I am sure a few guys worked out this was going to happen, given I have mostly been doing Munros in recent years! The question was Sgurr Dearg summit which is within the activation zone? Or the In Pinn itself. As I am doing the Munros in tandem with SOTA it was always going to be the Pinn! But could I do HF? Almost… I own a KH1, but its at my cousins house in Houston TX waiting to hitch a ride to GM!
My friend Mark & I set up 13/14th May, after we had weekend up in Cape Wrath area with other friends. Weather turned out perfect, dry and not much wind so good to go. We had an Alpine start to avoid any congestion and give me some radio time. A guide was beasting her client up behind us, but they dropped back and we were ready to go a bit ahead of them.
I found the climb very easy with Mark leading, two pitches and I think we were pretty quick. But it is very narrow and exposed so keep focus in front rather than either side, it would be quite a swing if you came off!
I had 5 qso’s kicking off with a S2S with Tim GM5OLD/p on Mull, as ever big thanks to the locals like Colin GM0HBK & Gordon GM4OAS who are always around.
Camped at Glen Brittle for rest of week, GM/SI-001 next.
Looked a fantastic activation - Thanks for the summit to summit, a really nice summit to get! Looks like the weather was so much better than Mull - when I set the 857 up it needed to be inside a dry bag !
Spookily similar - I have also kept Beinn na Lap back, as a friends and family hill this summer - the station house at Corrour looks great for a post celebration, I was there a three weeks ago and it was excellent.
from MM6BWA
Fantastic pictures Gavin - but they give me vertigo just looking at them. I see you are on SI-001 at 1030 UTC tomorrow… and we are on the rather more lowly (!) GM/CS 115 Knock of Braemoray between Nairn and Grantown. It might be worth listening in case there is another long distance s2s available on 2m fm. Apparently the path isn’t too bad - just something a bit near us that might be a problem. I’ll listen for you during the great silences when I’m looking for contacts. Gosh what weather you (and we) are getting - I hope. Good luck.
73 Viki
I would love to, but its all depends on timing for me. I have Maoile Lunndaidh, Beinn Heasgarnich & Creag Mhor, Stob Ban and Ladhar Bheinn to finish off in early June… I rather regretfully didn’t leave many easy ones for the end (Aside from Beinn na lap!)
I’ve seen this bad boy from various other SOTA summits and I’m always impressed at just how far away from anywhere you can park it is. It’s about 7.5-8km from the walkers car park in Glen Lochay to the foot of the route up Sron nan Eun to Creag Mhor. That really says you need your bike. So 7.5-8km and 270m ascent then the climb is 2.75km and 650m ascent up the craggy nose.
I suppose some will bag it with Beinn Sheasgarnaich but I know my limits. I could do one (with a bike) or the other, assuming the famous bogs played ball I know what I can achieve that is fun. I could push myself if it was a matter of life or death, that’s different. But if it’s not fun then there’s no point. I look on with what some can achieve and I look at how doing SOTA and seeing what can be done has made me exercise and keep at it to the point I’m much fitter and it’s done wonders to my diabetes control. An example of what watching people like you Tim, Ben, Robin, Colwyn, Fraser, Gavin and many others have done has kept me keeping at it and from when I started in 2006 and I wore 2XL tops and weighed > 106kg to now when I fit in L tops and weigh about 86kg. Oh an my waist is such I wear trousers 6in/15cm smaller.
So Gavin et al. please keep on doing these more impressive expeditions and reporting them as your momentum helps to drag a lot of us less capable people along.
A couple of years ago on a climbing/mountaineering forum (UKC) I sometimes use. There was a longish discussion about reaching remote tops in Scotland. There were several in which the suggested easier access other than long walk-ins or by cycles, were several summits/areas in which it was suggested canoeing along some of the lochs/rivers was an alternative method and some examples of such tops were. mentioned.
I’ll see if I can dig the thread out - I’ve a couple of canoes (not kayaks) and I quite like the idea.
the favourite summits by water are on the south side of Loch Quoich. Sgurr Mor GM/WS-055, GM/WS-113 & GM/WS-099. I tried to do with my friend Mark couple of years ago, but was too windy & wet that day. He went back a few months later with another friend and had a great day out with a Canadian.
I had to go back and do them on foot from south, much less fun.
(Aside from Beinn na lap!)
I know what I can achieve that is fun. I could push myself if it was a matter of life or death, that’s different. But if it’s not fun then there’s no point. I look on with what some can achieve and I look at how doing SOTA and seeing what can be done has made me exercise and keep at it to the point I’m much fitter and it’s done wonders to my diabetes control. An example of what watching people like you Tim, Ben, Robin, Colwyn, Fraser, Gavin and many others have done has kept me keeping at it and from when I started in 2006 and I wore 2XL tops and weighed > 106kg to now when I fit in L tops and weigh about 86kg. Oh an my waist is such I wear trousers 6in/15cm smaller. 