After lazing around in Fort William for part of the day visiting shops, we returned to the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel at approximately 14.00hrs. The car was parked up outside the Hostel, and we duly unloaded the gear onto a patch of grass in the shade nearby. Each of us had 2 to 3 bags to unpack and reorganise, so that all that we needed was in our main rucksacks. A 40 litre green KIMM SAC suited me, but Dave and Nick vouched for a larger LOWE Alpine 65 litre and a KARRIMOR Trail 45 respectively.
Only 24 hours to go!
At about 14.55hrs we were ready and headed 20 yards down the road to a bridge crossing the River Nevis. This leads to a stile on the other side, which we considered to be the start of our trip. Dave started the stopwatch (15:01hrs), and we were on our way. It was at this very early stage that I wondered whether it was a good idea to start at 15.00hrs instead of the earlier time of 06.00hrs that we had originally considered. We thought rightly, as it happened, that the later time would be the better of the two because it meant a), we could sample the beers at the local pubs in bustling Fort William on the Friday night, (how can you not visit a pub in Fort William called the Ben Nevis), b), we didn’t have to pack for the adventure the night before, c), we could have a reasonable lie in (as late as they can be in Youth Hostels), d), we didn’t have to disturb the 4th person in our Youth Hostel room, e), we could climb 2 of the 3 mountains in daylight instead of just one and a half, and f), it gave us the opportunity to run down Mount Snowdon in daylight if we were running behind schedule. The one or two personal drawbacks which I instantly thought about 100 yards into our trip were a), how dehydrated I felt through drinking the night before, b), how I had an extra 7 hours to get nervous during the day instead of just waking up and getting on with it instantly, and c), it meant we all had to stay awake and half alert for an extra 7 hours. I wanted to quit there and then!!
Fitness?
The track soon climbed and it was at this point my legs felt like lead, and the feeling of dehydration hit me. For the next hour I clutched a three quarter litre bottle in my hand, taking sips every minute or two. First bit of advice DRINK, DRINK, DRINK both before, during and after. There was no time for taking pictures. I also soon noticed that being the slowest member of the group meant no rest breaks. When the other two up ahead stopped for a break to let me catch up, they would continue as soon as I had reached them, i.e. the fittest members of the group got regular breaks at a slower pace waiting for me. I wished I had drunk a lot more and trained (not just weight training) but also cardiovascular stuff. My quads and calf muscles were beginning to fry already.
Oh, the snow!
After a couple of hours of boulders and loose stones we could see groups of people 30 minutes ahead of us to our right, starting to climb up a large snow covered gully (this is where the snow began). The weather at this point was still tremendous for April, and a bank holiday at that (blue cloudless sky, no wind, a strong sun and high temperatures). When we reached this point we donned our crampons, put on our winter gloves, (due to the cold snow and not cold air), tied our ice axes into a wrist loop, and trudged up the snow bank. Walking on the snow took a lot longer than if we had climbed the same gully under dry, snow free conditions.
The start of the snow with Glen Nevis in the background.
Crampons
This was the first time any of us had used crampons and the first of many times on the challenge we would have to buckle up. Not a great idea having not even practised walking in them let alone ascending snow gullies, but luckily it caused none of us any problems. Ice axe in hand we started to climb, stopping at regular intervals for breath, through a combination of exhaustion, the thin air, overheating and having heavier than normal footwear on. However even on level ground the crampons proved invaluable above the snow-line.
Another false summit
Walking uphill took what seemed like ages and with many false summits ahead of us, and with most other climbers returning down the mountain (approx.17:00hrs), it was very depressing. On the way up we continued watching out for beck's and holes hidden beneath us and followed the step-like formation of former footprints before us. It was not long before my feet started to hurt. Crampons do not seem to bend that well and what with borrowed boots and extremely narrow feet, my feet were rotating about inside the boots with every step. The boots were the correct size, but even with 2 pairs of socks on (one thin and one thick), they could not be made tight enough around my heel. A new walking style was soon adopted. Slowly the number of people on the mountain thinned out and false summit after false summit soon became the norm. Then in the distance I spotted the infamous gullies, and knew that the trig point in the distance was this time the real McCoy. It’s amazing how after feeling completely shattered and humourless after 3 hours walking, I felt as if I could have sprinted to the summit, if it wasn’t for those cumbersome crampons that is. We hit the summit at exactly 18:00hrs.
Highest Person in the British Isles
The top of the mountain was idyllic, and as was later said to me by a local on the descent, was an "incredibly rare day", which he hadn’t seen for years. The sky was a beautiful indigo blue colour and the view of the surrounding mountains was very reminiscent of the Alps. If we had been looking for an incredible time we would have simply touched the summit and come back down again, but we were out to enjoy ourselves whilst still breaking 24 hours. We were not looking for records. Each of us had our own camera, and so went off in our separate directions around the summit taking various pictures of each other. After a quick brew up and some food to eat we thought about leaving, but not before Nick and I had phoned home using his Motorola Flip© mobile to tell our parents we were safe and well. I phoned whilst sitting on the actual trig point itself, such was my excitement at the time, proudly muttering the words "I am now the highest person in the British Isles!". Nick’s phone was luckily only used in this phoning home guise on the trip, and not in any emergency situation. It was reassuring though having a full 5 bars of coverage on the Ben, just in case there had been a serious mishap. The need for a compass to leave Ben Nevis wasn’t necessary in such beautiful conditions, but we checked the 231 degree bearing given on the route cards and found that it was very precise. Some other walkers were intelligently striding out the quoted 150m distance to the next trig point for the next time they may be at the top, perhaps in white out conditions, (the summit is surrounded by steep gullies, and cornices can be a great danger in winter).Under clear conditions though it is obvious where the gullies are and which route to take).
All three of us on top of the nation.
From left to right: Dave, Nick and me.
Tobogganing down the Ben
We started to walk down at approximately 18:20hrs. This was the bit we had all looked forward to. After 500 yards we reached the steeper drop of the gully and resorted to a lying down (self-arrest) position with our ice axes at the ready. We pushed off and slid down the slope in the groove formed by all the other walkers and climbers who had descended before us. Speeds of about 15-20 mph were reached but with due care, as small rocks were beginning to show through the over-deepening trough. All this sliding sped up the descent until we realised that by stopping to take pictures every 100 yards or so of the other two sliding past, a couple who were walking down at the same time were still level with us. Unfortunately the snow-line was soon reached, the dreaded crampons were put away and the ice axes were strapped back onto our rucksacks. At this point I believed we would soon be back at the car. However I realised that the snow line was only a third of the way down the mountain. Much walking was still to be done. After the calves, thighs and buttocks having done most of the work on the way up, it was now the turn of the muscles in the front of my shins to take me down the mountain, slowing me down after every step. Luckily though the blisters weren’t hurting as much on the downhill due to my foots different movements.
Nick slidin down the Ben using his iceaxe as a brake.
Car, sweet car
Even on the downhill the others were still way in front. Sheer exhaustion meant concentration was waning and I didn’t want to come a cropper at this early stage. With Dave reaching the car first, followed closely by Nick, the car was already open and the kettle boiling when I arrived. A run to the hostel didn’t seem beyond me and a pot noodle was quickly brought back to the car. The time was approx. 20:15hrs. Dave, ever with an eye on the clock, beckoned us to hurry up and after "chuck in the car packing" we were off, with Nick at the wheel. Onward to Scafell Pike.
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Ben Nevis