Morning STW,

I’m off work at the moment before I start a new job, so had some free time on my hands to put another trip report together from the weekend. It’s on my blog, along with more amateur pictures at http://www.professionalwreckhead.com/?page_id=466.

Please be gentle in respect of comments about my camera skills – I am pretty clueless about what makes a good photograph and take all my pictures with my phone or an old Canon Ixus. I don’t really look for shots or set them up, I just tend to have the camera handy and “point-and-shoot” when I see something I like. That said, a decent camera is on my purchase list, along with a good book on how to take some decent pics – any recommnedations for either would be great 🙂

Friday was my last day working at my law firm.  In fact, it was my last day in private practice.   After 6 years of private practice law, I’m making the move in house to work as a lawyer for one of my firm’s clients, a global construction company.

Quite an emotional day in many respects; sadness at having to say goodbye to so many friends and colleagues (although not for good, I’m a client now, they’ll still have to tolerate me – just in a different capacity!), excitement about starting my new career, a little of apprehension that I’m leaving my comfort zone…but all of those emotions soon faded when I left the office on Friday night…two weeks off, which means two full weeks of action packed mountain fun.

Leaving straight from the office on Friday, Anna and I set off to have some dinner with my mum up near Loch Ard.  Waking up with a bit of a hangover, I was greeted with exactly the sort of weather MWIS had promised…sunshine!

Yes, this is Scotland and no, I didn’t photoshop in the blue sky!

This weekend’s objective was to climb Ben Donich (847m) in the Arrochar Alps via Rest and Be Thankful, camp as close to the summit as possible and (hopefully) enjoy a beautiful sunset and sunrise from one of the best vantage points in the area.

There are a few things which need to be considered when planning a summit wild camp:

1.  Can you actually get up there safely with the weight you need to be carrying?

2.  Is there somewhere near the summit where you could sensibly pitch a tent?

3.  Is the weather likely to present any issues?  This is particularly important, since you really don’t want to be stuck on top of a mountain at 3am in a storm which tears your tent to pieces.

4.  Will the effort be worth it?

All the boxes seemed to be ticked for Ben Donich – a relatively straight forward climb from a high start point (at Rest and be Thankful), a huge and flat plateau, great mountain weather forecasts…and the promise of some truly amazing views if the visibility remained good.

Not wanting to spend hours sitting around a freezing cold summit, we decided to start our ascent at just before 4pm.  This would allow us time to get up there, pitch the tent and have some food in plenty of time before sunset…or if the weather turned against us it would allow us (just) enough time to make a hasty retreat in daylight.

Last task before setting off was to decant the obligatory bottle of red wine into a plastic container (safety first!)

700ml of French with a bit of the Scottish Alps in the distance (our intended summit being the highest and furthest away, obscured by the plastic bottle)

 It was pretty warm, so we set off in just base layers, knowing full well that the combination of sunshine, heavy packs and a steep start to Ben Donich would leave us boiling inside anything heavier.

Anna displaying the latest in contemporary mountaineering fashion

With the sun shining and a clearly defined path ahead, we were off with a (weighted) spring in our steps.  It’s a well know “fact” that whether you are wandering up Cow Hill in Glen Nevis or about to scale the South Face of Lhotse, the first 30 minutes of any walk or climb are always the hardest!  It takes a while for everything to fall into place and your body realise what you’re asking it to do.  Up please!

Ben Donich is an interesting little mountain, a mixture of eroded and boggy trail, rock falls, constant false summits and wide open plateaus/ridges.  It makes for an interesting walk, with spectacular views which open up as each new high is reached…and just the right amount of gentle ascent in between the “lung bursters”.

After the initial leg burning few hundred metres of vertical, you finally start up the mountain proper, with an enticing ridge hike all the way to the summit (which is just hidden from view at the far right of the picture)

The ascent of the final ridge is the most interesting and it’s where the views really start to open up.  Although the path is clear when snow cover is limited and visibility is good, real care must be taken on this mountain since there are a number of unusual scars to either side of the path, which are often only 2ft wide but some over 20ft deep.  I suspect that straying just a few feet off either side of the path in poor weather could end up with a broken leg or worse.  Fortunately for us, since the visibility was excellent, it was just a matter of testing patches of snow we had to cross, all of which were quite soft due to the effects of sunshine on the slopes all day.  Crampons were not needed on the ascent since it was easy to kick steps into the snow due to this softness.

One of the only “technical” sections to be negotiated on Ben Donich, which I had read about in various trip reports and guides, is a steep step-down which must be negotiated on the way up.  I’d read that this 20ft face can be particularly dangerous when conditions are icy, and given the weight we were carrying, it was a niggle at the back of my mind as we neared the area where the face was located.

Once we arrived at the step-down, we both had a little chuckle and wondered what the fuss was about and what some people actually expect to find when they wander up a mountain (some of the reports we had read described it as “deadly”)…it’s basically a bit of rock that you “scramble” down.  I use the term scramble only because you do need to use your hands, but in all honesty, provided you actually have hands and are not blind drunk, it’s extremely easy to get down.  That said, it would be a different proposition entirely if it was covered in ice – crampons or at least an axe to cut steps would be required.

I climbed down half way, Anna passed me the bags and it was negotiated in little more than 60 seconds.  There are more solid hand and foot holds available than a bouldering centre!

Looking down Auntie Hillary’s Step.  I reserve all rights to naming this face 😉

Anna playing on the funslide after climbing down Auntie Hillary’s Step

We had noticed a foreboding, huge and very dark could formation moving in from the West and couldn’t make up our minds which direction it was heading.  MWIS had predicted scattered snow showers in our area and this certainly looked like a potential candidate.  Deciding that there was clearly nothing we could do about the weather, we picked up the pace for the final section to the summit in the hope that we could find a suitable place to pitch and get the tent up before any bad weather hit…if indeed it was heading in our direction.

We hit the summit in really quick time considering the additional weight we were carrying, taking around 1 hour and 30 mins.  We need not have worried about finding a suitable spot to pitch the tent – Ben Donich is effectively a campsite at 2,800ft!  I’ve never seen so many potential wild camp spots, never mind at the summit of a mountain!  It’s a huge plateau, which is well drained, flat and covered in lovely tent-peg-friendly turf.

Anna at the summit cairn

The perfect spot for a bit of wild camping!

As soon as we had pitched the tent and had quick look around the summit that big black cloud, which had been malevolently following us around all afternoon, finally hit Ben Donich.  We had enjoyed sunshine, light winds and temperatures barely below freezing until this point…now we were running for the shelter of the tent as the temperature dropped and snow and wind battered the summit.  Visibility dropped significantly and we both had a worrying feeling that the bad weather might be prolonged, meaning no beautiful sunset or sunrise, and yet another wild night on the mountains.

Nothing too bad, but definitely enough to send us cowering in the tent (wind chill must have been in the region of -20)

The typically camera shy Anna hides from yet another photo as we try to warm up whilst the tent is battered by winds rushing across the summit.

Fortunately, the snow lasted no longer than 30 minutes and we were free to get back outside and enjoy the dying hours of daylight.  The temperature had dropped considerably since we had first arrived at the summit and there was a fresh wind hitting us from the West, which meant that we had to keep moving or hide behind shelter – standing still for more than just a few seconds was near impossible due to the windchill, even with plenty of layers on.  However, there was lots for us to do due to the great visibility, huge summit to explore and reasonable weather!

Anna exploring the steep faces on the north-west side

X marks the spot (believe it or not, this took one attempt to catch on camera!)

Anna heading back to the tent, and me realising just how exposed we would be if high winds were to hit the summit!

A rare picture of me given that I’m normally the one doing the point-and-shoot

A great dinner table, but unfortunately no bar stools

With our dinner consumed and exploring complete, we were now presented with the beauty of a sunset over Loch Fyne, casting a wonderful glow over every feature as far as the eye could see, from the surrounding lochs, Arrochar Alps, Ben Lomond and the ranges beyond.

A small selection of sunset pictures are below, however the gallery on my blog contains loads more.

Once the sun had disappeared we quickly retired to the relative comfort of the tent.  Temperatures were getting really low now and we still had a bottle of wine to consume!  We both drifted off to sleep at around midnight, however I was woken at around 3am by some pretty fierce winds – so strong that the Quasar’s front door (which was the door NOT taking the brunt of the wind) had been ripped open and was flapping about wildly.  I reluctantly got out of my warm sleeping bag and used some spare pegs to secure the door as much as possible, however I knew that now I was awake, with the wind being so loud, there was little chance of getting back to sleep.  Surprisingly, Anna was still asleep, so I felt relieved that only one of us was having to lie there awake as the tent was battered by the wind.

Despite the fact that I’d pegged the front entrance shut completely, the wind still ripped it open every 30 minutes, so I decided to leave it open and allow the wind to pass though.  That certainly helped, since the tent stopped being yanked in every direction.  I must have drifted off to sleep again at just after 5am, only to be woken by my alarm at 6am!  No point on being on top of a mountain and missing sunrise though!

Given how wild the weather had been through the night, I was a little apprehensive as I opened the inner door to check the weather outside.  It was still pretty windy, but much to my tired head’s relief, I was presented with outstanding visibility in all directions and a beautiful red glow just making its way up and over the Arrochar Alps.  I slowly got dressed into every bit of clothing and outer gear I had with me, being careful not to wake snoring beauty, so that I could get outside and enjoy the sunrise (and try to get some decent pictures).  I eventually woke Anna because I didn’t want her to miss the sunrise, although she didn’t stay out for too long – the windchill was debilitating, some of the harshest I’ve experienced at this time of year.

Below is a small selection of the photographs I took, many more are contained in the gallery at the bottom of the page on my blog.  You may be able to identify quite a few of the mountains, but I’ve mainly focussed on The Cobbler, Beinn Narnain, Beinn Ime and Ben Lomond simply because they are not often captured from this particular angle.

Once Anna was awake and ready to actually get out of her sleeping bag, I had already made some hot breakfast ready, which was horrible, but we needed to refuel in order to get back down, so we ate it anyway (all we had left to eat was Beef Casserole!  Try eating that at 7am!).

The significant dip in temperature overnight, and additional snow fall the previous evening, meant that the often steep descent was going to be tricky.  There was lots of rock hard snow and ice, so we decided crampons were necessary for the initial few hundred metres of vertical and they turned what could have been a nightmare into a great fun and speedy descent!  We negotiated Auntie Hillary’s Step with ease, and without even having to remove our packs (and I was carrying a massive 65 litre pack).  We were off the mountain in little over an hour and back home for a long bath and nap before heading out to see the legend Ben E. King perform at The Arches.

All in all, a bloody fantastic weekend that I’ll remember for a long time.

I struggle with long sentences

🙂

Well done! excellent post! 😀

Great post and lovely pics but a few too many of them for me – makes them lose impact when there are so many even though they are really nice.

What does I struggle with long sentences mean?

I’m
Not
Reading
All
That
Stuff

🙂

Edit: I should actually say that I really enjoy these write-ups. I’m just trying to find a way of “following” the OPs blog…

You nutter camping on the tops! I do a fair bit of wild camping but can’t be bothered taking the big pack over the peaks! Where do you get your water from? Not just a bit cold?

thanks guys.

druidh, I’ve just added an RSS type thing to the site, but I’ve no idea whether it works (or indeed how what it actually does!).

aye grum, I went a bit mental with the pics! i’ll get anna to pick her favourites and slim it down. 🙂

TJ – you’d be surprised at how quickly you forget about the weight. I must admit, it can be a PITA until you get your second wind, but I carry way more weight than I ought to and still often forget about it once I’ve got my stride. For me it’s not so much the weight, but making sure the pack fits and is packed well – plus setting a comfortable pace.

Water is always a problem, especially in winter. You can melt snow, but you practically have to melt the entire mountainside in order to get anything useful! I tend to carry a few litres of fresh water in hydration packs (which adds weight, but at least you’re covered), and then keep an eye out for running water on the way up. On multiday trips, I’ve seen myself dropping down a good few hundred metres for water, which can be a pain.

As for the cold, it varies. Pitching and striking the tent is the worst, if there is significant windchill then that’s when it REALLY gets you – but you are either straight in the tent or moving back down the hill after pitching/striking, so plenty of opportunity to get warm. It’s always the wind, -10 air temps are easy to tolerate, but add in a 30mph wind and you lose feeling really quickly in anything not well covered. Good windproof layers from head to toe are necessary – my face feels like it’s been sunburnt at the moment, the only part of me that wasn’t covered. Still, most of the negative effects are easy enough to mitigate.

Peterfile – I just added your RSS link into my Blogger feed and it picked it up. I could do without “The Beast” though…..

Thanks

Peterfile – I have done a lot of this sort of stuff – mainly these days multiday treks. I camp in the head of glens and go to tops without the big pack – and back down to camp in shelter. I hate to carry water uphill.

No criticism intended – you clearly know your stuff. Its just about priorities and what works for you

Edit – you can see the tents lower left

19 camp 2 view 5 by TandemJeremy, on Flickr

Great thread mate, thanks 😀

That’s a quality spot TJ! Looks like it might be a midge-fest in summer though?

Aye, don’t get me wrong, 90% of our camping is at glen level, however we do like the “epic” feeling you get with a summit wild camp, particularly in winter. It brings with it a whole load of additional challenges, but I feel rewarded with a completely different perspective on the mountains and camping generally.

Sometimes we do mid-level wild camps, for example at 2,000ft on The Cobbler, which gives you private access to mountains/summits which are normally rammed full of people.

We should get an STW wild camp organised 🙂

That looks and sounds awesome and inspiring, I’m very jealous!

Fantastic and inspirational post.

I’ve recently been given a Vango Banshee 200 tent on a permanent loan 🙂 and I’m really keen to do my first bit of wild camping this summer in the mountains. Maybe in the lakes or the North Pennines.

Me and my girlfriend have done a fair bit of hill walking in the Lakes, North Wales, Brecons but have always retreated to a valley campsite or hostel at the end of the day.

Any tips for a complete novice embarking on a first wild camping trip?

Inspirational again guys.

I always climb mountains dressed in similar gear to Anna

Seriously though I’d be contacting Canon/Nikon and trying to blag a free camera in exchange for a banner on your blog or something.

T’is food for the soul, keep it up.

Any tips for a complete novice embarking on a first wild camping trip?

Think about what will happen if it rains overnight – I forgot this once and was woken by a stream running thru the tent. Door of the tent uphill and away from the wind

take your water from streams as high as possible and running water. toilet away from the water and bury it. some folk say burn loo roll but IMO its too risky for setting fire to the scenery.

Enjoy.

Fantastic and inspirational post.

Any tips for a complete novice embarking on a first wild camping trip?

Glad you enjoyed it Matt. Much of my enjoyment when I put these posts together comes from the thought that someone might think “I’m definitely going to give that a bash!” and get out there.

Wild camping, whether in a field near the car or on top of a mountain basically boils down to good planning. You need to sit down and think “What if…”, since you have to adjust to some novel challenges and with limited support if things go pear shaped.

Start with an area you know. There’s enough to be thinking about without getting to your intended camping spot and realising there’s no where suitable to camp! Alternatively, take recommendations from where others have camped, but make sure that both they and you are clear on what you want. A great spot for me might be your idea of hell 🙂

Don’t pick somewhere with high walker/climber traffic. Neither you or the walkers will appreciate it. If you do want to go somewhere popular (I’ve camped on The Cobbler before, which is like the mountain equivalent of Oxford Street!), make sure you find a spot out of sight of the main routes.

Consider access laws. In scotland, you can pretty much throw a tent up wherever you please, unfortunately the same can’t be said for England. Check whether you are permitted to camp where you are heading and then you might need to make a “judgment call” 😉

The rest is easy, just needs good planning. You need water/food/shelter/warmth and sufficient clothing. And you need to be able to carry it with minimal discomfort. This is easy in summer – a lightweight tent, 2/3 season sleeping bag and some waterproofs + clean base layers will be all you need. Throw in a couple of litres of water, some food you can easily cook (plus a stove!) and you’re done! (oh yeah, and don’t forget the toilet roll!).

Small things often make the biggest differences on a wild camp:

headtorches are brilliant – having both hands free is a major bonus when mincing around camp in the dark

wrap EVERYTHING in plastic bags – you can get waterproof liners, but binbags work fine too. Assume that it will rain and remember that your rucksack is not waterproof

lay out everything you intend to pack on your floor before you leave, check it all works and is complete before you wrap it up – i’ve packed torches with no batteries on a Ben Nevis wild camp. That was a mistake i’ll never make again!

be ruthless with your packing unless you’re used to carrying weight – e.g. you can leave most things in the car, only take what you really need, the “maybe” pile will break your back

pack logically – put stuff in the rucksacks in a sensible order, with things you might need along the way easily accessible

relax! – i remember my first couple of winter summit wild camps. I was crapping myself when the winds picked up. There can be something a bit nervy about your first camp, but it’s mostly paranoia. Provided you use common sense, there are very few situations you can get yourself into which are risky (e.g. think twice before you pitch the tent at the bottom of a steep slope covered in loose rocks!)

Wild camping is the ultimate freedom. You’ll love it. It will also make you appreciate campsites with pubs nearby even more too 😉

peterfile – I have emailed you

peterfile – I have emailed you

Got it, thanks TJ. I’ll have to check with Anna of course, but yeah, the idea of wild-camp-swinging certainly sounds like it could be fun 😉

Thanks for the pointers!

We’re planning a trip for the 28/29 April so I’ll be getting the OS maps out tonight. Maybe the Howgill Fells for somewhere a bit more off the beaten track than the Lake District then.

Jealous of your Scottish views – maybe a more adventurous trip later in the year…

No worries Matt.

Remember, the internet is your friend…cross check potential wild camp spots on maps and trip reports which you dig up online.

Lots of places look great on a map, but when you get there you find you’re in a 1 mile square bog, or someone might have identified a cracking little spot in an area which looks otherwise uninhabitable on paper.

Have a google and you’ll find loads of information. One of my favourite parts of a trip is planning the route 🙂

You done a good job keeping the bikes out of all those pics
😯

It’s in the Chat forum, not the Bike one 🙂

Nice thread but not enough pics of Anna. What a bonny lass she is! You luck git.

You done a good job keeping the bikes out of all those pics

Pffft, I can’t win. If I posted pictures of my tent, my girlfriend, a beautiful sunrise and my bikes in one thread, you’d accuse me off showing off 😉

Here you go though matey, just to keep you happy

You can have a read though the whole spec list here: Cove Shocker DH, but I don’t see how it’s relevant to this CHAT thread about camping on a mountain 😉