Day five of Archie’s Mountain Challenge found the team rethinking the original plan of conquering eight peaks in Glen Shiel.
The challenge, an attempt to scale every mountain in Scotland measuring more than 1,000 metres, has seen athletes battling snow storms, navigating bogs and running through the night.
The man behind the challenge, Dr Paul Fettes, said the hope was to summit seven mountains on Monday, kicking off with Sgurr a’ Chaorachain, on the shores of Loch Monar. However, wild, wintry conditions have meant progress has been slower than hoped.
Dr Ben Ulyatt said gale force winds, snow, blizzards and poor visibility forced athletes to descend An Riabhachan early.
“In total, that made 15 Archies by the end of Monday,” he said. “We attempted An Riabhachan again on Tuesday but huge amounts of snow forced another retreat.”
The original mission for Tuesday was to scale eight peaks, starting in Glen Cannich with Toll Creagach, going through Glen Affric and ending with Beinn Fhada.
However, with An Soach and An Riabhachan proving impassable, they will need to be tackled at a later date, from the Kintail side.
Team member Kirsty Macguire reckons horrendous conditions have set back the challenge by a day. “The plans are like shifting sands but we hope to complete the hills between Loch Monar and Glen Affric today,” she said.
As the team ventures deeper into the wilderness, we’ll do our best to update you on their progress daily.
Archie’s Mountain Challenge is raising funds for Tayside Children’s Hospital’s twin operating theatres. To make a donation and follow the team, see www.archiesmountainchallenge.org.uk.