TGOC 2006 Day 4 (The unravelling part 1)

Just the ONE day here, as I am trying to drag this out a bot more now

In which we move forwards in a mainly easterly direction 🤔

Susanne Sundfør The Sound of War (Play IT)

  Day 04 Mon 17 - Fort Augustus to Stronelairg Lodge ( 24km 915m)

I seem to remember we set of slightly later than necessary.
It was a normal day, but there were meant to be storms later.
At this point the old track up Glen Doe was a total NO NO, due to major construction work on the reservoir, and unknown access rights, so I had decided that the best way would be to head up the road to Loch Tarff, and then take the track down towards the lochans, after which taking a bearing to pick up the river, and then track that in to pick up the what looked like a wide, but actually wasn't a wider track down to Stronelairg Lodge. 

The Lodge, now a boarded up ruin, but which once upon a time must have  been a magnificent Victorian Shooting Lodge, with I believe the only access being by boat via the Loch and the River Killin, although also I guess by horse and track too. Someone can correct me on this, as finding real information is quite hard. I believe it may now even have been demolished. 2006 was the last time I was here, maybe others know more. 

So, we'll come back to the lodge later, for now we headed up the road.
It was not too bad, apart from traffic, but a bit of a boring slog.

By the time we got to the track, and started to head down it, Nick was in need of a break, so we had a sit down to the right of the path, and I made a brew on my stove.
It was a heavy stove, as I still hadn't figured out light, apart from the MIGHTY Laser Comp.

Small falls on the way up

Looking back to Loch Tarff

Ready for some off-piste (quite a lot actually)

Nick climbing out of waterproofs (or maybe into), it was one of those days.

After a break, we headed to the lochans.

It was quite wet underfoot, and there was no longer any distinct path, so it was all geography and bearings.

Looking down to the Lochans

As we left the lochans, we began to move into HAGS.

Not small ones.

The ones that lure you in.

It was critical that we didn't get dragged off left, and maintained a reasonable bearing, because we had a way to go over iffy terrain, and left was some steep craggy ground with a valley and ending up the wrong way in Glen Brein would take us way way off course.

I do love the Monadhliath .

Well, I did before they industrialised it with monstrous Wind Factories 

(They are NOT ***ING FARMS)

As we headed across to the East of the 750m point by Lochan a Choire Ghlais, Nick was flagging a bit. I was OK with a 5 or 10 min stop, but he implied that he needed longer. At least 30 min. Now normally I would be fine with this, but we were quite high up now, a front was moving in, and with it a possible storm, but more importantly very poor visibility. Also we only only had one set of maps (Nick didn't really do maps, did I mention that), so I was not exactly happy.

I said if we toughed it out now until we picked up the river (about another 4½ km by my reckoning), we could have a longer break then. Also, we would have water then, or even the stream in about 1 km.

It was tough.

As it happens, about that time I saw some feint figures a bit SW on higher ground. I told Nick to wait and I would go and find them. Basically I needed some other people about to act as a distraction. I popped up, and told them, and we all met up. Nick got going (I guess with better company than me), and we all trudged the hard yards to pick up the river, and finally the track.

The weather had by now turned to fairly grotty, or as we like to call it SHITE.

I can't remember the names of the other two, but some fragment of memory says one of them was Steve Hall, and that they were (or some where) fishermen from Devises. Mind you, that's a 14 year old memory, so it could all be rubbish.

We dropped down now and finally got to the wider track that would take us to Stronelairg Lodge and then just over the 1st little bridge to a nice camp spot.

This was just near the exit bridge to Glen Markie, and about big enough for about 6 or 7 tents.

I can't remember if it was this night, or the following one, that Nick was saying his tent (my old tent) had a leak, and his sleeping bag was damp, and he couldn't sleep in it.

Anyway, whichever bloody night it was, we patched the hole near the apex.

I did say, he could sleep in my tent, and I'd sleep in the Saunders if it was that big an issue, including the damp bag, but he did sleep in it, so it must have been resolved, and it would dry out tomorrow anyway on the walk.

NOW, Pete and Trish 🤔🤷‍♂️😂

So this is the bit I can remember...

Pete and Trish arrived at some ungodly hour, having left Morag's somewhat later, been all over the place, and TRISH falling into a stream and getting soaked.

When they finally arrived, and got tent up, Pete, who as we know, even back then LOVED UL gadgetry, had an inflatable mat that apparently weighed in at about 3 nano-grams, and was inflated with a set of what for all intensive purposes where toy modeling balloons.

Pete should come along and add colour to this (although I seem to remember most of them were some brown colour), and explain the true essence and give a serious review of this mat, but it was at least amusing to watch nay listen. If it was just down to the noises, one could have been sceptical about what was going on, but I can testify to the fact, that this did actually exist, and was a thing.

Anyway, apart from the racket, it did keep us amused (meaning me).

My only other recollections, was that one of the fishermen lads (not Steve), ate an entire 1 pound bag of Jelly babies in his tent, and it did not make him feel the best in the middle of the night.

And wandering over to Stronelairg Lodge in the misty dusk.
To me, it was as spooky as spooky.
All I could think of when looking across to it's boarded windows and turrets,
was that hotel in THE SHINING, and that scene in the bathroom. 😱😱😱

OF COURSE, this may have all been some crazy dream 🤷‍♂️