Mountain Leader Assessment Success!!!

Monday 24 to Friday 28 October - what a week! Had my Summer ML with MLTS thro Abacus Mountaineering and Kenny Grant MIC (Point Five Mountaineering) around the Fort William area, and what a week. Day one had us doing 1.50 nav on Meall Bhanabhie, and what a task - featureless horrid terrain which does not hep confidence. A bit of emergency carry and stream crossing saw day 1 close with a dip in confidence after a poor days nav :(

The next day saw us on Meall Cumhainn for steep ground and emergency rope work which went well after good prep work with Mark, helping with confidence for the approaching 3 day Expedition. Home for food and a shower at Kimber's place and packing the sack for the exped saw me take over the kitchen, but got everything in to my excellent Osprey 45l bag ready for the days ahead looking positively iffy (not like the coffee!)

We headed for Garven to the south of Loch Shiel and headed into the hills. To be honest, I was nervous and wondered if I had the skills but some early successes proved I had the skills and gave renewed confidence to make the right choices. Things remained good throughout the day with one or two moments of 'OMG' but generally things were solid and my legs were sound. The crux for me was an excellent night nav session with Kenny finding all the points on the way and having confidence to say we were definitely at various points despite others apprehensions - this session really clinched things for me and the following day with Mike was good with some sound nav and minor mistakes (made by all tbh) were within scope of award, although the penultimate leg left me wondering if I'd blown it as I missed the fact we didn't hit the top on Ewan's leg...although I think we all missed it. We strode down the path back to the car having a good chat and got back to base for the big decision. Sadly, one of the guys deferred on nav but the other 5 got the tick, much to my relief and immense personal satisfaction :) After a bit of chat with Mike and Kenny, I headed off elated to Ellis Brigham for a reward of some window shopping, although it was hard not to buy some Haglofs or ArcTeryx gear..... Low points of the week were the first day's nav and my compass reversing polarity on the morning of the exped...high points were the night nav, security on steep ground and getting the pass. I can safely say it is a hard earned and much respected award - by me now anyway, and others I have spoken to - requiring a great deal of prep work and damn good nav skills. I was fair chuffed to get the award and sang merrily to myself on the way down in the car, to my dear wife's open arms for a well earned well done. Now that's out he way, seems winter ML is next on the agenda...aaargh?!?!? Big thanks to Mike and Kenny and Mike @ Abacus Mountain Guiding for the pics...hope you don't mind Mike??