14,000 feet

Mt Bierstadt 14,065 feet (4,287 m)

Standing at over 4000 meters high Mt Bierstadt was my first 14er (Mountains above 14000 feet) in Colorado and an amazing climb, although not technically demanding Bierstadt has an aesthetic beauty to it which makes it a wonderful climb.
I set off with my housemate Eddie at around 6 o clock to get to the mountain, the sky was cloudless as we drove through Golden and out through the village of Morrison towards the mountain, upon reaching the mountain village of Georgetown we stopped to grab some protein bars and drinks, following this stop we made our winding way up the Guanella Pass towards the beginning of the trail. We had parked the car and where ready to go by quarter to 8 in the morning.



Trail from car park to the summit

We had something quick to eat got ready and set out, the mountain was still at this stage of the season covered in snow and so within the first ten minutes of the climb we were pushing through snow which went halfway up our legs. We trudged on upwards towards the switchbacks which marked the start of the real climb, the weather was ideal clear skies and crisp cool air made for a great start by around 9 o clock we were making steady progress up the switchbacks making our way past many other climbers as we went.
This altitude was something I wasn't used to and I could feel my lungs burning as we made our ascent up the mountain, 14 times higher then the tallest mountain in Ireland a crazy thought.
We stopped halfway up the switchbacks to have something to eat and to take in our surroundings, a blanket of snow stretched out in each direction we looked, a plateau of high mountains all around us. Having eaten we set off once more.

We continued on to the top of the switchbacks at which point we entered the final push for the summit, for a while at this point the snow that covered the ground lower down was not there, but once we reached the final ridge we once again had to trudge through at times knee deep snow.
The air was thinner at this height then below I felt slightly dizzy and tired. I was taking more and more breaks the closer we got to the summit.
At half 11 we had reached the summit, having sat and eaten and taken in the surrounding peaks of Mt Evans and other 14ers we took some pictures and set off on our descent, just below us lay the saw-tooth ridge which connected Mt Evans and Bierstadt.
Many miles away from us we could see a storm moving in towards us and so once we reached the switchbacks we took into a run to get down as quickly as possible.



Me and Eddie on top of the summit

Push towards the summit of Bierstadt

We pushed on as the snow storm began to fall on the mountain, getting down in half the usual time it is supposed to take, we ran for well over a half  an hour and stopped for something to eat a bit of the way down but, by half 12 we were back at the car atop the Guanella pass.
We packed up and hit for home, a great trek and a good 14er to do as a first.

“Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.”
― Barry Finlay, Kilimanjaro and Beyond



Cliff Hanging



Carrot Ridge (Longest rock climb in Ireland)

Setting off at 4 in the morning I once again headed for the beauty of the Twelve Bens, leaving the car in the same place as I usually leave it for an  ascent of Benbaun I headed out towards the valley surrounded by the horseshoe upon which Benbaun sat.
It was a beautifully clear crisp day and as soon as I entered the valley I could see the rising sun lighting up the tip of Carrot Ridge and the white quartz shining at the bottom of the climb. I headed out across the marshy planes entrenched within the horseshoe, after a short while the ground began to rise and to become more and more rocky as I made my way towards the white quartz bottom which was to be the beginning of my climb.


route up towards the white quartz bottom of the climb

At this stage the day had all but fully began the sun was shining in the valley but in the distance a dark cloud formation was making its way towards me, which I assumed would break over me at around about lunch time.
Having crested the small ridge before the straight road towards the climb I flew towards the bottom reaching the ridge at half 7 that morning. I had something quick to eat and prepared for the climb and at 8 o clock I set off up the ridge.
Although not the steepest the ridge proved to be fairly technical and without ropes or harnesses I had to rely on my own hands and skill, the start of the climb required a lot of vertical climbing and a shimmy to the right along a ledge towards a flat space where an assault on the rest of the climb could be made.
it was a fantastic feeling, finding different holds in the surface of the rock and climbing higher and higher, all the while knowing that a small slip up could be potentially disastrous, the weather remained immaculate as I climbed a slights wind had picked up and the dark clouds were beginning to role in, towards me but at this moment in time the weather was perfect and so I pushed on towards the top of the ridge at a high pace.

 

The top of the climb sways towards the right and I found myself towards the end of the climb going sideways and upwards with the sway of the ridge, by this stage my fingers were beginning to tire and grow sore, it was almost quarter to ten in the morning I had been climbing for well over an hour, I reached the very tip of Carrot Ridge at ten o clock that morning.

As I turned around to stare at my surroundings, while the final rays of morning sun still remained, I was in awe the bright pink of the sky contrasted sharply with the blackness of the skyline piercing mountains, the valley below looked even greener with the small white dots of sheep covering the landscape.

I made the small remaining ascent up to Binn an Tsaighdiura and sat for something to eat, it was a great morning and it was only as I began to make the decent down the scree slopes beside the ridge that the rain began to fall.

Having reached the bottom of the slope I made my way across the valley and home.

 

The Twelve Bens

THE TWELVE BENS

The greatest mountain range in the Connemara region star shaped splayed across the countryside. Doing the twelve in one day was tiring and magnificent. Climbing with Peter O Connell a seasoned climber who has been to the top of Mt Everest and back made doing the twelve much easier due to his navigational sense.
We met at Kylemore Abby at 4:45am and I left my car in a nearby layoff, we then continued on in Peters car towards Derryclare the first peak of the day and the place from which we would launch on to the next 11 mountains. The weather was pristine not a drop of rain and the sun could be seen slowly making its way up above the horizon. Having left the car at the foot of Derryclare we prepared and then set off leaving at 5:17am, the darkness of the previous night was washing away as we walked pitch black turned to an outlay of the land an eyrie outline of our surroundings until eventually the sun began to illuminate the mountain range, we were at this stage 3/4 of the way up Derryclare by 6:17 we were sitting atop the mountain eating and reading our map. We were already cutting down on our estimated time, at this stage the fog began to close in around us and completely obscured our vision making the map vitally important, we then set off for the next mountain of the Twelve Binn Chorr (Bencorr)

resting on Derryclare

We set off relying heavily on the map and our own sense of direction the day was perfect bar the fog which had closed in on us.
We flew to the top of Bencorr and were on top by 6:55am cutting our predicted time down by 35 minutes in other words we were flying along. We didn't stop here and continued on towards Binn Dubh (Bencollaghduff) It was at this stage of the day were we lost our track and went way off course, instead of heading to the left after Binn Chorr to head towards Binn Dubh we continued on out along the ridge due to the fog, we then realised we had gone to far and decide to make our way down along the side of the mountain and head back up the valley towards Binn Dubh. This proved to be an exciting but overall useless exercise, we skirted down along a thin face towards the bottom of the valley and then began making our way uphill once more along scree and rock. Instead of skirting along from peak to peak we had now gone back down to come back up, an interesting in a gully along the way we crossed some stubborn snow which still clung to the mountain reluctant to let go as clearly the rest had.

Having regained the height we had lost we reached the summit of Binn Dubh at 8:30am an hour later then predicted, stopping for a snack we carefully read the map not wanting to make the same mistake twice, we then set off once again making for Binn Bhraoin.
The fog was still affecting our vision and we almost strayed off the path off the wrong side of the plateau we were on, we managed to readjust and find our path and so made directly for Binn Bhraoin making it to the top by 10:25am, 25 minutes later then we had originally planned but we knew our direction from this point and had our bearings so things would go smoothly from here.

view as we made our way from Binn Bhraoin onto Binn Gabhair

The fog was gradually receding as the day wore on and things began to become a lot easier, myself and peters moods where lifted as the fog had gradually begun to drag the mood of the day down, but as we inched towards the rocky slope of Binn Ghabhair the fog began to clear fully.
Having stopped for something to eat atop Binn Ghabhair we made the short hop across to Ben Leitrí a gradual slope led from one to the next. I felt fresh and once the fog cleared we could see for miles in each direction, being able to discern where each and every mountain was made the day much more enjoyable as we were not so worried about getting lost or directions.
And so with the clear blue sky above and the twelve bens visibly stretching out in each direction with 6 already done we made for the 7th summit Binn Gleann Uisce which we had judged would take an hour and 45 minutes yet only actually took us 27 minutes as we jogged and sprinted our way to the top, taking a huge chunk off our judged time, having lagged more than an hour behind due to the fog we were now almost a half hour ahead of schedule.

Benlettery




















View from the top of Binn Gleann Uisce

Having made our way to the top of Binn Gleann Uisce we rested for a longer period of time before making the push towards the 8th peak of the day Ben Baun the highest of all the bens standing at 729m high. We had a large drop into the valley floor below before we rise again onto Ben Baun.
We were feeling good and had put ourselves back well on track time wise, the weather was good and we were feeling good.
I refilled my water from a stream flowing down towards the valley floor and we ploughed on towards Ben Baun, we talked and joked all the way towards the next peak but once we reached the bottom we both headed off in different directions and agreed to meet at the top, Peter headed along an opposite route to me. I headed directly for a face of rock I could see to my left and spent the next 45 minutes climbing up along the face towards the tip of the peak, this was by far my favourite part of the day picking my way up along the stony face rock by rock. at around ten to 3 I reached the top of the face and walked along the top of the mountain for the next ten minutes until I reached the peak at bang on 3 o clock, the exact time we had planned to be at the top for, Peter arrived within a minute or two of me and we sat for some lunch looking out on the 4 peaks left to be reached, perched on the highest point in the bens mountain range.

 

Eating on top of Ben Baun

From here on we made very quick progress the next 3 mountains, Benfree, Muckanaught and Ben Cullagh, Having eaten a huge lunch atop Benbaun these 3 combined took us less then 2 hours. Peter was suffering slightly with his knee and my legs were beginning to feel the strain.
The weather remained perfect as we danced along the walls towards Ben Cullagh, this quartet from Benbaun was the most beautiful part of the day from thin ledges to high vantage points looking out on the surrounding landscape we had it all.
We reached the top of Ben Cullagh at twenty to five in the evening, this was nearly 2 hours quicker than our expected arrival time, we had eaten up time and could now leisurely stroll towards Benbrack our final descent and ascent of the day.

making my way up Ben Cullagh,, Muckanaght and Benbaun can be seen behind
me with Benfree hidden by both mountains



View from the top of Bencullagh

Having eaten the remainder of the food I had brought with me I refilled my water in a nearby stream and ploughed on ahead. The final climb of the day was at times difficult due to the tiredness of my legs, we were much slower getting to the top of this mountain but still managed to crush the time we had set ourselves.
We congratulated each other at the top and having stopped for some food and a talk about the day we eventually set off for home. We came down along a beautiful ridge we had traversed dong the mountain skills course a few weeks before, as we came down the ridge we saw Kylemore Abbey and sweeping views of the surrounding mountain ranges and valleys, it was a magnificent way to end the day.


View of Kylemore as we descended

Having reached the bottom we skirted along the outskirts of the lake and at 5 minutes past 7 that evening we reached my car.
We were exhausted and starving but also very happy, I sped towards Peters Car passing by the edges of the mountain range which we had just walked in its entirety, I dropped Peter at the bottom of Derryclare where our journey began said goodbye and hit for home.
The sun set and disappeared below the horizon just as I reached home, A full range conquered and an amazing day spent.

 

 

 



Rapid Ascent

Benbaun is a magnificent mountain, beautifully secluded in the wilderness of Connemara, and on this day it was an amazing run, the sun was beating down, a dew lay on the ground following the previous nights rain and I had the mountain to myself at 7 in the morning. I packed lightly seeing as I was running to the top, leaving from the bottom of the ridge I hit for the top of the mountain.
This run is testing in a beautiful way, making your way up the ridge and also the final push up to the summit is very steep while in the middle the ground is very marshy and broken but remains relatively flat.
The first 10 minutes are always the toughest and so they proved to be in a good kind of way, having reached the top of the first ridge my legs had loosened up and I could open up on the flat ploughing through the marshy terrain leaping over wet ground and making towards the peak I could see rearing up ahead of me, I had this entire part of the land to myself and it is a wonderful feeling dancing along walls 100's of meters above the ground with your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground, how I spend most my days anyway.
The ridge on the lead up to Benbaun is a magnificent part of the run stretching for a few kilometres before finally you come up to the bottom of the last major push upwards. The clouds began to clear as I made my zig zag route up along the scree towards the top of the mountain,  I could see lough Inagh and the surrounding Maam and Bens stretching out to either side of me.

 I pushed on towards the summit ploughing up through the sliding rock, I reached the top in 26 minutes and 45 seconds, I sat on top in the makeshift shelter surrounding the trig point caught my breath and took in my surroundings. It was a wonderful day the sun was bearing down and all around me were the mountain ranges, scenery, lakes and rivers of Connemara. I sat eating for some time before packing up and hitting for the car along the centre of the horse shoe, following the river back towards the main road and my car.
A brilliant run, simple but testing and a great way to spend the morning.



"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way"

 

The Snowy Slope



       

Devilsmother 654m

A great trek and one filled with stunning scenery and majestic landscape. I left at 6 in the morning and again made my way towards Leenaun, taking the second right turn before entering the village I headed towards Lough Nafooey the road down towards the lake is stunning, it spirals downwards with sheer drops to one side at all times. The sun hadn't yet begun to rear its head but the sky was tainted with a pink hue indicating that sunrise was near. I then turned left along a road which flirted with the edges of the lake entrenched within this mighty valley I had descended into, another left turn soon followed and I was making my way along a very narrow road which ended at a farm hugging the side of the mountain. I parked up alongside the road and set off as the first rays of sun began to caress the surrounding landscape. Having made my way onto the farmers land I mad towards a fence I could see running the length of the spur, this part of the walk was extremely marshy and wet and my feet were truly soaked by the time I got to the spur.
                 I made directly for the fence leading up the mountain and began to follow the fence upwards towards the saddle between the spur and the ridge of devilsmother. Looking upwards I could see that above 550m height snow had settled, and on top the snow looked quiet dense. This I believe sped my pace up as I hurried to reach the snow, At times I opted to head towards faces and boulders in order to get some climbing in bar simply walking. The sun at this stage had fully risen and it lit up the side of the devilsmother giving it a golden glow. I continued on up the path towards were I could see the fence turning right towards the summit.                                                          

From this point onwards the ground began to gradually become more and more densely condensed with snow, the spur I had been climbing on swerved off to the right in the direction of the summit. I made directly for the summit the wind was at this stage picking up and gusting through the re entrants along the ridge. Eventually I stopped to have a small snack and survey the scene I was perched on a rock covered in snow and to my left I could see Killary Fjord and all the way up to the peak of Ben Gorm and Ben Creggan. In the distance I could make out Maol Reidh shrouded in cloud. And to my right I could see the path I had taken up and also Lough nafooey and the surrounding bowl shaped valley and mountains. I looked up and could see the peak of the mountain around 150m above me. I packed up and continued moving upwards. The snow was halfway up my calf at this stage and I was enjoying the walk. I could make out the cairn shrouded in white atop the mountain and made directly for it.
                   



The view from the top was beautiful I could see for miles in each direction. out into the lowlands of mayo from the valley I had risen out of and also the surrounding mountain peaks all the way up to the highest one in Connacht. I sat and finished off the remainder of my lunch contently taking in the surrounding area it. I then decided to leave my mark on top of the mountain and began making a snowman, rolling the snow for many meters back and forth until I had created a large snowman, I then sat again and took in my design.. a masterpiece. When I finished eating I packed up and made for home along the path I had ascended. Giving one last glance at frosty perched alongside the cairn.

                    I reached the farm at the bottom of the mountain at around 12 o clock and as I was clearing the final gate I gave a final glance upwards the snow had receded in the time it had took me to descend and now only the peak remained snow covered with the outline of the snowman still visible a memory preserved for now.

 

Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top.
Then you will see how low it was.
- Dag Hammarskjold

 

The Flat Peak

Ben Gorm (700m)












Although not the tallest of peaks Ben Gorm is by far the one I have felt most passionately about and enjoyed the most. Narrow ridges sweeping upwards into the deep blue sky, an immense open plateau atop the mountain and the stunning views from the top of killary harbour, Mwelrea Doo Lough and out across a vast expanse of mountain ranges and valleys a truly stunning mountain.
                    I left for the mountain at half 7 in the morning it was a cold crisp morning but the skies were clear and the sun was making an appearance. Maam cross has thus far always represented to me the gateway to the mountains and as soon as I reach this point on any of my ventures I begin to feel differently, suddenly these large beasts rise up on either side of you, to the left the twelve pins and the maamturk straight on the maamturk also and into the territory of Killary fjord and Mwelrea. I made my way straight for the Ashleigh falls on the outskirts of Leenaun, a small village on the easternmost point of Killary fjord. I reached the falls and the foot of the mountin at 9 that morning and prepared to set off waiting to allow some dark clouds to pass.

Ashleigh falls



View of ridge leading to Ben Gorm














Having crossed three gates and followed a fence upwards from the car park I eventually cleared the final gate and was on to open terraced hillside. The beginning of the walk is extremely marshy and wet, from here I made my zig-zag approach up towards the ridge which rose and curved towards the plateau upon which stood the peak of Ben Gorm. Having maneuvered my way up the wet terraced lower hillside I eventually reached the top of the ridge and began making my way up along it. The sun was piercing through and the conditions were perfect for climbing along the ridge. The valley below was stunning small forests and waterfalls the fjord and much more and the weather was improving the whole time. Various rock walls dotted the ridge as I ascended and so I had a chance to climb along these small faces . The right hand side of the ridge was much more exposed then the left hand side. The mountain gave way to a large drop into the basin shaped valley floor some 400 meters below, this made for quiet an exciting climb. As I neared the top of the ridge the wind began to pick up and hailstones began raining downwards. I found shelter for a time as the hailstones were crashing against my face and making it impossible to keep going, at this point I stopped for some food giving me time to take in my surroundings.
                    To my right in the glacier carved valley lay Killary fjord many lakes rivers and the stunning ashleigh waterfall. The slow curving movement the glacier had made thousands and thousands of years ago as it made its way to sea, carving these monstrous mountains out as it crashed through the surface of the earth crumpling the surrounding landscape and giving it it's magnificent look, could be seen. Then to my left lay A basin shaped valley Surrounded by mountain ridges and peaks. tendrils of water could be seen making their way down along the steep incline of the mountain towards the valley floor below in the same way water moves along skin, erratically changing direction looping and swaying across raised areas along the way in its solemn winding dance towards the bottom, the graceful unpredictability of its movement had me mesmerized. Finally having eaten and drank my fill the hail cleared and the wind died down and so I continued on out onto the plateau atop the mountain in search of its highest point.

 

 The plateau atop the mountain stretched out in each direction for miles a different world it felt like. Streams and mounds of muck which then gave way to sand and vegetation until after a while I was walking along boulders of rocks making my way to the summit which I could vaguely see in the distance. At this point the wind began to pick up and the sun began to re-appear, the final push to the summit was relaxing and leisurely and I basked in the warm sunshine and surrounding landscape as I neared the top. I could make out Mwelrea in the distance but the very top was shrouded in cloud. I reached the top of the mountain at around 11 o clock and made my way to a ridge to eat lunch.
                    It was glorious on top of the mountain to my left I could see Killary fjord stretching into the distance glimmering in the sun as boats carved their way along its surface, to my right was Ben Creggan a beautiful peak surrounded by deep valleys I thought of making my way towards it but decided against it. And then straight ahead of me was Mwelrea, still shrouded in clouds, the tallest mountain in all of Connacht and one which I have grown more and more fond of as time has passed, and beyond that lay open sea and out until the blue of the sea met the blue of the sky and they became one. As I sat and ate the clouds atop mwelrea began to clear giving way to the peak with the sun bearing down on it casting it in a beautiful glow and emanating off the waters of Doo lough below. I finished up eating and began to make my ascent towards the car, I am sure that some day soon I will climb that mountain again as it was a climb I enjoyed immensely.

 

                                          "After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there
                                          are many more hills to climb."    — Nelson Mandela (1918-).