Parked in the car park at the end of Glen Nevis and ready to go at the usual 9.45. Quite a few folks around as we went up the gorge. Upper Glen Nevis just as nice as ever and a long walk up to the point you leave the track to go up the hill. My plan was to go straight up on the right to the level bit between Binnein Beag and Binnein Mor and then to make our way up onto the ridge.
The way up to the first ridge was not as bad as I remembered from when we did Binnein Beag but it was a bit of a strain getting on to the main ridge. It was all up and down over hummocks and rises but after following a series of landmarks we got there. The top was misty and all we could see ahead was a long drag up grass, then boulders to what looked like the top. We knew it couldn't be the top but reckoned it must be fairly close. We were wrong. After threading our way up some decidedly dodgy and loose rocks (even one huge rock nearly toppled when I put my foot on it) to the "top" we found the way went on and on and on ever upwards. It was not difficult and although we were in mist the way ahead was clear with a path now helping us. As usual it was very windy and quite cold and I began to get to the point where I was not caring. We had not stopped for any drinks at all and I began to think I must be dehydrating so we had better stop. Had sandwiches and juice in a relatively sheltered spot and then found, as we thought, that there was not too far to go to the summit. It is surprisingly narrow at the top and it is quite a small pointed top, probably with great views if the mist had gone away. Actually it did swirl about so we got some views of the glen below but none at all of Binnein Beag. All the way up we had not seen a soul yet at the very point of getting out the Guinness this guy pops out of nowhere. A brief chat and he was gone and that was the last we saw of anyone. The walk back down roughly the same way (though we found an easier way through the rocks) was agonizing and slow. It was however easy route finding, just moving down onto landmark places we had seen on the way up. Once on the main path it was just a long trudge back to the car with me arriving just a few minutes after Graeme, much to his surprise.
