The big picture

It seems somewhat frivolous talking about the last 3 days when looking at the bigger picture.

I have been watching and reading about the situation in Nepal with a heavy heart.  It upsets me when Nepal is called a poor country - in the 20 years I have been travelling there, it is anything but poor.  The environment is rich, the culture is rich and the people that live there are rich with smiles, with laughter and friendship.  So, when you see the environment get ripped apart; the culture being destroyed and the smiles, laugher and friendship disappearing, it is only then that I will agree by saying that Nepal is poor.

Dave Hahn has just published this on the Mount Rainier Mountaineering website.  I challenge anybody to smile after reading it.

Please read this if you are thinking about donating.

Spring has certainly sprung

It's hard to think that it's still April - any climb for me at this stage is a climb in the bag.

The only thing about climbing 3 afternoons in a row is that my feet have had a very rude awakening to rock shoes and my fingers are smarting.  The joys or early season climbing when you don't have time to train over the winter.

Please be aware of the restriction at Moy at the moment.

Light is right

For the past 7 months my rucksack has been heavily ladened with winter kit.

This weekend, I put on the lightweight shoes, a light rucksack and complained that it was too hot.

Over the 2 days, Heather & Di trained about 24 peeps about how not to get lost in the hills as part of the MCofS's ongoing training programme.  Honestly, we did :)

Clocking up the miles

Not quite sure where to start.  Somebody once said that you always make time for the things that you enjoy doing so I really don't have any excuse for not posting recently.  However, in defence ....

The Scottish winter season proper finished with the postponed last Skimo Scotland race of the season.    It would normally take me a few days to get things tidied up, but with time already eating into the (very) quick Alpine hit, everything was done a mach 5 speed.  Yup, probably a few things slipped through the net but hey ho :)

© Mr Drew Photography

So, in 11 days we:

• drove 2700 miles

• skinned over 5000m ascent

• descended over 5000m + the rest

• spent one day in a very confused state trying to figure out where we actually were (if you have ever used Italian maps you will completely relate to this)

• and didn't have time for one stick-you-spoon-upright-hot-chocolate stop.

And that was that.  I would write more but with over 200 emails in the inbox, I am once again playing catch up.

Another bluebird day on the West

Considering that it is 2nd April, there is still loads of snow to be found.  You just need to know where to look.

And that was that ...

"April comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb".

Plan A involved some steep, exposed terrain - well that wasn't going to happen today.

Plan B involved another big hill day - well that also wasn't going to happen today.

Plan C involved buying a new map (could have got away with my sheet 36 but would have felt a bit of a plum calling the cavalry out to somebody who had walked off the edge) and bagging a corbett.

For the past 2 days Divyesh has pretty much followed me around the hills.  Conversation has been slightly lacking (yup, hard to believe I know) due to the mingness.  

Over the last 2 days we've walked nearly 30 km and a wee bit of ascent and descent.  We've seen 2 people in the hills, lots of grouse and some gorgeous mountain hares.

And that was that, I'm pretty gutted to finish my winter work this season - it really has been the season that keeps giving.  Ok, I'm sure that there will be some excellent spring adventures on the Ben but in terms of winter, that's me hanging up my goggles.

Yeh right, have you seen how much snow there is?  You must be having a laugh if you thought for one minute my winter was over.  Whoopdy whoop!  Roll on tomorrow #blackcrows