Introduction - and a few statistics
Ellie and I did our first challenge in 2007. Ellie did a solo challenge in 2008 although I joined her for the lovely ridge walk above Loch Monar to Beauly. I got to thinking, if you pieced together ridges to make a Challenge route how high could you stay?
So was born the idea of our 2009 Challenge walk, a real Challenge for us. The idea was to attempt to find the Challenge route across the Highlands that had the highest average height and then to see if we could walk it!
I know we have not found the sensible do-able highest Challenge route across the Highlands and we did not succeed in walking our route with maximum average height because high winds and cornices made us compromise on several occasions.
First some statistics: the table below shows the differences between our 2007 route our planned 2009 route and our actual 2009 route.
Our 2007 route was a Classic route, suitable for the challenge novices we were. We did it as a group of four with friends Barbara Sanders and Peter Kenyon, more experienced Challengers than us. It went: Sheil Bridge, Glen Affric, Cougie, Drumnadrochit, the ferry, over the Monhadliath passes to Kincraig, Glen More, then a plan to do Ben Macdhui which was foiled by gale force winds, instead we tried to get across a shoulder of Cairn Gorm to The Saddle, we were beaten back and went round lower by Bynack Stables to Glen Avon, Glen Builg, Ballater, Mount Keen, Tarfside, Edzell, St Cyrus.
| 2007 Route | Planned 2009 Route (actual figures in brackets) |
|---|---|
| Average altitude 347 metres | average altitude 627 metres (599m) |
| Duration: 14 days | Duration: 15 days |
| Number of Munros planned: 2 | Number of Munros planned: 42 |
| Number of Munros achieved 1 | Number of Munros achieved 32 |
| Days that challenge control required a FWA: 3 | Days that challenge control required a FWA: 12 |
| Most camps without re-supply 3 | Most camps without resupply 4 |
| Base Pack Weight per person 19 pounds | Base pack weight per person including ice axes 13 pounds |
| Total pack weight per person with 3 days food plus consumables 26 pounds | Total pack weight per person with 5 days food plus consumables 23 pounds |
| My bodyweight 11.5 stone | My bodyweight 10.5 stone |
| Wild Camp Nights 6 | Wild camp nights 12 |
| Average walking hours (by Naismith) 5.9 | Average walking hours (by Naismith) 8.28 (9.1) |
| Average daily distance 21 kilometres | Average daily distance 23.6 (25 kilometres) |
| Average daily ascent 774m | Average daily ascent 1613 (1692 metres) |
| Total distance 294 kilometres, 184 miles | Total distance 354 kilometres 222miles (399 kilometers 249 miles) |
| Total ascent 10,833 metres | Total ascent 24,204 metres (25,374 metres) |
Prelude
We were unsure whether to take ice axes and crampons as a lot of snow had cleared from the high tops, but more snow was predicted. I emailed Roger Smith for his snow cast and suggested that we take ice axes but leave our crampons behind. Roger agreed. My reasoning was that our ice axes are very light, titanium and carbon fibre 'just in case' axes, at 135 grams each. The snow would be new and soft so perhaps on average we would not need crampons. Our Kahtoolah crampons, which go with our inov8 shoes are very light but still weigh 620 grams a pair, so they would be worth leaving behind.
I got my son to text us key points from the MWIS weather forecast each day.
We packed with food for 5 days and got the train from Accrington to Glasgow meeting our first fellow challengers at Preston. The train from Glasgow to Oban seemed full of rucksacks and people acticipating the Challenge. We had hoped to camp at Oban, but when we arrived the wind was so strong, and raining too, so We decided to book into the Youth Hostel. The hostel was full of Challengers, British, American and Italian. The hostel had magnetic strip pass keys for the doors including the dormitories. I forgot this when going for a pee in the night and had to knock up my American room mate to get back in. I hope he was awake anyway. I never have this much trouble camping.
All the following maps have our actual route in Blue, and the intended route where it was different in red. The blue numbers on our route are highlighted in the text. The red squares are Munros.
