A Day of Firsts on Ben Narnain and The Cobbler

This was Rachel's first attempt at climbing two hills in one day, as our goal for today was to climb Ben Narnain, followed by The Cobbler. In fact today was a day of many firsts for Rach, so read on and you'll find out.

The weather forecast had seemed optimistic when I looked at the long-range prediction on Tuesday (cool and clear), but as I've found from bitter experience, long range forecasts are not to be trusted and they are prone to change on a daily basis. The actual weather today was overcast, calm and cool, with the wind a wee bit wilder nearer the summit of Narnain.

Rach with walking poles for the first time

Today, Dad was road testing his new Black Diamond walking poles and Rach used poles for the first time, namely Dad's old ones. This proved to be a positive experience for both father and daughter, as Dad really appreciated having good foam grips that don't get soaked in sweat and Daughter agreed that poles really do ease the shock load on your knees, as well as providing a good upper-body workout and giving good balance on uneven terrain (my words, not hers...she'll agree in the fulness of time). The one negative is that there are steeper sections on many hills, including a couple on Ben Narnain that require a more hands-on approach, and for this, poles need to be temporarily dispensed with.

Look nae poles!

Another first: Rach spotted her first ptarmigan today (before dad could)- on Ben Narnain, not on the so called Ptarmigan Ridge of Ben Lomond last time out. This wee black and white bird blends beautifully with its surroundings and it was a while before I managed to pick it out, so effective was its summer camouflage. In winter, it becomes totally white except for its tail and eye patch, which remain black. This sighting was a good sign that we were gaining significant height, as these partridge-sized birds rarely frequent the lower slopes, often they can only be seen above 2,000 feet, so at this point we knew we were fairly close to the top.

Can't take the credit for this excellent pic. thanks google images

And so, we gained the summit, after an adventurous wee section known as the Spearhead, where rock slope failure had caused a significant collapse near the summit, evidenced by some massive rocks which had obviously toppled downwards, littering the hillside with some impressive debris.

Rach approaching the Spearhead

Another first today for Rach was taking a compass bearing for real on the cloud covered summit of Ben Narnain, as we aimed for the Bealach a'Mhaim before tackling the Cobbler. We'd run through the process in the comfort of our living room back home, but there's nothing quite like testing it for real, especially when the clag's doon (poor visibility/low cloud, for my American friends). But first things first and we managed to get a fellow mountaineer to take a summit pic, as opposed to the usual selfie.

Munro number 3, Rach. Only 279 to go!

After negotiating the summit plateau and the western flank of the mountain, whilst walking on a bearing, we headed for the Cobbler. As this was to be our first attempt at two mountains in one day, I decided to give Rach a get-out clause, suggesting that maybe the Cobbler could wait until a clearer day. However, the bold Rach would have none of it and was determined to bag another summit. It wasn't until we were half way up the Cobbler, I realised that she thought this hill was also a Munro. So that's why she had jet heels! Sorry to disappoint you, Rach.

The Cobbler has three tops, of which the rocky promontory in the middle is the true summit. However, an airy scramble is required to "go through the eye of the needle" before attaining the exposed plinth of the summit. Now, I've taken a fair few folk up the Cobbler in the past, including groups of young people as part of my job. And although I've personally been to the top a few times, guiding someone there safely would require the use of a rope - for my peace of mind, more than the intrepid climbers'. All the way up the back end of the hill, Rach begged me to let her go for it - until she actually saw it first hand, and beat a hasty retreat, phew!!!

The summit

Dad- looking uncharacteristically cheery

Instead we decided to tackle the north top, which has a cracking overhang, barely visible through the cloud from below. So, on we bashed, to the beat of our rumbling bellies, till we hit our concluding top of the day, and it was on this airy spot we tucked into our packed lunches, thankful that the rain was     staying away for a change. Once the sandwiches were scoffed, we headed back down to the bealach and made our way down the familiar track, via the Narnain Boulders, back to Succoth and the comforts of the car. Oh, and Rach managed a final first today, at the Narnain Boulders. It was a somewhat private moment, interupted briefly by two passing walkers. But I'll leave that up to her to tell you, next time you speak to her.

The overhang