A Brief Visit of Ben Nevis
Written by David Flinn
Ben Nevis has always been an attraction for me. Years of reading about Hammish McInnes and the other Scottish mountaineers and all their escapades on the crag called Ben. I was nearby, so I had to visit...
Ben Nevis reminds a lot of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire: a large peak out by itself, with ravines galore and a magnet for nasty weather and the winter climber's love for full conditions (wind, snow, cold). If you've never heard of Ben Nevis, you can get a great summary of the mountain from Wikipedia. I thought about giving a mountain overview, but you really can't beat the Wiki for any background. For those with a geography bent, one click and your'e there thanks to Google Maps.
I remember the morning there well. Finally the clouds were breaking up and the distant yellow thing normally refered to as the sun was making a showing. Things at the vistor's center was as you would expect: a human zoo. The folks at the desk said that it was not too late to dash to the summit, but at 11 AM, I was a skeptic. Still, in the summer, the herd path (really) seemed like a good solid slog, but not too hard. As I drove up the Upper Falls parking, the last of the tarmac, I looked North up, saw the col with the Allt Coire Eogbain (river) running through it, and started for the summit direct route!
I'm sure it would have turned into a good epic, with myself stuck admist some nasty headwalls as the fog rolled in, so I gave the crag a wave and galloped down the Allt back to the car. The Ben will have to wait for another day.
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