A couple Sundays ago I had trouble going back to sleep after the 4:00 AM sunshine woke me, so I packed a backpack with snacks and water and drove a couple hours north to Fort William and the base of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the United Kingdom at 4,406 feet. Time to bag another munro.
Without much gear or a climbing partner, I decided to take the well-defined Pony Track to the top.
East end of Glen Nevis, as seen from the trail that first winds up the flank of Meall an t-suidhe
Southwesterly view toward Loch Linnhe
The path becomes less defined in the rocky moonscape approaching the summit. The connection of Loch Eil and Loch Linnhe at the town of Fort William can be seen in this westward view.
One peculiar aspect I found about the climb was that the summit was never in view during the ascent, even when the weather was clear. Somewhere near the top, a dense fog rolled in - and combined with snow covering the faint trail - it was apparent how quickly one could get disoriented and lost. Here the ghostly images of the summit cairn and shelter marked my arrival to the top.
Summit shelter with the ruins of the former observatory from the late 1800's visible on the right.
The view from the summit was obscured by clouds, but I was able to enjoy intermittent views of the surrounding lochs and mountains. Considering that the peak is usually completely socked in by cloud cover, I think I was lucky to escape the rain and see some of the countryside.
Without much gear or a climbing partner, I decided to take the well-defined Pony Track to the top.
East end of Glen Nevis, as seen from the trail that first winds up the flank of Meall an t-suidhe
Southwesterly view toward Loch Linnhe
The path becomes less defined in the rocky moonscape approaching the summit. The connection of Loch Eil and Loch Linnhe at the town of Fort William can be seen in this westward view.
One peculiar aspect I found about the climb was that the summit was never in view during the ascent, even when the weather was clear. Somewhere near the top, a dense fog rolled in - and combined with snow covering the faint trail - it was apparent how quickly one could get disoriented and lost. Here the ghostly images of the summit cairn and shelter marked my arrival to the top.
Summit shelter with the ruins of the former observatory from the late 1800's visible on the right.
The view from the summit was obscured by clouds, but I was able to enjoy intermittent views of the surrounding lochs and mountains. Considering that the peak is usually completely socked in by cloud cover, I think I was lucky to escape the rain and see some of the countryside.
1 comment:
Does the sun really rise at 4:00 am?! Looks like you took advantage of the day without wastefully "burning daylight." I enjoyed the picturesque views from a mountain I quite possibly will never climb.
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