Mountain summiteers return

Yesterday was a busy day here at the Adventure School. Almost all of the year opted for a swim before breakfast and were donning wetsuits within minutes of the 7am wake up. The number of morning swimmers (taking the bolder option) is usually a sign of the spirit amongst the group and how they will tackle the adventures to comes, so this all bodes well for the week.

After breakfast, the Red Deer and Blue Whales were up at the crag, rock climbing and abseiling, whilst the Red Snappers and Blue Moons went to the remote Ardbeg Bay to look at the fire and food elements of the survival skills that they will need on the island later in the week. The teams swapped over in the afternoon. From the crag the climbers could look down towards the fire and food teams and see small plumes of wood smoke rising, and squeals as limpets and winkles were tried for the first time.

Last night, after dinner, we left for our mountain base camp at the foot of Arkle. The grey skies of earlier in the day had cleared and we had beautiful evening light and a good breeze.

The mountain itself is not designed to be easy, a mental challenge for some, a physical challenge for others, but that the point! After breakfast in the old stone stables beside the base camp, the four teams set off, picking their way up different routes towards the first of two summits. From here the route narrows and steepens, descending into a col, and climbing back out the other side, before a crenelated ridge takes us to the second summit. The teams were in good spirits crossing the ridge, which takes extra care and team work, and had reached the second summit by 1.30pm. A great success!

Some were keen for a swim when the first teams arrived back at the Adventure School in the late afternoon, and by this time we had clear blue skies and warm sunshine. For others it was just a shower and change before dinner. All are well after their day in the mountains although there are some sleepy heads this evening.

Sea kayaking is the plan tomorrow, along with the shelter building element of the survival skills.
More news to follow over the next couple of days and more pics on Mr Miller’s blog which can be accessed from the school’s homepage.