… longer than its predecessor and perhaps yet slower to catch fire, but building a similar sense of unstoppable momentum (think he knows what he’s doing here!) as it proceeds. Have to say I was wondering how he could top (or even match) the perfectly-judged ending of Once a Runner, but (without even hinting at spoilers for those who’ve yet to read either book) can only observe that I found the conclusion of this one (informed by something I might have spotted but still took me by surprise) equally satisfying.

Now, on quite another note (if there was a prize for non sequitur of the day I’d win it?), I’ve been quite amused/intrigued by some ‘Piles of Stones’ shown (at OS 1:25,000 scale) on Meall a’ Bhainne, which I passed on Sunday’s run, find myself debating the difference between a cairn and a pile of stones (well, come on, a cairn and three piles of stones all marked in a line?) and know that I’ll have to check it out sometime. But it won’t be today, with wet, sleety conditions meaning that I’m keeping an eye out for a more pleasant running ‘window’ to head off somewhere not quite so far away! ;-)

Thought my mileage was looking a bit weedy this week after missing Tuesday (brought my headache home from a late night at work!) as well as my usual Monday then turning down two climbing partners for Saturday to work on the boat with Twig (after which I managed just the 9.1 miles to the Dam and back by the Ciaran Path), so boldly set out to restore some 55-mile respectability (actually 54.7) by going for something reasonably meaty today. And this took the shape of a big loop up the brutal hill (toughest of any local trail) to An Cumhann and Loch Eilde Mor (where I met Martin and Liz Basil enjoying a walk), over the more runnable hill of Meall na Cruaidhe and through to Loch Treig by Loch Chiarain before returning by Luibeilt for a total of 22.7 miles at a modest 3,600 ft of ascent. So who knows why it felt as hard as it did in the end, but my gels and chewy bars just weren’t keeping me going and, in pushing for a >5mph average (doesn’t sound that fast but goes with the terrain), I found myself getting so dizzy coming down the final hill that I just had to blow that target (finishing with 4:34:34 ‘moving time’ from a total of 4:41:42) and take a sit-down stop to wolf down the better part of my 250g packet of apricots. And my head was spinning again by the back fence!

The first rule of river crossings (as any mountaineer should know) is don’t! Which is why, when running a wild, wet and windy Lairig Eilde from Glen Coe to Dalness and back yesterday, I took the pathless east side of the Allt Lairig Eilde on finding the lower ford (see map, 1) under deep running water and only regained the path (constantly visible across the torrent) where it crosses back (map, 2) more than a mile higher. Then took that upper crossing (acceptable at a calf-deep splash) on my way back with a view to staying west all the way down, which everyone (including my forgetful self!) who knows how difficult it is to get to the road from that side will recognise as a mistake. So there I was, standing just above the road looking at the camera-toting motorists on the bridge with my starting point just round the corner, but facing the probability of a three-mile detour to the top crossing and back to get there. At which point I resignedly set off back up the river hoping to find a viable crossing without retracing my steps the whole way and, after backing off from a tentative foray or two, managed to find a place about halfway up (map, 3) that would go. But still broke the first rule of river crossings (don’t) as well as my own second (never, never, never enter fast running water above knee-depth on your own) and one or two more, and know I was lucky not to bite off more than I could chew. Didn’t get knocked off my feet, but could have been. Didn’t get swept away, but could have been. Didn’t get pinned against or under that tempting tree (another no-no if you know the rules), but could have been.

So, just to reiterate the first rule of river crossings, don’t! It’s the only one you really need to know if you stick to it. And don’t think knowing that (or any of the other rules) gives you any real leeway for creative interpretation when nature has no respect for ‘experience’ in misjudgement. The crossing might seem more tempting than that detour, but better detouring than dead. Although I’d still recommend the Lairig Eilde to everyone when the rivers and burns aren’t raging because it’s quite possibly the finest short trail run in the area when you can stay with the path. :-)

PS Ran up to Penstock this afternoon (all I could face on another grotty day) and the track’s been literally torn apart by water on the Z-bends above the wee dam… worst damage I’ve ever seen to it, with a trough a couple of feet deep running down the upper bends and a strategically placed digger looking like it’s up there to do some work!

Thought I was going to write an interesting post here combining a report of today’s testing run in much crisper conditions than Thursday’s soggy snow with some updates to my year-old running crampon review. But now (still sitting here after multiple false starts) I’ve decided just to settle for a brief note that I ran Binnein Mor and Na Gruagaichean, leaving the zigzag path up Sgor Eilde Beag to cut (literally!) straight up its south ridge snowfield (where I might not have been comfortable in trail shoes and MICROspikes without that nice series of slash steps) and taking a strangely snaking route along the south ridge of Binnein Mor as the cornice swapped sides from east to west and back again. And that’s basically that, with the detailed discussion of lightweight, flexible crampon design and my thoughts on the pros and cons of the potentially more capable Kahtoola and Hillsound models I’d like to test (subject to UK distribution or private import for the Hillsounds?) held over for another time.

Keen to get out for some good hill days on ‘new’ ground with February’s WML Assessment looming, but lack of excitement about current thaw conditions saw me settling for a wee run over the very familiar peaks of Am Bodach and Stob Coire a’ Chairn this afternoon. Not much snow left below about 800m and even what’s still ‘covering’ the ridge mostly soft and soggy, but found some steeper/firmer patches to cut some slash steps and pigeon-holes (quite reassuring in places with ‘running’ footwear) and thought the steep NE descent of Am Bodach testing enough for trail shoes and MICROspikes in its current shape. No idea why there’s an arrow planted in the cairn of Stob Coire a’ Chairn (seems about as logical as the Sgurr Alasdair squirrel!), but left it as I found it and ran on down, finding the snow lining the Coire na Ba path just the right depth to keep trapping and tripping a runner’s lower legs. So pretty crap conditions really for hill running or practising axe work, but still good exercise and hoping the forecast refreeze means some better snow up there for some big boot work soon.