Scotland Adventure, March 2003

A small group of us did a four day mountain hike on the Glen Affric ridges, camping out in the snow in March 2003. This is probably the most extreme thing i have ever done, and the experience will stay with me forever, unless of course i better it by doing the same in the Alps or the Andes, he heh! My and Viv went along with two very serious climbers, Alexis Pearce (Lex) and Nigel (Beaker). We were hoping to see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), but not this time. Instead however, we were treated to the most amazing full moon with a huge corona round it, which almost touched the horizon. Looking south on the final evening, we could see the Cuillins to the west, the Cairngorms to the east and Ben Nevis to the south. We all had a different bottle of Single Malt to keep us going - never leave home without one! Talk about being the highest people is Scotland on the final night, i can tell you! I had a near brush with death in trying to descend a polished ice sheet, slipped and flew down this steep slope. At the bottom were large boulders and beyond a sheer drop down the mountain. Somehow i managed to stay on my feet without breaking any bones and causing myself very serious damage. Indeed lucky. I had a nice gash in my shin and still have a nice scar. A truly unforgetable experience. We were very lucky with the weather as well, and I was surprised by how hot and sunburned i got. I expect it was the sun being reflected off the snow.