Alex Mac Hut
Members present: Colin Maddison, Andy Grantham, Roger Daley, James Hoyle, Chris Williams, Dave Lygate, Tony Gask, Mark Ashley, Michelle Harvie, Mark Garrod.
Guests: May Macleod, Sheila Grey.
The weather forecast was fantastic for the first part of the weekend, and that helped fill the hut with keen KMC's from late Thursday evening onwards. Andy and Roger took advantage of the sunshine to do the Aonach Eagach in what they described as summer conditions, bar about 20' on snow. I thought I heard Roger complain about it being too hot! Michelle and I did some of the eastern Mamores, including Sgurr Elide Mor and Binnein Mor. Meanwhile, the other "in-Scotland-already" people also took advantage of the glorious day, with May and Sheila attacking the steep slopes of Fort William high street, Dave blagging some free runs on Meall a'Bhuiridh ski slopes, and Tony getting half way up a Blackmount peak near Victoria Bridge before deciding it was time for a beer. Coincidentally, the Aonach Eagach and Fort William teams then met and conversed in the Clachaig, despite not knowing each other.
Friday night (and a fair chunk of Saturday morning for some) involved eating (especially the massive pile of fresh homemade scones brought along by Sheila), drinking, and dancing, including a show by Dave and May of the Death Dive, luckily with no death, probably only because the whisky tasting had only just begun.
Saturday started very early for the Ben Nevis climbing teams of James and Chris, and Colin and Dave - the latter having to be woken at least three times due to having incinerated the candle at both ends. They both enjoyed their routes, despite both missing their original targets due to the mist being down. The weather did start misty and with slight drizzle, but from between noon and 2pm it magically cleared to give a sunny day again. Mark A, Andy and Roger did Stob Ghabhar and Stob a'Choire Odhair, whilst Michelle, Tony and Mark G did Bidean nam Bian. Sheila and May took themselves off to the eastern Mamores. Tony then had to head off, as did Dave, to ensure his kilt fitted ahead of a wedding on Sunday. Saturday evening saw all remaining members head down to the Clachaig for some beers and live musical entertainment - thanks to May and Mark A for driving.
Sunday was overcast, windy, and the occasional slight drizzle, so not many high mountains were on the agenda. Some folks headed straight off, others had walks of varying distance before hitting the road. Chris's boots almost went for a walk minus their owner, but the guy who picked them up realised his error and got them back while we were still swithering on what to do. Thanks to everyone for coming and making it a very enjoyable meet.
Mark Garrod
