15 - BEN CHONZIE
Lawers range seen from Ben Chonzie. Ifor's run out drops down and over the pass at the right of the photo. Photo tms.nickbramhall.com
11.2 miles 750 metres
Start Friday 02.07
Ben Chonzie 03.10
Finish 04.21
Squares: green - start, red - finish. Circles summits: green - this leg. Map Colin Matheson
Time: Estimated 2.16 Actual 2.14
Ifor writes:
Drove with Steve to wait for Ross in car looking low on petrol – nothing open now. We spent some time working out if it would be possible for someone to fill it up in morning if it got that far.
Had a long wait for Ross, realised he had none of his clothes in the car for when he finished. After a long time Steve spotted his torch on the hill and said he would be about ten minutes, he was there in two. The drive was relatively slow with a small wet road and patchy fog. It was definitely dark as I set out for my first night section.
Within 100 metres my torch failed, luckily I had a spare. I thought of running back to the car but it was already gone. Got lost in the first farmyard. Decided that a handtorch was really not up to the job I was really struggling to see to run on a track and sometimes going off to one side or another. When running at night I am used to a lot better illumination and definitely go faster for it. If I was to do this again I would bring my big heavy orienteering torch that takes 6 U2 batteries, it would probably just last the night.
After the track split it got windier and started to rain hard. I followed the track a good way up and then cut across the stream and up through the heather into the fog it seemed to take a longer time to reach the ridge than I had been led to expect. I was very glad of the fence along the top although it is ruined and I kept tripping over the wire with only about 10m visibility it made life very simple.
At the top the fence turned to go as near as damn it in my direction so I kept on following it until I came out of the fog there was just enough light to see I was only 200m left of where I wanted to be. The next 800m across the col was awful with lots of peat hags that I just couldn't see a way around.
I failed to find the diagonal path down to Dunan even though the light was now getting a lot better. The run down the road was really hard, my legs were really starting to feel totally done in but there was no point eating with such a small distance to go.
Steve saw me coming in the car and I think was on the move before I got in! After Steve got out and started I drove to the mothership with Ross going in and out of sleep in a sleeping bag on the passenger seat.
Peaks done 101 Hours elapsed 117 Peaks to do 176
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