I hadn’t done anything since the Lairig Ghru race and with
10 days of rest, relaxation and over-eating, I was ready to get back into the
hills. An opportunity arose to grab a quickie on the way back from Dundee and
once again, I cast my eye over hills towards Balquihidder – anywhere which
allows me to partake at Mhor84 always ranks high. I decided on the Graham just
North of Lochearnhead. Meall Buidhe is a relatively easy sojourn, as the track
starts at the high point of Glen Ogle. However, it was a hot day with
temperatures of 24 degree Centigrade. I went light with only my running sac and
even got into my shorts. Lotion in the basket added, hydration sorted and I
propelled myself up the zig-zagged land rover track.
After 5 minutes, I felt uber-fit and started to run the
flats and even the uphill gradients. Within 30 minutes, I was at the aerial and
its white unit imploring ‘please paint me green’. From here, it was a romp
across the heather and I was at the summit within 45 minutes of leaving the
car. The views from this summit area are exquisite; South sees Ben Vorlich/Stuc
a Chroin and Glen Ample; East, you can make out the other Graham, Creag Each,
North are the Lawers hills and to the West, Stob Binnein and Ben More were still
covered in snow on the Eastern corries. The only downpoint was the horde of
flies, which were voraciously whizzing around my heid.
I decided to pop over and grab the Graham Top, which was an
easy up and down, largely because the path was pretty good and I was running to
escape said chitinous brutes. From here, I bombed off the summit and ran the
rest of the way down to the car. I am incredibly fit at the moment and the
opportunities to multiple-bag over the next few weeks will hopefully see me add
to my Munro and Corbett tally before the hopeful arrival of foetus 1 on January
3rd. I was back at the car in 1 hour 30.
