Vindication in the Lawyers Range
Exactly one week after climbing Ben Nevis, I found myself in the car with Matt and the dogs, heading up towards Killin and onto the Lawyers range. Was I mad? I’d completed what I set out to do the weekend before, and yet I was pushing myself further out of comfort zone on another adventure!? I guess I wanted some vindication after the previous weekend. I’d had visions of a cloud-free summit on Nevis, with us all celebrating together, enjoying the views, sharing stories and laughing along the way. Instead, all we got was exceptionally sore knees, zero views and memories that wouldn’t tempt anyone back into the mountains. I wanted the memories I had envisaged, and I didn’t have them quite yet…
Not again...
Matt picked these two Munros. The Lawyers range is our closest Mountain range, so it made sense to start here. We opted for the standard Walk Highlands route,- and checked the weather forecast. Temperatures were good; however, there was a high chance of light showers and a low chance of cloud free summits, but we went anyway. I guess I was also a bit disappointed in my fitness during the Ben Nevis climb, and wanted to prove I could do a Munro without being unable to walk for two days after.
Lessons learnt from Ben Nevis, I packed my proper waterproof jacket; one I’d been gifted years previous, but never worn due to it making me look like a deer stalker! I also changed out my bag and went back to the hydration pack I used on my first Munro. This route was to be shorter than any of my previous ones, so I didn’t over pack with lots of food, and did ensure I could use my hydration pack properly before I set out this time! I still didn’t buy or bring any gloves though!
The first mile or so was very easy going and the well maintained path was easy to navigate and much easier on the feet and knees than Ben Nevis. However, once over the deer fence things got steep very quickly. After taking a right-hand turn where our return path would bring us back round, we started the zig-zags up towards Beinn Ghlass. However, unlike Nevis these were much shorter and steeper, but we did gain height fast.
Although the clouds were revealing views only in glimpses, what also made things easier, was that you could still see your goal. When we climbed Ben Nevis, you never could see your goal(s) until they were 50 feet in front of you. At least here I could set myself little goals and targets that were achievable and within my visual reach. After clearing the zig-zags we reached the main ridge line to reveal the path of next goal, the summit of Beinn Ghlass.
Who Let the Dogs Out?
The dogs were in their element and absolutely loving life up in the mountains. I did have my reservations with my Romanian rescue dog, Roman, but he had managed Ben Ledi easily. So after a bit of research, I decided to bring him along. Much smaller than Matt’s dog Tara, (Romans’s on/off girlfriend), I was unsure how he’d manage some of the scrambling sections, but he was utterly loving it! Being a rescue dog from a foreign country, Roman has always been a very nervous dog. He literally gets scared by leaves blowing in the wind, or the occasional discarded crisp packet on our daily walks. If he doesn’t want to do something he just lies flat on the ground and doesn’t move. I knew if he didn’t want to do anything, or couldn’t do something, he’d let me know. As it was he stayed at least ten feet in front of me most of the time. Even at the scrambling sections he’d be chasing Tara up in front and they’d be waiting for us at the next cairn.
Tara is a purebred German Shephard and much bigger and more capable than Roman. She’s still young at two and half years old, but she adores Roman, and is always the one instigating the roughness between them both. Fortunately for us, they’re both well trained enough for us not to have to worry about them wandering off or chasing any sheep or deer!
Munro #3
The summit of Beinn Ghlass came up quick and fast. The worst part of the climb was probably the zig-zags, as even although the scrambling bits were steep in places, you could pick your own line and make it as easy or as hard as you liked. I mostly took the easiest options for fear of inflaming my knee again. I definitely didn’t want a repeat of the weekend previous, so played it safe for the most part.
I was quite impressed when we reached the summit of Beinn Ghlass. We’d done the hard part and got up and on top of the highest part of the ridge. Although there were no views, I wasn’t too bothered. I was buzzing that I’d got to that point with relative ease, compared to my experience the week before.
All we needed to do now, was descend a few hundred metres off the other side, before climbing up again to the top of Ben Lawyers. At less than two hours to this point we were making pretty good progress. We both felt fine, so a quick energy supplement at the summit and we quickly set off down the other side and into the cloud.
After a relatively easy descent, where the rocks were slippy but, still had some adhesion, (and the grass was always there as a bail-out option), we headed down and onto the main ridge between the two Munros. We came across our return path that led off to the left and snaked back around the side of Beinn Ghlass. I think seeing this made things seem easier, knowing that instead of going back up and down the same way you went up, you could avoid a lot of it by going round the bypass path.
With another brief stop to take in an energy gel and we set off on our final push to the summit of Ben Lawyers. Still covered in mist and fog, we could at least still see our target in front of us.
What View?
Trekking from the split in the path to the summit of Ben Lawyers didn’t take as long as we had expected. The rain had stopped, but the cloud was rolling in and around us, leaving both us and dogs rather damp. However, my waterproof was working well, and about 20 metres from the summit we spotted a makeshift shelter that backed into the wind.
Once we summited and snapped the obligatory selfie, touched the trig point and enjoyed what little views there were, we headed back down and into the small stone shelter just off the summit. It felt good to be out of the wind and rain, even just briefly, so we took the opportunity to munch our sandwiches and share a beer each in celebration!
After we tidied up, we swiftly made our way back down towards the path that would take us round the side of Beinn Ghlass. I remember how cold I felt when I stood up from sitting, from not moving. (another timely reminder that you can’t start taking things for granted like you would at sea-level). Things can and will happen at a moment’s notice in the mountains, so it’s always best to be on your toes and and pay attention to what your body is telling you. Too warm? Take a layer off. Too cold? Put a layer on. I always try and start cold, as I know I’ll warm up, but you might like to stay warm and take a layer off to begin with.
Map and Compass!
What’s great about these mountains is that they all have their own distinct challenges and characters. Everyone has to adapt and overcome the challenges laid out in front of them. You need to have multiple layers, gloves, hats, even sun cream in order to survive. Goodness know what it must be like climbing Everest or anything higher than 5000m. I truly envy anyone with the will power and determination to climb in sub-zero conditions.
The return route was relatively straight forward and easy to follow, giving nice views of the Glen to the East, along with some impressively large boulders that must have fallen a millennia ago – but look like they could’ve fallen down yesterday!
The return leg always seems that bit longer, and today was no different. We appeared to get to the deer fence pretty quickly, but the path down to the car park seemed to take forever. We passed quite a few other hikers and a few fell runners, one couple in particular who had climbed Meall Corrainche by accident last weekend thinking it was Ben Lawyers, and were on their way to climb Ben Lawyers this time round! -Ooops! It’s at times like that I think about how lucky I was to be in The Boys Brigade as a kid and have gained the skills to use a mpa and compass. Nowadays, kids will rely on everything digital. In fact, it’s something I’m going to teach my son so he can navigate correctly in the wilds!
So although I didn’t feel total vindication for Ben Nevis, I definitely took a step in the right direction. I felt good, and could still walk about the day after. Was it time to take on an even bigger challenge? Matt chose this one and drove. Maybe I should choose the next one and drive? You know what? I think I might be starting to enjoy this!
