Ben Vrackie
David Kaye
1 November 2017
Brrrr! Shackleton thought Antarctica was nippy. He should have tried Ben Vrackie in November, the wimp.
It’s a personal choice whether this was the best Marauders Outing ever, but it was certainly the most challenging. The snow and ice turned a half day stroll into a near epic.
Following late withdrawals by a multiplicity of Jims, a strong Team of seven assembled at the Ben Vrackie car park at 10am. Mike, Russell, Fiona, Al and David were joined by Marauder newbies Jan and Graham. On the ascent Graham regaled us with the tale of how rats ate their under-floor heating system!
The early going, through the shelter of the trees, lulled us into a false sense of security. Reality soon dawned when we hit the man-made steps which had morphed into a skating rink. A variety of crampons, yaktraks, and similar unsuitable devices were nailed onto boots, although real men (plus Fiona) preferred to ride the mountain bareback.
The real work began when we hit the thigh deep soft snow. Jan was making a come back after a debilitating back injury and did really well to penetrate up to the steep finale where she and Graham beat a wise retreat. Al persevered until within sight of the summit cairn where, like all good Sherpas, he chose not to defile the summit and rejoined Jan and Graham.
The intrepid four (nutters) continued to the summit and dipped down a few meters for a quick lunch -
Lunch
We had a quick chat with a couple of brave Glasgow lassies who informed us that they thought they were “gonnae skite aff the mountain” – a very real possibility.
Half way down we met the other members of the party who had waited for us behind a convenient rock
Graham Jan and the Abominable Tory Man
Happily reassembled, we duly skited doon the treacherous steps
David and Mike aka Torvill and Dean
Once safely down we repaired to the Pitlochry Theatre where Fiona treated us to teas, coffees and naughty things.
Shackleton, Schmackleton!
Checking my diary for December I see that I have a grand total of no available dates due to holidays, Xmas and parties. If anyone feels like donning the heavy burden of organisation, please feel free.
Looking ahead, Friday 12th January is my proposed date for a stroll round a subset of Edinburgh’s seven hills. Please let me know if this is suitable.
Regards,
The Abominable Corbynista.