Countdown to the Arran Mulanje Trigpoint Challenge

This Thursday I'm setting off on an epic challenge that I'm not sure I can complete!  I'm raising money for Arran Mountain Rescue and the MR team on Mount Mulanje, Malawi, by linking all of Arran's 23 pillar and bolt Trigpoints on foot, in a single unsupported push.  It's a pretty scary proposition, and I'm hoping to complete it in 4 days.  Realistically I'm expecting to run in to 5 so have allowed myself a bit of extra time.  This is helping me freak out slightly less than I would otherwise be about Thursday's forecast, which is not friendly at all...

Approximate route!

The reason why I'm doing this is straighforward.  Whilst in Malawi last year, I saw first hand the difficult conditions that the informal MR team, loosely attached to the Mulanje Guides and Porters Association, have to deal with. These local heroes work on the mountain, and work together to save the lives of tourists who need assistance in this remote area.  Their work goes further than trad MR teams in the UK however, because they also see it as part of their responsibility to support their community and any individuals in urgent need. They help the elderly, the disabled, and children who no longer have working adults to support them on a routine basis as well as at times of crisis. During last January's catastrophic floods that left 200,000 people homeless, they rescued hundreds of people from the floods whilst their own homes were destroyed. The team has no equipment, and very little formal training apart from their own rugged experience of working on the mountain.

Damaged homes and crops in Mulanje region, Jan 2015

Back home I'm a member of Arran MR Team.  In March 2013, we too found ourselves trying to help our community in the wake of a weather disaster- this time an epic snow event that buried half the island and left us without power for six days. My memories of how I felt when my community was in urgent need really brought home to me the tough job that the Mulanje guys do. We are far wealthier than the Mulanje team, but we live on a funding knife edge- supported mainly by charitable donations, with vital equipment needs and unpredictable pressures on our resources. I'm raising funds for both these teams so they can continue to help fellow mountaineers and mountain communities in times of need.

Arran MRT training in wintry conditions, Feb 2015

Preparation has been fairly minimalist, I have to admit.  I've a busy schedule, and have struggled to fit in any training or planning, so will be relying on local knowledge, a base level of fitness and a high pain threshold! I'm genuinely quite intimidated- when I look at the distance involved (over 120km) and the height gain (I've not added it up in case it puts me off completely), I am not entirely sure that I can do it. But that's the challenge, and it wouldn't be worthwhile without that little element of jeopardy!
If you agree- please show your support for Mountain Rescue volunteers and go to my fundraising page and make a donation.  http://www.gofundme.com/Arran_Trigs Thank you!

Arran Mountain festival: Holy Isle Visit

It's traditional for the day of the Goatfell Hill Race to be fairly wild and woolly.... which didn't bode well for the Arran Mountain Festival's annual visit to Holy Isle- which this year is on the same day as the race. Luckily, Russell and Elspeth from Ocean breeze Ribtours were on hand to replace the Holy Isle Ferry with their Rigid Inflateable Boat, giving us an fun and speedier than usual journey across the 1.3 miles of choppy sea. They are also both members of Arran COAST, and so were able to give our group of hardy walkers an insight in to work ongoing to protect Lamlash Bay and the South Arran MPA.

It's not possible to tell from this picture just how windy it was....

A happy if windswept group of island wanderers!

We were joined by a team from NCAS who took meaurements on the summit

Great views to the Goatfell Range in the north.

Fourth Wall, Cir Mhor

A lovely day today, and a day off for both of us so we headed in to Glen Rosa and had a look at Fourth Wall (Severe 4b) on the West Face of Cir Mhor. Wally led it in three pitches.  The first one takes the first couple of pitches of Souwester slabs.

The start to Fourth Wall and Souwester Slabs

The angle eases for the second pitch, and being classic Arran granite, there is lots of friction climbing to enjoy and rough flakes to grapple with.  After a full 60m rope length, Wally belayed beneath a menacing looking chimney. This is Variation A of Fourth Wall- the "chimney direct" and the most natural line for the route.  It's described on the web as being unprotectable, but in true Wally style he filled the bottom two thirds with good gear, although the final moves out of the chimney must have felt pretty heady and a long way above his last runner.

Wally at the base of the scary chimney.

It has swallowed him.

It is a scary looking chimney!

#4 Paragliding

Fly like a bird!  What a dream.  I've always wanted to know what it feels like to be that raven, swooping on the breeze- playing with the updrafts and teasing the earthbound creatures below.
Wally gave me a voucher for a funday with Flying Fever for my birthday.  Now I was one step closer to the dream.

The weather on Arran is beautiful just now, so a quick message to paraglinding school instructor Zabdi Keen last night, and the plan was made...

Zabdi Keen coaching my first faltering steps

We headed to Bennan Head in the Southend with Zabdi and her partner Maurice, and fellow student Malcolm.  There were gorgeous views out to sea, wall to wall sunshine, and a subtle breeze, but it was never going to be quite right for a tandem flight, so instead I got the chance to learn the lines, quite literally, with my own wing for the day. It was hard work, lots to learn, tons of safety chat, and just getting to grips with handling the paraglider on the ground and feeling it testing the wind.

Even in a light wind the thing has some power!

 These baby steps were great for me, I needed to be led, slowly and gently, towards a point where I felt ok about running helter skelter down the hill.  Finally I felt a lift, a small hop, skip and a bounce,  and my feet were scuttering over the tops of the reeds. I managed to scoot above the ground a couple of times, and it was good to learn that I could brake and pull the air out of the wing whenever I wanted.  I'm still a long way from feeling like a bird- it turns out that this is one step on a journey, not the destination, and I'm looking forward to finding my way.

Bigger steps, running down the hill, almost a moonwalk

Tickling the tops of the reeds.

Bright and beautiful Arran hills

The weather is simply wonderful.  Today I was working in the hills with clients Constança and her cousin Mariana. We enjoyed stunning views and lots of good conversation as we went.  Constança is a marine biologist who is leading a European citizen science project to help monitor litter in our seas and on our beaches, so there was  plenty of interesting stuff us to talk about!  Her team have developed an app for recording marine litter that will help lobby policy makers and big business to get them to clean up their act. Android users can download the app here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.litterwatch&hl=en

Our route took us up Glen Rosa and over Cir Mhor and Caisteal Abhail.  We lingered late and enjoyed the evening sunlight.  

Glen Rosa and Cir Mhor

Enjoying views out west to Ireland and Jura

Cir Mhor and Goatfell

On the summit of Caisteal Abhail

#1 and #3 plus some climbing.

Last week we headed south on a mission to catch up with friends, do some cycling, and for Wally to do his Cytech Level 2 Bike mechanic's assessment (he passed- well done Wally!).
We stopped off at Stanage for some climbing on our way to Cambridge to see my best mate from school.

Wally on Castle Crack HS 4B, Stanage Edge

Taffeta was my partner in crime when we were growing up, and I hadn't seen her in years.  She is also one half of the wonderful Scrimshaw's Guerilla Kitchen so I was fed very well during my stay.  Seeing both Taff and my other close pal Aileen (from my uni days) was number three on my list of 41 things for this year. Although years have passed, our friendships have endured, with some humungous gaps between visits, but once together, with either of these two lovely women, its as if time hasn't passed at all.  I won't leave it so long next time.

Myrtle the Turtle, where incredible asian street food is prepared.

 A couple of days later, Wally returned, beaming and happy,  from his Cytech assessment. We loaded our bikes and took the train to Kings Lynn. From here we rode off on a three day tour that took us through varied landscapes of fen, dune and woodland, giving the lie to the assumption that East Anglia is flat and boring. Following Sustrans routes, we wiggled our way across country, up hill (yes, hills) and down dale, and even found ourselves riding off road at times. The final day was brutal- with a strong headwind on the nose for most of the day.  We were relieved when we finally arrived back in Cambridge to a warm welcome and dinner with Taffeta and her lovely family.

Country lanes

Sunset at Wells next the Sea

Roughing it

Roadside nap

Some winter left on Goatfell

Wally and I headed up in to Coire Lan today to have a look at Stacach Gully. We didn't like the look of it unfortunately- we broke trail on the approach slopes through a layer of windslab over graupel, which poured down the mountainside as we released it from under the firm layer above.  A quick dig about, and we established that the endless hailstorms that have hammered Lamlash this week, have unsurprisingly dumped plenty in the hill too.

Stacach Gully is the dogleg gully in the middle of the picture

Plan B was a good option, we headed on to the NE slopes of Goatfell, where ice covered slabs sit in shade. We spent a happy time fossicking our way up through ribs and gullies, and eventually gained the ridge. It was strange to be wearing crampons and to see folk enjoying a sunny Easter day in shorts.  The short wearers are definitely a bit premature, although we didn't need the crampons on the ridge today.  The rock is bone dry and the snow mostly softening where exposed to the sun, but winter is still hanging on up high.