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Weather/Conditions: Walked
above the clouds; base at 200m, top at 300m. Beautiful clear skies
above, but as we walked towards the Cobbler itself, a cloud cap appeared
on the summit, and I reached the top in fog. Summit cloud dissipated on
descent, and cleared as we left.
Distance/Ascent/Time: 9.4km / 900m / 5h 25m
Accompanying: Dad |
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Including the
occasions I haven't climbed the summit pinnacle, this was my tenth time
on The Cobbler. I should start by saying that I've been on the top of
the pinnacle a pitiful once. I've not gone up the final bit either out
of being alone, the rock being wet, the winds too high or a combination
of either. I'd held off climbing The Cobbler a tenth time for so long
not only because I'd moved onto walking in other areas of the Highlands,
but because I wanted to involve the summit pinnacle on a 10th time on
the mountain. Sometimes things transpire not to be the way you intended
and on this trip I reached the summit alone, in the mist. It wasn't
exactly what I'd hoped for, but as a whole it was a very positive trip
and I enjoyed being in the hills again with dad.
Ascent
Cloud inversions had been forecast and even from dreary Arrochar, there
were hints of beautiful sunshine above about 300m. We followed the
winding track up the mountainside and were soon in mist. Then we were
out the top of it, and had incredible views across the top of the clouds
but of course towards The Cobbler, which was sitting in perfectly clear
skies. We then followed the path upwards as a couple of wisps of cloud
formed over the summit. The wisps thickened until the summit region was
completely invisible.
That was a letdown. But we walked past the Narnain boulders (stopped for
a rest here) and to the foot of the final 400m to the summit. I didn't
let the less-than-perfect weather disappoint me too much (you take what
you get) but I'd hoped that it could maybe clear by the time we were up
there.
Something I didn't anticipate was that I found I missed these hills.
Excluding one dreary day on Beinn Narnain, I hadn't been in this area in
nearly two years. When I started to come here when I was younger, I
hadn't seen Scotland much and although very familiar with these hills,
they were all I really knew. In the time separating those days and the
here and now, I'd been around a bit more and experienced the Arrochar
Alps in context with the rest of the Highlands. I forgot how well I knew
The Cobbler and Beinn Narnain and missed being here. Dad summed it up
well when I suggested I was being nostalgic for the days when the hills
were a mystery. Perhaps this is so, although on this walk I found myself
simultaneously being extremely familiar with the hills yet not quite
knowing them.
Shit, I'm beginning to sound old.
A few hundred feet from the summit and in the cloud, dad decided not to go
on. On the steep path, he risked pulling leg muscles which was not the
preferable option up here. We pondered over what I should do, and decided that dad would
wait for me to nip up to the top then meet back. I headed onwards to the
bealach between the main summit and north peak, then onwards to the top.
I pushed hard at the last stretch, crossing snow fields all the way to
the pinnacle. I should have expected it, but I hadn't: although most of
the snow had melted the remaining patches were frozen hard like ice. So
on the descent, I had reason enough to take the axe out, for
'insurance'.
At the pinnacle, I took a few of photos in the mist, went up to the
hole leading through to the ledge on the pinnacle but went no further.
I wouldn't go alone and not when I had to meet dad. I wasn't going to
mess around to gain the last ten feet. I didn't climb the pinnacle this
time around, but there's always the future.
Descent
Ten minutes short of the allocated time of half an hour, I got back to dad. We turned around and descended, then talk about sods law: the
cloud thinned out as we descended and soon enough, the final strands
were being blown off and The Cobbler was clear again! There's always the
future, as I tell myself...
We took our time on the descent and I wasn't rushed at all, just happy
to be on these hills on this sunny evening. I looked up at Beinn Narnain
a lot, vowing to come back and climb it again. I felt I hadn't seen
enough of these hills and wanted to come back to see them in a new
perspective, to grow even more familiar with them and tread on old
ground. Some people I know hate the Arrochar Alps. I don't know why, but
I just love them. I'm fascinated by their extreme ruggedness (something
I didn't realise so profoundly before) yet ease of access from Glasgow.
They're popular, but wild as anything too.
Dad and I walked down the final zigzags to the car park. The low cloud
we'd come out the top of on the ascent was long gone, and the sun shone
across the hillsides and forests around Arrochar. I hadn't been here in
a long time and one feeling dominated: You have to come back here.
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