The first part of 2014 was almost exclusively focused on getting younger bother (misspelling intentional) Garry up his final Munro. This meant a sun-ravaged Easter weekend based at the Great Glen hostel involving a traverse from Sgurr na Ciche to Sgurr Mor (14 hours plus), the two Loch Lochy Munros (well how was I supposed to know the Gleann Cia-aig forests were being demolished?), the three westerly Mullardoch Munros (I focused on the deleted tops on Sgurr na Lapaich and headed east from there, while Garry headed west to An Socach and hitched a lift back on the estate boat from the Seldom Inn - ethics committee ruling, please) and a re-ascent of Tom a'Choinich (just to be sure).
With Stewart Logan (be-kilted) and Brian Ringland (be-wellied) we then recorded the first known completion on Meall nan Ceapraichean from the Abhainn an Torrain Duibh car park through the incredible Coire Ghranda, drank champers and Irn Bru (not mixed) from a set of Irvine Butterfield's lead crystal glasses and added a stone from the summit cairn of Garry's first Munro - Carn Liath on Beinn a'Ghlo - to the summit cairn of his last. Confusion to geologists. We then descended a little east of Cnap Coire Loch Tuath (not far enough to avoid the crags) and descended the east side of the waterfall flowing out of Loch Prille (the west side causes you to bounce).
Marilyns? Oh, yes. Garry wanted to climb Clisham in August so we took the ferry across for the day and while he cycled to the foot of it, I got on with Sgaoth Aird. Unfortunately, climbing all the summits on the massif left me short of time to get to Todun. Oh well - this was to be the year I finally climbed more new Marilyns than Rob so I was comfortably on track. Until, that was, I tried to descend the bad step on Beinn Fhada (Kintail). In dry weather this is a stroll in the park. This time it was greasier than First Minister's Questions (remember Wee Eck?). I had to make a rather awkward twist-and-stretch move to get down and the result of that was badly strained ligaments in both knees which curtailed my activities thereafter to a saunter up Lamberton Hill.
I had already managed an elbow drop onto the only quartzite slab on Carn Breac while on a station-to-station walk from Achnasheen to Achnashellach. Against that, there were the compensations of more water than I have ever seen in the Falls of Glomach and an east-west traverse of Beinn Dronaig giving views you just do not get going straight up from Bendronaig Lodge. Having said that, I have never been so glad to see a wire bridge in my life.
Meanwhile, Rob and Eddie climbed the stacks and Alan Dawson deleted Cruim Leacainn. Curses - foiled again.
