Wednesday, 7 November 2018

A curry night and whisky tasting at Peanmeanach bothy

On Monday, feeling the need for an adventure, exercise and a night out  " Kilchoan Old Guys Expedition Group", (average age 67.5 years) walked in to Peanmeanach bothy on the Ardnish Peninsula for a curry and whisky tasting (lat / long 56.9/5.8). It's not far, about 4 miles on a rugged, stalkers path that's rather wet in places, slightly wetter where you cross the river in spate below Lochan an Phearaim Dubh. First casualty!

Chris slipped and fell on the river bank put his hand out as he fell and dislocated the middle finger of his left hand. This can be painful but he's old, doesn't complain, pulls the finger straight to reset it himself and carries on. Half an hour later it was my turn. Descending the path through the birch wood above the shore I slipped and fell, my right arm landed on a fallen birch with the full weight of my pack driving it. My forearm was bruised and sore but didn't appear to have broken anything. Now it's Wednesday morning I'm typing one handed and waiting for a lift the nurse has told me to go to Ft. William for an X-ray.

Back to the bothy...... the curry was excellent; cooked by Steve's wife Maggie and carried in frozen. there was some dispute over the brand of Trevor's whisky..... was it Lagavullin or Laphroaig?  We'd carried in enough logs for two nights so the fire blazed and the craik was good. On going outside for a pee about 8.00 pm I became aware of thirty of so pairs of eyes watching me as I swung the head torch round. They belonged to the red deer that normally graze above the shoreline.


Postscript 9th November
It was pointed out to me yesterday that of the six vastly experienced outdoors people who set off on this short walk on Monday two became casualties. Despite the fact that I was in and out of the accident unit within an hour and nothing was broken this raises the question, " should we be allowed out on our own at our age". You might like to comment.