Wow I really never get around to writing this blog do I?
So this is the second installment of my trip to the North West Highlands in high summer... My objective was The Ben and I was planning to head up The Ledge Route. I had spent the prior evening deliberating over guidebooks and as much different information as I could find online.
I was pretty apprehensive about this one to be honest. I was to make my decision on the exact route once I reached the CIC hut; either the direct approach starting at the bottom of no. 5 gully, with more difficult wet slabs to cross, or the easier Moonlight Buttress approach which was meant to be more difficult to navigate. The following website was the best resource I could find and I saved screenshots of various sections on my phone... https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Ledge_Route_and_the_Carn_Mor_Dearg_Arete_(Ben_Nevis)
I parked in the North Face Car Park and kitted up in a swarm of midge whilst wearing a headnet and drowning myself in Smidge.
I briskly made my way up and soon enough the midge became a thing of the past as I progressed past Intake Eleven onto more open ground with better air flow.
The path up to the CIC hut is steady and flew by, and the cliffs of the Ben dominated the horizon increasingly as I approached.
A blanket of cloud arrived by the time I reached the CIC hut and it felt chilly. It was a a surreal place really, a group were using the hut; folks stood chatting on the patio with mugs of coffee and a bloke came out in his pajamas to wash himself in the icy water that gushed forcefully from a pipe that vanished off up into the cliffs. A wind generator beated rhythmically above. I had a bite to eat, collected water and layered up, all the while looking up at the North Face and feeling pretty intimidated by the scale of it, and the troubles and even deaths that have occurred here.
I watched as a figure descended from the bottom of no. 5 Gully and eventually reached the hut. I thought either he was a climber using the route for descent, or he had turned back for some frightful reason. I was fairly relieved to see he had a few slings around him and a DMM cap, and a quick chat confirmed he had ascended Castle Ridge. He suggested it was great fun but it's above my grade.
I decided on the moonlight buttress approach. From the hut I could get a clear enough idea of where I needed to head, and as it turned out there was a mostly visible but fairly steep trod leading up toward Coire na Ciste. Which was stunning...
looking North the route of the path and ridge-line are visible on the centre and upper left
looking back to Coire na Ciste, with the lochan in the centre
the traverse across to the top of Lower Moonlight Buttress and across no.5 Gully is exciting but straightforward
a wider view of Coire na Ciste from the top of Lower Moonlight Buttress
looking down from Moonlight Buttress at a section of the direct approach to the ledge route
a close up of the slabs that make the crux of the direct approach route
Once I had reached Coire na Ciste, the views started to really open up, and I savoured every moment of being in this amazing environment. Coire na Ciste looks like a top spot to camp (in good weather and assuming you can pitch somewhere where rockfall isn't a concern...) It gave a good vantage to assess the crux of the harder direct approach route. The slabs were wet, and their situation with the shear drop to the right looked very intimidating from this angle. This being said I'm willing to give that route a go next time as it looks quite spectacular.
the famous twisted tower marks the start of the Ledge Route proper
how this thing is standing or safe to walk under I'm unsure...
Corie na Ciste. I believe the bounding ridge on the left is Tower Ridge
The vibes changed completely, on the ridgeline there was a cooler breeze and whilst it's not a knife-edge like Crib Goch, it is airy and in a magnificent setting. The views kept getting more spectacular as height was gained. Soon enough I reached a sharpening edge atop a vertical wall with an increasing drop to the left. I had to descend off this to my right at the end which was quite thrilling what with the exposure, for me this was the most technical section of the day.
the narrow ridge atop the wall and the little descent section
looking back down the ridge and over to Carn Mor Dearg
I became increasingly apprehensive about this summit cloud...
I took my time and thoroughly enjoyed the scramble up The Ledge Route, which for the most part was steady and straightforward. I topped out to magnificent views and enjoyed the steadier gradients as I bimbled around to the tourist / pony track, where the mood changed from 'alone' to 'surrounded by paradise'. Victory was in the air at the summit, which as I arrived was just clear of the cloud at least in a couple of directions.
the top of no. 5 Gully
Ben Nevis Summit
on top of the UK and inches below the clouds...
I felt quite slow going up the last stretch up to the summit. Effective oxygen at 4k ft is 17.9% compared to 20.9% at sea level, so whilst it's not the Himalaya and oxygen canisters are not necessary, I'm sure everything feels different up there. I spent a while relaxing on the summit, exploring and taking in the sights and having a bite to eat.
Soon enough I started the long descent. Given that the previous day had been a big one I had made the management decision to head back down the pony track as opposed to carrying on round the CMD arete.
The trip down the tourist / pony track contrasted directly with the
lonely, peaceful and technical route of ascent. There was a steady flow
of people going both directions, speaking all sorts of different
languages. The path was a bit rough in places and the zig-zags felt
interminable but soon enough I was peeling off towards Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe (or "Halfway Lochan" although it's not exactly halfway at c.570m) and away from the throngs again.
I took the wiggly path on the left which gives better views before rejoining the main drag
looking out Northwest over Glen Nevis
A good path peels off from the tourist track and heads out to the East end of the "Halfway Lochan" and it's outflow, which
built in me a false sense of security that it might be plain sailing
from here. What followed was a hot and bothersome bog trot. If there is
a path then I struggled to find it at the top end, towards the bottom
section I wound up on more of a throughfare but it was't any great
improvement as the ground was slippery and waterlogged underfoot.
Intake Eleven
After getting a bit hot and bothered with the conditions underfoot, I was grateful to reach Intake Eleven and the bridge just downstream where I rejoined the good path and retraced my route of ascent back down to the car, stopping to give directions to a family who had rented bicycles and become hopelessly lost in the woods.
I had a nice chat with a fella who had been up CMD, and we collectively pondered the wisdom of a mad lady who seemed to think she could get up and down in under 2 hours.
All that is left to do is come back in Winter Conditions for the CMD arete, if not the Ledge Route...
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