3B - GLEN SHEIL SOUTH
From Aonach air Crithe looking east to Druim Shionnach and Creag a' Mhaim. Photo Big-Gorse-Bush.blogsport.com
9.7 miles 1290 m
Start Sunday 21.05
Creag an Damh 21.25
Sgurr an Lochan 21.56
Sgurr an Doire Leathain 22.10
Maol Chinn-dearg (W top) 22.35
Aonach air Crithe 23.01
Druim Shionnach 23.27
Creag a' Mhaim 23.43
Finish 23.59
Squares: yellow - changeovers. Circles summits: green - this leg, purple - to do. Map Colin Matheson
Time: Estimated 2.55 Actual 2.54
Ross ran this leg (no personal report)
I was very alarmed to meet Ross and TonyWalne who was accompanying him, with no form of shelter just jogging on the spot to keep warm (Tony in shorts!) What were they intending to do if I had been late – We had pulled and hour and a half up on schedule since Ross had last known the position.
This was just one of a number of instances which was concerning me that some of the team members had not sussed out quite how everything worked. Craig's last minute arrival at his first changeover, and various questions I had been asked about the schedule were others.
When I got back to the mothership I wrote out a list of points to be read by all the team. In the event this list got buried, but the importance of sticking rigidly to the plan was learned naturally and very quickly. I was gratified by the number of people who expressed amazement that all they had to do was follow their instructions and it all fell into place. The need to take shelter into changeovers however was often learned the hard way.
Ross had told me that he did not like running alone, very late before the start of the relay as though he had never understood that that is what we were going to do. He was lucky to have company on his first leg which hit pretty poor weather in the gathering gloom of night.
He had secretly arranged with Graeme to change their changeover so as to reduce his walk out, I am not clear where to exactly, but it added to Graeme's navigational problems in the following leg.
Having good company and with the wet windy weather only winding up to what it was to become Ross mad the most of this undulating ridge run and seemed to really enjoy it.
He arrived back at the mothership buzzing and saw fit to wake me up, (not that I was finding it easy to sleep,) to tell me that he had made the schedule.
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