Screwed

Yesterday Gaz and I headed for the Ben, I managed to walk 15 minutes but the pain in my ankle was making me sweat, feel sick and light headed. I managed to see the GP and got sent straight to A&E for X-Rays, thankfully I got someone who knows the history of my injury and after comparing older images it seems the screw going through from my heel has burrowed through to the point of nearly breaking out the other side and it seems during fusion surgery they have made a mistake and drilled twice to place the other screw and now it seems to be breaking my bone apart, oh and my arthritis is worse. Who knows whats going to happen next, all I know is I dont see a happy ending to this latest development!! I'll write more soon but for the time being I need to figure out pain management that doesn't include a bottle of Talisker..........

Sun dropping on more climbing

Curtain & Cobbler & An Ember

On Monday Dave and I headed up The Ben again to get on the Curtain, one party in front of us on the last pitch meant we didn't need to queue or avoid debris which was good. One day like this on the Ben is worth the weeks of miserable weather we get.

Hotaches, ouch

Dave on Pitch 1 of The Curtain

Me setting off on pitch 2

Dave steals the final and best pitch

Top out

Yesterday Dave MacLeod and I headed for the Cobbler. Dave had his eye on a line but for a few reasons it wasn't a day to push it. 

Dave walking into the murk

We rescued this sheep on the way out.

Over the last few days I've been run out on gear or soloing on relatively easy ground and have felt that the fire I thought I had extinguished for soloing is still perhaps a smouldering ember that may soon relight itself........

Anti Social Climbing

Yesterday Dave and myself headed up the Ben with no definite plans. After a few thoughts were ruled out to avoid crowds,queues and avalanche risk  we decided to link 2 pitches of ice/snow between the Curtain (which was getting climbed) and Ledge Route which gave some nice climbing. Ice was great for axe placements but not great for gear. 

The plod in

Great weather, Daves grin says it all.

Gearing up below Moonlight Gully Buttress so we were belayed across No5

Starting up the first pitch

Best bit of my belay!!!

Wading up to meet Dave. 

All in all it was a cracking wee day out, teams on the Curtain, Vanishing Gully, Point 5, Tower Ridge and the Douglas Boulder was crawling with teams. Good to meet Cliff up there too!

Past Month

To start with I needed to change up my training to keep it interesting so I did this!! After that it was up to Ben Nevis with Steve and Joe, I tried what I thought may have been a new route but found old gear and lost the psyche and headed home to leave the boys to head elsewhere.

Joe and Steve on the walk in.

Joe sheltering from the brutal spindrift

After that it was home to Ayrshire for the festives to see family and friends, usual great laugh and I also got to take my 4 year old niece for her first experience of climbing which was great.

Family and friends at Hogmanay

Wee Gwen at GCC

It was straight back to work and training after that which was a shock to the system. Today Steve and I headed to Glencoe in search of some ice but after some fairly hardwork walking in it wasn't to be with crap conditions. 

Steve on descent earlier today

Spindrift

On the walk in

Hopefully get out more over the next few days, feeling the need to do something good after news this week that my foot has gotten worse........