[Closed] Fraochaidh - yet another high altitude camp (DSLR pics)

As usual, this is on my [url= http://www.professionalwreckhead.com ]BLOG[/url] and reposted here.

Tips on DSLR stuff would be welcomed, since it was my first outing with a proper camera.

My friend kindly let me borrow his Canon 450D and a couple of lenses at the weekend. I started a thread on here last week about what sort of camera would be best suited for mountain escapades. I've now arrived at the conclusion that I WON'T be buying a DSLR! It's just too heavy, too bulky and therefore it spent more time attached to my pack than it did taking pictures.

Rather unusual that the first time I take a proper camera on a trip is the time I barely take any photos, and those I do take are a bit naff!

That said, it was a great wee weekend. I'm keeping the camera until next week since I'm off to Skye for 4 days.

Scotland is currently experiencing some very unusual weather - clear skies, sunshine and temperatures in the mid to high twenties. What's even more surprising is that it has been like this for a week. People in Glasgow are anxiously awaiting the Second Coming, a biblical plague or for the sky to simply fall in. Something just doesn't feel right. Where is the rain? Where are all the grey clouds? How can we still be Scottish if we can't moan about the weather?

Well, it seems that we can still moan about the weather. It's too hot. Not too hot for sitting in your garden enjoying a beer perhaps, but certainly too hot for climbing mountains with heavy packs on. Hard to believe we were sheltering from a snowstorm, with windchill hitting -20, on the summit of Ben Donich only 6 weeks ago.

We planned to camp on the summit of Fraochaidh on Saturday night, setting off late in the afternoon once the hottest part of the day had passed. However, climbing Fraochaidh requires around 1,200m of ascent (only a little less than climbing Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK), and it's 7 miles up, bushwacking through dense heather. We were carrying a lot of weight (for some reason I'm still packing winter kit), plus I also had to carry a Canon 450D and assorted lenses to use for the weekend. Add in a couple of extra litres of water and we realised after the first mile that this wasn't going to be an easy ascent.

[b]Anna kitting up, happy as always! Even the jaw dropping scenery in the Highlands struggles to divert my gaze from her (she paid me to say that)[/b]
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[b]It's amazing how appealing even the smallest trickle of water is on a searing hot day.[/b][img] [/img]

[b]Anna trying to cool off as we cross the River Laroch (what's left if it anyway!), about to start the ascent proper, with the mighty Beinn a'Bheithir to the right.[/b]
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[b]Anna coming up of the first steep ridge of the Heather from Hell. This part of the ascent was not enjoyable in the slightest.[/b]
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[b]Finally reaching the long ridge which ascends (for another 3 miles!) to Fraochaidh, looking back towards the Mamores and The Pap (looking hazy in the mid afternoon sunshine).[/b]
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After over 3 hours of tough walking we were beginning to feel the effects of carrying too much weight, being too hot, climbing steep gradients and dehydration.

Despite the fact we'd brought 3 litres of water, we were expecting to have found a decent supply of running water higher up. This is a gamble which is easier to take on winter wild camps, where you drink less and can always resort to melting snow if the worst comes to the worst. However, we'd been drinking way more water than usual and had not spotted anything drinkable since the River Laroch. Now we were on grassy and heather slopes at around 1,800ft, it seemed unlikely we were going to find a decent source of clean running water.

In all honesty, Fraochaidh is not a hill I ever want to climb again with a pack on, or in hot weather. It's just steep ascent, followed by giving the hill back a bit of your effort by descending slightly, only to have to climb steeply again. This continues for miles. False summit after false summit. Normally these sorts of climbs are tolerable, but the heat and heavy packs were draining what was left of our energy, and the worry of dehydration was now becoming real enough to suggest that the safe option was not to continue too much further and risk exhaustion...it's a long way back to Ballacuilsh if someone isn't well.

After reaching the start of the final ridge towards the summit at around 7.30pm (which still looks eerily far away), we decided to set up camp at around 2,000ft, a spot with beautiful views in every direction and on good land.

It's always a bit of a disappointment when you don't reach your intended goal (something we are more used to on winter climbs, when weather and lack of daylight are often the biggest enemy), but it was such a fantastic evening and the views were just unreal, we decided that pushing on for miles, risking exhaustion, just to gain another few hundred feet was not worth it.

I carried out my usual tasks of pitching the tent and rustling us up something to eat (some nice bolognese), while Anna sunbathed and chilled out in the gentle breeze.

We learned a few lessons today. Carry more water, carry less other stuff, don't aim for huge ascent/distance on hot days when carrying packs and don't carry massive DSLRs and multiple lenses!

Despite not reaching out intended spot for the evening, we couldn't have been happier as Scotland treated us to yet another amazing sunset. Unfortunately I missed sunrise since I was fast asleep!

Next up....back off to Skye again at the end of the week!

[b]Anna soaking in the rays and an amazing view over the Mamores.[/b]
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[b]The view to the South.[/b]
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[b]The Pap in all its glory. Slightly annoying to know that a cool pint (of water and beer) could be found in the Clachaig just below The Pap, almost like a mirage.[/b]
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[b]A bird. I don't even know what make or model, just wanted to play with the camera lenses![/b]
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[b]As the sun finally began to dip, we cracked open a couple of beers we had been cooling off under some heather (yes, we brought beer but not enough water!) and settled down to watch the sunset over the Mamores.[/b]
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[b]The spectacular ridge of Aonach Eagach looking even more grand and imposing than usual in the dying light.[/b]
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[b]Looking over towards Loch Linnhe and the Isle of Lismore at around 10pm. Scotland really is one of the most amazing places in the world - the mountainous ridges of the Mamores behind me and the tranquil shores of the loch and island ahead.[/b]
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