On a wintery Saturday morning, past and present employees put the keyboards aside, and set out on snowy adventure into the Arrochar Alps.
After a brief breakfast stop at Alexandria’s Golden Arches, we quickly learnt Ronex had spent the previous evening drinking stella and scrolling Twitter, meaning a visit to the village store was required. By this point, a noticeable chill was in the air, and murmurs of snow were beginning to grow within the group. These suspicions were quickly confirmed, with the final leg of the journey met with a pretty, yet slightly alarming, flurry of snow. These fears were quickly squashed when principal modeller Michael proudly paraded his ice-axe, shaft in hand.
Following a few final checks, including providing Tom with a pair of trousers preventing the first winter ascent of a Munro in Puma joggers, we were off! The route began hugging the gentle shores of Loch Lomond, passing the Hydro-Electric power station, which harnesses the kinetic energy from flowing water down Ben Vorlich. Shortly after, the path took a right following the road up to Loch Sloy Dam, where we were met with stunning views of Ben Vane to the West, and A’Chrois to the South. This would be the last relatively flat section of the hike, as the stone-stepped path to follow provided rapid elevation increase. This change in gradient provided some difficulties, largely due to the increasingly fast pace, a direct result on the ‘friendly’ competition we strive to create within the group. Nathan, who had started the walk in an outfit Ernest Shackleton would be proud of, quickly realised his mistake, resulting in a prolonged strip about 30 seconds into the ascent. Being the close-knit team we are, and knowing his fabled athletic prowess, the rest of us decided it would be wise to carry on, leaving Nathan on the Glen floor as we continued to climb, led by Elsie (the office dog) and her best friend Nico. So far so good, a light breeze eased us higher and higher, with 360 degrees of outstanding vistas. If it weren’t for the occasional Scotsman in a hoody and Nike SBs, you’d have sworn you were in the Himalayas. With Nathan at the rear, rapidly closing the gap while doing his best Gollum impression, we briefly stopped to compare heart rates and provide excuses as to why we weren’t as fit as expected.
At this point, a noticeable doubt had creeped into Michael. The once chatty and enthusiastic mountaineer, laughing at all unsavoury tales being told, had begun to hush. He could be seen frequently glancing up at the snow-covered ravines that were to come, before settling into a mindset of self-doubt and regret. This of course would not squash the enthusiasm of the team as we clambered up the slopes, spending as much time on our hands as we did our feet.
The path, or lack off, eventually reached the broad ridge where winds were noticeably higher and noses certainly colder. Cloud and mountain at this point were almost indistinguishable, however spirits couldn’t have been higher as we passed thick snowdrifts towards the ever-closer peak. Once arriving at the cairn (the second, not first), fist bumps were shared and photos were taken, however unbeknownst to a large portion of the group, Emily and Ronex had just started to lose some dexterity in their hands.
Once we’d got bored of the endless cloud, we set off back down the way we came, stopping briefly to hack at the frozen pond with the so far unused ice axe. Michael’s imaginary news headlines and time behind bars had all but dissipated from his mind, until arriving at the steep descent where we had witnessed one unfortunate hiker slip while passing them on their descent earlier in the day. A minor discussion ensued, before Nico took the plunge and committed to a calm butt slide over the ice-covered exposed rock. Once down he encouraged his, at the time gloveless colleague George, to do as he did. Whether it be down to technique or physiology is up for debate, but the rapid ascent to follow was in stark contrast to Nico controlled glide. With George’s feet seemingly incapable of slowing him down, he resulted in using his exposed hands to grasp onto the sharp rocks, providing just enough relief for Nico to heroically brace his fall.
With the team safely down the sketchiest part of the walk, some more ice-axe inspired tomfoolery occurred, before stopping for lunch on an exposed bank, with views up and down the glen, and even onto Ben Lomond in the distance. Just as we were about to head down the final section of the mountain, it became apparent that Ronex and Emily had been suffering in silence. To say Ronnies fingers were trembling would be a lie, as they’d lost even function to do that. Similarly, Emily was doing her best impression of Deadpool post Colossus fight, completely abandoning the idea of fingers all together and opting for the clenched fist inside an oversized glove technique. Ronnie continued to fumble desperately with the zipper, before attempting to use his mouth, and finally conceding to defeat before someone came to his aid. It was decided that it was time to move on. A quick jaunt down the mountain, to Michaels hips envy, and we were back on the track down to the car park.
Most of the group decided it was worth dipping their feet in the loch prior to getting into the car, with both Elsie and George going for a more classic, all be it quick, swim. Elsie treated herself to a Mozzarella and Pesto Panini from Toms bag, before drenching Nathans dry clothes in fresh highland Water. To end the day we drove off to the Oak Tree, for some bang average, overpriced food, in a freezing cold tent, before heading back to Edinburgh, music blaring in the front, eyes shut in the back.
All in all, it was a fantastic day out, and one we’ll all be reminiscing about for years to come!
