Sgorr Ruadh (Post Box Gully) (11.02.2013)
Written by hmsv1 (Hannah Vickers)
| Start point | Achnashellach |
|---|---|
| Endpoint | Achnashellach |
| Characteristic | Alpine trip |
| Distance | 14.0km |
| Map |
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| Ascents | Sgorr Ruadh (962m) | 11.02.2013 |
|---|---|---|
| Sgorr Ruadh East Top (904m) | 11.02.2013 |
After out first day out climbing Access Gully on Fuar Tholl, we had a small discussion about whether to go somewhere with a long walk-in, or a shorter walk-in for our second day of climbing. As things turned out we ended up heading for Sgorr Ruadh which was the longer walk-in option. I was secretly happy about that. The mountain itself was located in the same valley as Fuar Tholl, but slightly more to the north-west.
To get to Post Box Gully, which was on the north side of the mountain, we first had to walk 6 to 7km from Achnashellach along the river Lair, with Beinn Liath Mor to our right and Sgorr Ruadh to our left. It was not too taxing, rising gradually from Achnashellach. On the other hand, with all our climbing equipment loaded onto our backs it was no walk in the park either, especially at Ken’s enthusiastic pace! Fortunately the air temperature was pleasantly cool with almost no wind. It was nevertheless quite overcast – so at least we didn’t get as hot as we would have done if we’d had bright sunshine beaming down on us already.
After some 2 hours of walking we’d ascended into the coire and arrived at the foot of Post Box Gully. I cooled down as quick as I had got warm, and within 10 minutes of stopping I had taken 3 extra layers over my vest top! Maybe I had sweated a lot more than I realized on the walk in. Not nice. Anyway, after putting on crampons, harnesses and helmets, it was a short plod up slightly steeper slopes to reach a suitable place to set up a belay. I got the opportunity to lead the first pitch, which was supposed to be quite fun. There actually turned out to be not as much climbing as I expected; to access the ‘post box’ involved climbing a few short moves on vertical ice inside what can best be described as a little cave – and then some wriggling out in another direction through the ‘post box’ and arriving back on the face of the gully again. It was interesting but not so much exciting. After I had set up a belay, I brought up Ryan and Alex, and they then took it in turns to lead the final 2 or 3 pitches.
In truth, the rest of the gully was a little boring and we could well have just tied onto a short rope and moved together for the rest of the gully, but since we had the time to practice taking the lead and placing protection, setting up belays etc. we did that instead. Probably the highlight of the day for me was finishing the gully and stepping out into bright warm sunshine and scenic views across the Lochcarron valley. Always a good feeling when you’ve been shivering on the shady north side of a mountain and faced with the same gully surroundings for a few hours!
Where we finished the route turned out to be a perfect lunch spot, so after coiling and packing up the ropes and climbing gear we had something to eat and drink. After that it was between 0.5-1km to reach the actual summit of Sgorr Ruadh, mainly along a broad gently-rising shoulder.
It didn’t take too long and we were rewarded with even better views across to the collection of impressive mountains in Torridon. There was some really nice light flooding through gaps between the clouds, and the colors were more autumnal than wintry. It was a very comfortable temperature. We took a slightly different descent route by walking down the south side of the mountain towards Loch a’Bhealaich Mhoir which meant we were able to have sunshine on us for as long as possible. We soon joined the path which skirted around the north side of Fuar Tholl and this took us back down towards Achnashellach following the river Lair again. Even though I enjoyed the long walk in and out from the mountain, it seemed that my feet were not best friends with my mountain boots that day and I couldn’t wait to take them off once the day was finished!
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