Scotland - Day 9

Today was the day I would climb my first mountain that could claim it is the tallest within its nation’s borders. Now in the grand scheme of things, Ben Nevis is not all that tall, but it’s certainly not an easy hike. In preparation, I stuffed my bag full of warm clothes and other handy things, including my headlamp, just in case. I even emailed my plan and contact info to Nikki in the event I didn’t turn up that evening.

The hike started off quite rainy, and I covered myself head to foot in rain gear. If this whole hiked was going to be in the rain, it was not going to be a very enjoyable adventure, but I was determined to make my ascent – it was my only day for an attempt. Luckily, only 15 minutes into the hike, the rain subsided and the sun itself (seen only rarely in Scotland it seems) made an appearance. I was more than happy to take off my rain gear, as the trail was becoming steeper and I was getting hotter – “breathable” rainproof gear is only mildly effective in my opinion.

I made good time up Ben Nevis, reaching the summit right around 3 hours, including a few stops for photos along the way. Even though the last hour had been in a damp cloud, I was so hot from the effort of ever-ascending that I was down to a t-shirt. But as soon as I stopped moving, I realized how cold it had become, and quickly stripped off my damp t-shirt and put on all of my other clothing to try to stay warm.

Looking back at a mountain loch halfway to the summit of Ben Nevis

The cloud line was clearly defined

At the top, it was very foggy and crowded.  It was a strange scene.  I had to wait  in line for a summit picture.

The summit of Ben Nevis - a eerie and crowded spot

Climb the tallest mountain in a country - CHECK!