We drove from Edinburgh through the Highlands to Fort William, which is the base for climbing Ben Nevis. In Gaelic ben means mountain, and Ben Nevis is the UK's highest mountain at 4,430 feet (give or take a few, I lost my elevation map). It's not the hardest mountain to climb in the UK, but it is very scenic and you don't need special equipment. Above is the view from our room.
This is a topographical map of Ben Nevis. The dotted line is the hiking path and the cream/white areas are above the plant line.
Above is me at the welcome center. This shop has weather reports predicting conditions at the summit. Our forecast was for rain at the base, and the summit had sleet mixed with snow, and 7 degrees C temperature. Sounds fun!!
Above is a lower section of trail. I love the scenery around Ben Nevis. All of Scotland is picturesqe, but the heather-clad hills and rugged peaks of the Highlands are the most beautiful to me.
Scott and I took 7 hours to climb the mountain last time, and we were determined to beat our score. However, as you can see by the above picture, the trail is not something you can hurry on. I get seriously hypoglycemic after extended extertion, so I had to stop quite a bit to eat trail mix. Kind of a bother, but better than passing out. I actually really enjoy challenging trails. It would be boring to just walk right up to the top. The trail is very steep as well. Most of the trail is strewn with boulders as you see it above, with some sections becoming so steep that stairs have been cut into the rock. The trail contains numerous switchbacks, and very little of it is flat ground.
Many waterfalls of snowmelt runoff find their way down the mountainside, and in places the water follows the hiking trail. Trail maintenance was working to divert one of these rivers off the path while we were hiking. The water was very high today due to the rain.
Above is a lake that can be reached halfway up the mountain. First timers always think they are at the top, until they round the bend to the lake and see a much bigger mountain behind the first. Then you realize you have a lot farther to go. I would say this lake is 2/3 the way up, taking about 1.5 hours to reach. That`s also the easy part, as the trail becomes less well groomed and much steeper after the lake. It rained on us quite a bit at the base, and then was dry until a little ways past the lake. Then the rain really started dumping and the wind picked up too. We were drenched in minutes.
Above is the trail maintenance. Seems even on a mountain you can`t escape road construction.
Another waterfall. Note that the path goes directly into the falls. Since the water was so high, you had to pick your way carefully across to avoid getting swept down the hill.
A few switchbacks after the waterfall, we hit the scree line. I`m sure there is a more technical term for it, but that`s what we call the point on a mountain where vegetation can no longer grow. The cloud line had engulfed us at this point as well, and we only found our way through the scree by way of tall cairns that had been set exactly for this purpose. You can see the shadow of the next cairn ahead of you and you just make your way to each as you see them.
Above I am wringing out my gloves. It was starting to get cold at this point as well, but the rain didn`t turn to snow.
And here we finally reach the top. You can see snow in the background, and it was very cold. The wind was very strong and it was hard to even talk up there. There are a few old buildings up there that used to be wayhouses for campers. Also on the top is a memorial to peace from hikers and various anti-war organizations.
This picture is on our way back down. We had almost hit the vegetation line again when the clouds started to clear. If you look through them you can see the loch (lake) below.
Some ravens or crows were riding the updrafts. it was neat to watch because they were hovering perfectly still.
A much clearer shot of the valley.
The valley again.
Some cute, fluffy sheep on the lower trails. The entire mountain is grazing for the local farmers. We only got about 30 minutes of sun to dry out before the rain and clouds returned, but the climb was still worth it. And we did beat our time, by 10 minutes. Hopefully we`ll be back soon to climb more of the nearby hills. They are called Munroes in Scotland if they are over a certain height, and climbing one is called "bagging a Munroe." I hope some of you will make it out to bag a few yourself, since the pictures really can`t do the sweeping vistas justice. You`ll just have to take my work for it that these are the best hills in the world for unmatchable scenic beauty and tranquility. - Anna
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