From Killin to Kilimanjaro
Last updated 21 Sep 2010 13:39
0 Comments
Alloa's Kenny Wilson has just completed training ahead of his trek up Africa's highest peak - Mount Kilimanjaro - for Asthma UK. His latest blog covers Meall Greigh, Meall Garbh, An Stuc the last of the Munroes he had still to climb around Killin.
So this is it... I have run the Glasgow 10k, climbed some 40+ Munroes in a year and spent a lot of money in the gym. So climbing the last of the Killin Munroes the day after trekking the South Shiel Ridge was going to be a challenge, not least getting out of bed to pick up the lads at 6.30am.
So the boys are picked up and Harry Stewart & Rab are in the car in front and we're off to Killin (via the Callander bakery) with the hopes of the clear skies we had witnessed the day before with Jimmy telling us that he had even packed his shorts, we all love an optimist!
We parked up in the bottom car park of the Lawers Hotel which allows walkers to use it as long as after you have finished your walk you call in for a beer (or like me a lovely bowl of soup and a hot chocolate) or pay £5. This is a lovely hotel that is very walker friendly and as I said before these small hotels depend on us walkers so please use them before we lose them.
From the hotel we turned right out the car park and headed down the hill towards the shop that sells carved deer antlers, don't try and park down here as I have heard they're not that walker friendly!
Turning at the shop and heading through the farm following the marked path we picked our way up through the forest and crossed a couple of styles where you reach a sign saying you're entering Ben Lawers National Nature reserve. Heading along the faint path till it bends to the left, a small cairn is found so take a compass bearing and head up Meall Greigh.
Don't try following a path up the face as there are so many sheep trails you will waste more time finding a path than walking on one. So Big Harry set the compass and we headed for the summit which by now was clagged in with a fine rain in the heavy wind that was battering us (I didn't see Jimmy getting his shorts on yet) after a couple of hours of hard slog we reached the summit. It was a case of take another bearing and head for Meall Garbh, which we reached by following a muddy path along moorland which hugs an old fence as you climb steeply to reach the next summit. Watch out as in bad visibility as we missed the summit and nearly walked past it.
I believe the views to An Stuc are amazing from here but it was still clagged in. Follow the path which drops down steeply and then climbs at some rate, at this point some fine scrabbling will be had as you make your way to the summit and this should be treated with respect.
Once we had summited the cloud started to break and the views up to Ben Lawyers were amazing which prompted 2 of the lads to crack on and bag another couple of tops - but not for me, after bagging 10 tops over two days I made my way down the steep gully down to the lochan hugging the path to the left at a small cairn and then back to where we started this long trek.
What can I say but thank you to all the people that have sponsored me and to people like Hamish & Jamie at the Advertiser, my old work place the Dunmar House Hotel and my friends and family who must be sick of hearing about Kilimanjaro? Just wait till I set the date for Mont Blanc.
Remember I will blog about my trip once I return on www.kennywilson.net
This letter appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 21 Sep 10
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our Opinion archives.
Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser Poll
What game do you think was crucial to the Wasps winning the title?
