All Good Things...

It's been an outstanding Summer in Lochaber this year and I've enjoyed some fantastic days out over the last couple of weeks.

I had a superb day out with Joe and Ruth, working for Seren Ventures on Ben Nevis. We decided to go and explore some of the plateau and I had the chance to share some of what I'd learned during the North Face Survey. I took the guys to the top of no.4 and no.3 gully before heading onto the summit

Next up was another blue sky day with Jon and Dave from the USA. It was great to show Scotland at it's best to the two chaps and we had a smashing day out.

 I've guided clients of all different ages and abilities but Keith who'll be 78 years old in a couple of months really impressed and inspired me when we headed up the Ben. The mountain was very quiet (possibly due to a rather big referendum that coincided with our day out!) and Keith made superb progress and reached the summit in 3 hours 45min. I hope I'll still be managing that in my 70's! A truly outstanding effort and a memorable day for me.

I had 2 days booked with Sandra, Amanda, Fiona and Mark, with a day off for the team in between, With the forecast being quite changeable but things looking not too bad, we decided to head up the Ben via the CMD arete first. Our gamble paid off and we had some great views during the first part of our day.

 I was back up the CMD Arete the next day, as part of the Carpe Diem ("Seize the Day") Project that was launched at the Fort William Mountain Festival. The project was run through the Nevis Landscape Partnership. We met at Achintee for a quick photo shoot before myself,  Kev, Craig and our 3 energetic volunteers Edith, Brodie and David, headed up to Carn Mor Dearg and along the Arete. The aim was to clear the rubbish away from the summit of the Ben whilst enjoying one of the many spectacular routes to the top. Some of our litter finds were grim but it was nice to leave the mountain looking a good bit tidier than when we'd arrived

A small amount of the rubbish collected

 The following day, I was back out with Sandra and the team and we headed into Glen Nevis on an amazing early Autumn day. First up was Sgurr a Mhaim before we headed along the Devil's Ridge, across to Stob Ban before finishing up on Mullach nan Correan. A healthy 5 Munros in the bag over the two days for the team and two thoroughly enjoyable days out for me

 I enjoyed a few days off last week and the fanily headed to Skye for a short break. Mixed weather on our first day but I managed to enjoy a stunning sunrise when going for a run up to Ben Tianavaig, a great little hill that offers superb views for a fairly small amount of effort.

With the days getting a bit shorter now, my mind is definitely thinking about Winter. What an amazing Summer it's been, but all good things come to an end...