I did quite a bit of hillwalking in 2013 (for me) with 31 days and a few half-days out. I realise this is modest compared to what many Marhof members manage. I did not add that many Marilyns, though. That is partly because unclimbed Marilyns are getting further and further away for me. I now have no new possibilities within 180km, and that is 180km of Scottish Highland roads, so the best part of three hours driving. For day trips except in high summer this means spending longer driving than walking, so there are not many I can easily add except on multi-day trips and I cannot manage too many of these in a year.
Another reason for the lean pickings of Marilyns is that I became aware of the Humps and bought Mark Jackson's excellent book. This is a fascinating volume. I do have the Humps Hall of Fame in my sights now but am still a good bit off with 1089 to date. So quite a few days were focused on Humps, not Marilyns. Like any of these lists, pursuing it takes you into new areas but also gives you new targets in areas you thought you knew well. I have really enjoyed this. I have also been revisiting Munros and added ten more to my second round total, now 99.
High points of this year were a backpacking trip into the Cape Wrath peninsula, three hot sunny days in the Mallaig area finishing off the region 10 Marilyns on some very fine walks, and an excellent day on the Five Sisters of Kintail beginning with the Hump Sgurr na Moraich at their southern end. This last was probably my best single day's walk of the year, with a dusting of snow, superb views and spectacular hills.
