The 2012 Challenge, Day 3: Oban to Loch Arkaig (1)

Monday 14 May. It was raining when I woke up (somewhat earlier, it has to be said, than I had awoken the previous day!) and I immediately concluded that I was unlikely to get away from Oban today. I therefore went downstairs and had a leisurely breakfast. However, when I went outside during a brief lull in the rain to refill my water bottles, I was immediately struck by the appearance of the run-offs on the north side of Loch Morar: they looked far more as they had on Saturday evening than as they had on Sunday. There was FAR less water in them than there had been on Sunday. And if that was true north of the loch, could it also be true south of the loch? Would I, in fact, be able to get out today?

I decided that it had to be worth a try ... although first, I thought, I ought to do my best to dry as much of my kit as possible (as the storm had been so intense that quite a lot of gear was wet despite my waterproofs.) The bothy has a wonderful fireplace and grate - but it was all terribly choked up with ashes and clinker. So I gave it a thorough cleaning out before lighting a fire and doing what I could to dry all my gear. Then when I was ready I packed all my gear, made sure the fire had burned itself out completely, made a further entry in the bothy book saying that I would make a further attempt to get through to Glen Pean (as I still didn't think that the weather looked all that suitable for going up high on Sgurr nan Coireachan) and, at 11.45, I set out from Oban bothy once again. This time, however, the weather was FAR more settled - as this view looking west along Loch Morar shows!