I understand that @KT53 - it's always the thought of starting off when you know it's going to hurt for a bit! If it's any consolation, many hillwalkers with knee [or any other leg] problems take painkillers before heading out as it helps stave off the pain. It seems to work quite well. My knees are a bit different, so they don't do much for that.
It was lovely indeed thanks, @Lizzie27 , but there's always silly folk unfortunately. I'd already spoken to a couple slightly earlier who asked the usual - 'how far is it to the summit', and the more puzzling 'is that Ben Donich' pointing to the next bit of ascent, while they were already half way up it, but what's worrying was that they also had no maps or route info. 'we're just choosing hills that have paths just now ' was what he said, but it isn't that simple. If people ask, I'm always happy to offer info, and said yes, there is now a path for the last section, but that wasn't the case until fairly recently. They were lucky that the weather and conditions were great for this time of year too. I also said it would be a good idea to get some maps etc and do the prep, so that they're safer. I don't want anyone to become a statistic. I didn't mention that just because they're on a path - it doesn't always mean it's the right path though....
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fairygirl, it's scarey how often I see people totally inappropriately dressed for hill walking. We were in Glen Nevis some years ago when a minibus pulled into the car park and a group of beautifully dressed Indian ladies climbed out and asked the way to the path up Ben Nevis. They were wearing saris and very flimsy sandals!
@KT53 -when I did our local hill, Ben Lomond, many, many years ago, in very early April, we were on the way back down, and met a woman and her daughter. They had around 2 hours still to go to get to the top. It was about half 2 in the afternoon. The daughter had on what I can only describe as ballet shoes. God knows whether they got there, let alone back down, and whether it was still in daylight. It was snowing at the top too, and on the higher hills, that can happen at virtually any time of year. It's got worse during the pandemic, although it's always been bad. Folk in jeans, or wearing trainers, is another common sight. There's always idiots going up Nevis, but sadly, there's plenty on other hills too. Whiteout conditions on Schiehallion, on the first May bank holiday some years ago, was full of unprepared lunatics Managed some outdoor stuff today, including attaching some battens for trellis, on the house wall, to take a clematis. A bit awkward, but I didn't fall off the ladder, so that was a bonus
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
My brother-in-law used to be a mountain rescue volunteer (Snowdonia) and he used to say the same thing happened there, maybe even more because people think that because the hills are mostly smaller than in Scotland, they're benign and safe. Idiots.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I think a very large part of the problem is when there are constructed, maintained paths - which many of the popular honeypot hills have, whether here or anywhere else @JennyJ. There's then an assumption that it makes it 'easy' [it doesn't] and most hills are like that. Paths on many hills diverge and split and easily become three, or you reach an area of scree and they totally disappear, not to mention when there's snow covering them, or when cloud rolls in and you can't see ten feet in front of you. The Cairngorms are highly dangerous because of that. Featureless, scree covered plateaus.
Sheep make tracks everywhere too - and they're not just taking a direct route to the summit....
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Getting back to RTBC, I was walking along a nearby road today when I heard such an intense buzzing that I thought there must be a swarm nearby. I looked around to see if I could spot it when I realised it was the street cherry tree I was near - it was absolutely humming with bees. Delightful 🙂
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
I almost but didn't step on a black bee wandering about my bedroom carpet. I chucked it out the window and noticed it on the patio later in the day . I suspect it might have been a bit cold for it. Anyway RTBC - it wasn't stepped on.
Posts
It was lovely indeed thanks, @Lizzie27 , but there's always silly folk unfortunately. I'd already spoken to a couple slightly earlier who asked the usual - 'how far is it to the summit', and the more puzzling 'is that Ben Donich' pointing to the next bit of ascent, while they were already half way up it, but what's worrying was that they also had no maps or route info. 'we're just choosing hills that have paths just now ' was what he said, but it isn't that simple. If people ask, I'm always happy to offer info, and said yes, there is now a path for the last section, but that wasn't the case until fairly recently. They were lucky that the weather and conditions were great for this time of year too. I also said it would be a good idea to get some maps etc and do the prep, so that they're safer.
I don't want anyone to become a statistic.
I didn't mention that just because they're on a path - it doesn't always mean it's the right path though....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It's got worse during the pandemic, although it's always been bad. Folk in jeans, or wearing trainers, is another common sight.
There's always idiots going up Nevis, but sadly, there's plenty on other hills too. Whiteout conditions on Schiehallion, on the first May bank holiday some years ago, was full of unprepared lunatics
Managed some outdoor stuff today, including attaching some battens for trellis, on the house wall, to take a clematis. A bit awkward, but I didn't fall off the ladder, so that was a bonus
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Paths on many hills diverge and split and easily become three, or you reach an area of scree and they totally disappear, not to mention when there's snow covering them, or when cloud rolls in and you can't see ten feet in front of you. The Cairngorms are highly dangerous because of that. Featureless, scree covered plateaus.
Sheep make tracks everywhere too - and they're not just taking a direct route to the summit....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
This Covid malarkey aint all bad eh?