This was to be my first Munro bagging day, and what a day it was too. With ten people in our group and a long day combined with blizzard and severe gales high up, we certainly did well to achieve that. I was out on a failed attempt last November on Ben Vane and had subsequently did some improvements to my equipment. I had snow goggles and the very warm Montane combined with new mitts. They made the day more comfortable though I didn’t have a waterproof relying on the said basis that my Montane will keep me warm even in the wet.

The day started from Glen Lochy as we walked along the railway track to the path going up a break in the forest. We soon reached the snow line and the hike leader Alex Hobson led us up a steep finger of snow. The summit ridge was reached and we walked into a white out in storm force winds. This was the scariest part of the day as I had never been in such conditions before. However on going back the wind eased on the way up to Ben Lui, we had no views at all that day and lunch on the bealach to Ben Oss was a cold affair in the sleet.

The wind though picked up again on the Ben Oss summit where we found a mountain rescue group practising their navigation. I was feeling tired and parched on the way up to the last summit and the walk out proved to be wet and tedious.

The weather that day was better, many people in the club didn’t bother walking and my desired choice of Ben More and Stob Binnien was given the thumbs down. I climbed Beinn Chabhar with almost the same people as last time. We started at Inveranan and walked up beside the very impressive Ben Glas waterfalls. I felt knackered after yesterday so I wasn’t as fast, my boots leaked on every patch of snow but the views were great from the top. The view down Loch Long was very far reaching. The walk was reversed from the summit and we spent the rest of the afternoon in the pub before going home in the most cramped minibus I’ve ever been in.