Back by popular demand from my 2 - no 3 fans!!!

Beinn Bhrotain and Monadh Mor 2004 Part 2

Where were we again, Oh I in a pickle as usual.

 From part 1

  Did I get across no problem? Wouldn't you like to know?

 Well, stepped barefoot into the water which was very cold, beside the last boulder with walking poles to aide.

 Took one step forward.

 Part 2

 Into the current and my feet were swept from under me, as I hurtled into the fast flowing freezing cold river my lightning reactions made me spin round and I landed in the river on my hand and knees. All those years going to Judo getting thrown to the mats paid off.  As I comprehended my situation, (up a creek without a paddle) I saw one of my new walking poles float off down the Dee.

  My brain must have stopped working about here due to the freezing cold water.            

 Brain must have changed to automatic survival mode as I got myself picked up and walking against the current of the Dee, by the way I would not recommend river crossings barefoot.

    Now walking against the freezing cold current of the Dee I found I had to fight with myself to go sideways to the bank- as survival brain mode wanted to fight the current and walk straight up the Dee. Freezing cold water up to your knees does funny things to your ability to think. Step by step I got closer to the bank till eventually after what seemed like an age in the freezing water I got to the bank.

This actually happened I am not making this up!! Don't think you could make this up.

       I climbed onto the bank, soaking wet and freezing.  Now sitting on the bank, blood started flowing back into my legs as they warmed back up.  This is one of the most painful things I have ever experienced - it was so bad I was actually crying and screaming a bit too, well more than a bit. This went on for a couple of minutes till my legs heated up and I recovered. Stripped off wet clothes. Now in birthday suit sitting on bank, with big problem now.  What was I going to wear?  As my clothes were soaking wet.    Brainwave into rucksack which had remained dry and out of the water, for waterproof trousers, still covered in mud from walking along Glen Geusachan.  Not the most comfortable thing to wear with no drawers! Nylon will chaff a bit and watch out for those zips.

 But needs must...  Had a fleece in my rucksack which was still dry so put that on and my jacket that was in my rucksack was still dry. My rucksack had been out of the water altogether on my back so that was one consolation.

  Well at least I was on the other side of the river.  Dark in about an hour with about 6km to get back to the White Bridge and the Landrover track with three miles more to go from there to the car park.  Time to get my arse in gear.  Set off along the East bank of the Dee as fast as I could.  A chap walking along the path had passed me sitting on the bank after I had got dressed again and I set off after him.  He had taken the train to Aviemore from Blair Atholl and was walking the Lairig Ghru and down Glen Tilt back to Blair Atholl over 2 days.  

   I walked behind him trying to catch up. Took me a while. Walking along the narrow path on the east side of the river I came to a fairly large waterfall in the Dee and thought to my self, s**t if  I had gone into the river on my back the current would have carried me down and over the waterfall and onto who knows where. Right glad I am not a cat they only get 9 lives.

  I think I saw this scene in a Tarzan movie once many years ago, (going over a water fall).

            Caught up to the chap and I walked along with him as far as the White Bridge where he turned West over the bridge to pitch his tent for the night and I stopped for something to eat.  Dark in five minutes, no torch - 3 miles to go...  what to do?  (Thinking again - I know dangerous!)  Brainwave.  Don't have many of them!  Mobile phone lights up when buttons are pushed.

            Pretty dark now I set off for the car park at the Linn Of Dee about 1 hours walk in the daylight.  I had pushed myself to get to the Landrover track before dark as I knew it would be uniform compared to the track along the side of the Dee. 

 

 Day time view. This is the track now it was not anything like as good in 2004.

My View at 9pm

    Well knackerd now fumbled my way along the Landrover track in the dark, nearest street light 10miles away and not a lot of stars out. Could hear the deer barking as I walked along. When it's this dark all the ground looks the same. Had to feel the road under my boots really to know I was still on the track. Kept pushing mobile phone buttons so it would light up and pointing it at the ground to see the track, a candle would have been 100 times brighter I think. Feet sore in my boots I stumbled along the track slowly. Started thinking about snakes as White bridge is well known for them and what if I stood on one in the gloom. Brain runs wild when you're in a pickle like this, imaging the worst possible scenarios.

  

Picture by Chimpaction, Graham Scott.

 Graham and Brian had come on this bad boy could be a gril, not far up past White bridge on the track to Glen Geldie  this year 2011 and he/she was not a happy bunny.

   Had to stop for a seat on a rock which I had just fallen over for a while till I gathered myself in the now pitch black of night. Started wondering if the mountain rescue had been called as I was well overdue home now and no phone signal here.

                                         

                                                Landrover track in the phone light.

This white dot is about the amount of light I had from my phone. This is a picture of the Landrover track at night. 3 miles of this lay ahead of me.

This is the same view in the daylight

  Made my way along the track not realising there were big drops off to the river side of the track as I could not see them. But I could hear the river as it got close.

                                                     Me 7 years later on one of the bridges.

 A few bridges to cross on the track as I went along and then I saw a car's headlights going over the bridge at the Linn Of Dee, wondered if this was the mountain rescue out looking for me. Not far to the car now, I reached the woods which were even darker. I knew there was a  pole gate across the track soon and worried about falling over it in the near pitch dark. Mobile phone still working good job I had charged the battery the night before. I fumbled through the forest till I banged into the gate - at least I knew where I was.

Very tired, I got on the tarred  road with a small hill up to the car park, it seemed like I was going up another mountain 200m till the car park an eternity really. Could see some lights in the car park and a short cut through the trees to where the car was parked. Have you ever tried finding your keys with the light from a mobile phone? Somehow found the keys and opened car. The passenger light came on and seemed as bright as the sun to me after the gloom I had walked in. I had left a change of clothes in the car so got them on. 11pm now and still no phone signal to phone home, it had taken me 2 hours to do the 3 miles in the dark.

 Got the car started and turned on the head lights, blinded did you say - took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust. Set off for Invereye a few miles down the road where I knew the phone would work, phoned home. Only 1/1/4 hour drive home now. Think I got home around 12.30 am, hardly able to get out of the car and crawled to bed.

I worked out later I had walked around 22 miles that day, no wonder I was (  ?   ) well you can put that word in yourselves. Oh somehow the pain wasn't too bad on this day maybe I had things to take my mind of it ????

The end

Ps I have been on walks where nothing has happened to me but you don't want to hear about them do you?

Hill walking is fun. Lol. Well I am still doing it 7 years later but for some reason I am very wary of river crossings.

Dino60.