By Callum Chalmers
The entire day was perfect. Great weather, spectacular views every step of the way, great chat with the lads, sharing stories and advice and just enjoying the company all day long.
As this was my first ever wild camping adventure, I would be lying if I said I wasn't apprehensive. I felt excited by the prospect of wild camping but was daunted by the unknown. Not knowing how I'd sleep, if I'd manage to carry the weight of my kit, how the weather would be. However, having Aaron and Neil to share the experience with was a huge reassurance.
Knowing the guys had previous experience gave me some peace of mind and the whole camping experience ended up being perfect from start to finish. The camp mid-munro was incredible. Pitching the tents as the sun set and enjoying a hot chocolate whilst sharing a few laughs was great.
Setting Up My Tent Mid-Munro
The actual sleep was a challenge, despite there being perfect silence at our camp location. After a few hours of sleep, I awoke to the early morning glow of the sun beginning to rise. This sight was incredible and made the lack of sleep completely worth it. We all stared in awe as the view became clearer and even more incredible in the minutes it took for the light to light up the mountains.
On meeting Steven to begin the munros, it was a new rush of excitement. Knowing we were doing a double munro and knowing the weather was going to be on our side. Staring up the steep looking Ben More was slightly intimidating. The actually climb was challenging at times but a great climb with views from start to finish.
Reaching the summit was a great feeling of accomplishment. The views were outstanding and enjoying some time to take in the view with the guys was a massive high. Looking onto our second summit of Stob Binnein from Ben More made it look simple and like it could easily be climbed in not time... I was wrong. The descent down Ben More was further than it appeared but it provided a great opportunity for chatting with the guys. The Ascent up Stob Binnein was reasonably challenging but with the continuing changing landscape of incredible views, it was well worth it. The summit cairn was a welcome view, surrounded by spectacular views and accompanied with sound of silence.
The descent was hot and the walk felt long as the sun peaked in the sky, however, a cold dip in Loch Lubhair soon sorted us out. Swimming in the depth of the fresh water was amazing.
The entire day was perfect. Great weather, spectacular views every step of the way, great chat with the lads, sharing stories and advice and just enjoying the company all day long.
I can't wait to meet up for more munros and get to experience more wild camps in the future. I'd set a New Year's Resolution at the start of the year to climb 10 munros this year and these two were my final 2 to achieve my 10. I couldn't have asked for a better experience for them! Thanks again for organising Aaron and thanks to you all for the great company!!
For more information on Wild Camping in Scotland visit "Wild camping in Scotland: the essentials by Mountaineering Scotland."