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 you’re there thanks to Google Maps.

I remember the morning there well. Finally the clouds were breaking up and the distant yellow thing normally referred to as the sun was making a showing.  Things at the visitor’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 amidst some nasty head walls 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.