Summit Camp #1

July marks my first year all clear, so I decided to do something a little different. I would camp on top of Ben Lomond. Unfortunately due to work commitments the lovely Jennie could not join me. So this led to a few unplanned purchases. Firstly I had to get myself a 1 man tent as we have a Vango Omega 250, which is a great tent but there was no way I was carrying that up the Munro by myself. So I decided on a nearly new OEX Phoxx 1 v2, I also needed a new sleeping bag so the OEX Phantom 300 was recommended to me by Jack (a work colleague) and I needed a rucksack to put all the gear in, I opted for the Vango Sherpa 60:70s. While I was in Go Outdoors a Peter Storm jacket was on sale… seemed like fate to me, so I picked that up as well !

I Packed for Adventure, put it all in the car and headed off to work. After a busy Friday I set off for Rowardennan and the Ben Lomond car park. It is a beautiful drive along the loch side, mostly single lane and lined with trees. When I got there, I luckily had some change for the parking meter which is £3 for the day, it resets at 12pm but I think as long as you have a ticket that is not 24hrs out of time then the attendants are ok with that, but do not take my word for that, I never got a fine anyway.

At 18:18 I pushed go on my Garmin 935 and started up the 974m assent of Ben Lomond. It was a sunny and warm evening with a light breeze and few clouds in the sky, the mountain forecast had promised a clear sky, so I brought my camera and tripod and my gopro. The previous evenings sky was spectacular with a huge deep orange moon, I was hoping for more of the same.

Now I have been out of the ‘keep fit’ game for a while as I injured my knee a few months back, so this was my first bit of real exertion. I got warm fast and my pulse was going some, but luckily I had the presence of mind to put my shorts on which helped keep me cool and gave the local clegs some thing to feast on. Most people who were coming down from the top who told me it was covered in cloud, but that did not deter me, I was also passed by a few runners, who I assume were doing the Ptarmigan Ridge route, because I never saw them again. Trail running is something I must get into at some point, when Jennie and I run in ‘Big Wood’ at Cathkin Braes I feel more alive and energised, so taking the next step and heading up the hills without a 20kg on my back is the way forward.

About 1/2 way up the wind picked up and was noticeably cooler, which was fine with me. The path was dry and my asics gave me good grip on the rocks and slabs. I must say considering how many people climb Ben Lomond, the path is in great condition, and with mountain biking the actual mountains becoming more of a usual thing, the people who maintain the paths do a wonderful job.

Now I was entering the mist I started to feel a bit tired and hungry, but some people on the way down said that there was not far to go spurred me on and put that spring back in my step and it was not long before I was almost there. Coming around the rock formation before the summit, I could see there was a couple of tents already there, which were braced against the now quite windy evening. I made the summit at 20:32 which made my journey up the 6.3km path in 2 hours and 14 minutes, not a bad effort I thought.

With the mist and wind starting to make me cold and damp I found a spot and started to pitch the tent. Having only put it up one time in the bedroom, it took me a little longer than it should have done. I got the mat and bag into the tent and shoved the rucksack under the fly sheet, well as much as I could, and climbed inside. It’s small and not a lot of space to move around, but I managed a quick change into dry clothes and zipped my shivering body inside the bag and passed into sleep quite quickly. After an hour or so I awoke warm and somewhat refreshed. I opened the tent to find the mist had cleared and the sun was going down, perfect timing.

I met my fellow campers (scotty_wild_outdoors) and we were treated to a wonderful sunset. The flowing clouds capturing the orange/pink light from the sunset were awe inspiring. The wind had not diminished at all, in fact it had probably increased but that did not detract from the sight, the moon put in an appearance as well, albeit not as spectacular as the night before but it was a pleasure to see it. I gave Jennie a call so she could share a little of the view. After wishing her goodnight it was time for me to jump into my bag and it was not long before I was sleeping, not even the gale outside could keep me awake. I popped my head out from time to time to see if there were any stars out, but all I got was mist, so next time I hope.

I was rudely awoken by an ‘oi oi’, so I opened the zip to see what the commotion was all about. There was a group of lads in orange work gear and the sky was starting to take on some colour. So thanks guys for the alarm call ! It appeared that another tent had joined us in the night. The sun rise was more beautiful that the set, not as windy and the light wispy clouds looked like spiders had been busy spinning their webs between the low lying peaks, ready to catch their breakfast. Another couple joined us for the rise, they must of set out about 3am to make it to the summit by 5am. But it was so worth the effort. It is at times like these you really appreciate life, witnessing the sunrise from a summit, is a special thing, the Universe is telling you to take life in your hands and enjoy every precious moment.

After the mornings revelations it was time for a cup of tea. I set up my little wood burner on the leeward side, boiled some water and had tea and avocado for breakfast. Don’t get me wrong, I love my little stove, however, it’s time to get a lightweight gas burner. My pot was a black sooty mess and it will take a lot of elbow grease to clean it off. Packing up the tent was easy, the wind had helped dry it off. There was no ingress of water during the night and it stood up well to the wind. Yes it’s small, but this is what I was after and I am very happy with it’s first outing.

As I said my farewells to my fellow campers, we noticed that one of the tents was unoccupied. On closer inspection we discovered that it had been left behind… Even on the top of a Munro you cannot escape the mindless pop up tent brigade. If I had thought the way up was a bit hard going, well coming down was doubly so. My thighs were burning and began feeling like jelly. But I could not show that to the people who were making their way up the hill of course. ‘Good morning’, ‘lovely day’ and ‘Oh, did you camp up there?’ came the enthusiastic voices as we passed on the trail. Approximately 30,000 people a year climb this mountain, and I think I passed at least 60 or more on my way down. To be fair it was a beautiful Saturday morning, and what better way to spend it?

I reached the car 1 hour and 52 minutes after setting off from the summit camp site with a feeling of renewal and satisfaction and determination to embrace life a little more than I did yesterday. A little bit of effort can give so many rewards. My first summit camp will not be my last, that is for sure. Where ever I am at this time of year, one thing is for certain, I will mark it by spending a night on top of the world.

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