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| 19th December 2008 - Blackrock Cottage, Glen Coe And so to the traditional last meet of the year, Blackrock. An escape from the Christmas queues, talk of the credit crunch, excessive Christmas decorations and real-life in general. This year, the Met Office had published a very extreme weather warning, forecasting 80mph gales for Friday night. It certainly was very windy indeed on the drive up, and the wind was screaming at the hut. Undeterred, Terry had tried to put his tent up single handed in the gale, with limited success. He was advised to stop all that nonsense by more seasoned members, and to grab a bed in the hut instead. Reluctantly (?), he took their advice, and stepped into the luxurious interior. Other folks arrived in dribs and drabs throughout the evening. Luckily, with more than a few put off by the weather forecast, there were beds for everyone. Except Gav, who had to sleep in his car. That'll teach him to be in Chamonix when the beds are handed out. Drink & chat whiled away a pleasant evening. Saturday dawned windy & rainy, but improving. By the time folks had finished their breakfast, the rain was off, and blue sky was visible. It was a "nice day". So people went "out on the hill". Terry (after a good night's sleep), Chris, Gordon & Ken headed down Glen Etive to climb Stob na Broige, the Munro at the far end of the Boockle ridge. Low down, this was very soggy, the streams were raging torrents. However, the temperature dropped as they climbed, and they topped out onto the ridge via a nice snow filled gully. Even the knee high "cornice" didn't deter them. They got to the summit, and enjoyed a panoramic view. Kevin & Adrian did the Garbh Bheinn next to Kinlochleven. Having arranged to meet Gav & Ally in the Clachaig, after they had done the Aonach Eagach. All this mountaineering was spoilt somewhat by Colin, Rab & Dan doing Hangover Hill on a Saturday. Without a hangover. An outing which veers dangerously close to rambling. This sort of thing is to be discouraged in a mountaineering club. Eventually, everyone made it back to the hut, and were joined by those just up for Saturday night. It's always difficult writing a meet report for the Saturday night of Blackrock. So apologies for the following, it's the best my memory allows. I remember having a few cans of lager (well, Tenants) to celebrate getting back to the hut safely. I remember a long wait for the beer barrel to be opened. I remember the beer from the barrel being not too bad, better than last year's "Satan's Skull Destroyer". I remember Colin having an unexpected fixation on Andrew Lloyd Webber. I remember Dave, Brendan & Terry belting out tunes in the kitchen, then moving into the main room. I remember thinking things were going OK, considering. I remember having just a small sip of whisky, then things get blurry. I remember arguing with Ronnie about something very important, not sure what. I remember the fire being nice & warm. I remember Dave Simpson forgetting the words to "Freedom Come All Ye", they're here for future reference. I remember hoping the weather is rubbish on Sunday. I remember remembering I still had my potato skins to eat. Result ! I remember quite a bit of staggering to get to the toilet. I remember going for a kebab on the way home, but that's probably a different night. Then, I remember Calum giving me my ice axe back in the morning, and wondering where the night had gone. Mercifully, the weather was indeed rubbish in the morning. It turns out it had been another windy night. Kevin had abandoned the outdoors, taking his tent down and sleeping in the coal shed. Brendan's tent had snapped a pole & ripped itself, so it needed to be thrown away. Calum & Fiona's tent suffered a bent pole. The only tent to survive intact was Lucy's. Scottish wind 3, BFMC campers 1. A leisurely morning & then a leisurely afternoon followed, with folks heading down the road in dribs & drabs. Another fine meet & here's hoping for many more in 2009 !
Terry & Gordon - serious mountaineers, earnest even - on the ascent of Stob na Broige
The view down the Lairig Gartain on the descent
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