Beinn Mhanach / Monk’s Hill

10 Nov 2012, get up in Hotel in Ballachuilish, look out at the breakfast table to the misted Loch Leven. It is wheat, I say. Nick looks stern, 10 min, I repeat: it looks wheat and windy. He does not hear me. Looks stern. We go, as arranged with Alice and John. To meet them at Bridge of Orchy Hotel. We sit, wait, Nick looks stern (stern in German means ‘star’), they come, Nick brightens, the sky too. Decided to walk, no bikes, 7 hours? Leave car at precarious site, down the track, forbidding sign, cross W Highland way, down, farm, ford river, under rail viaduct, ford burn, along glen Auch, along river, ford, go wrong, back along, chat, children, life, work, ford, along, along, ford again, need sticks, Rachel phones, Nick shouts, Michaela, ford, will go to her celebration on Thursday, with Rachel, on, past sheep shed, ford deep, photo, ford, along, buzzard, deep brown, bridge, racing water, up, sheep, talk MAP, launch, green, need to sennd logo, steep, views to Glen Lyon, all brown golden colours, dark red too, up, sandwich, cake, snow flake, glimpse of sun, snow, up, cold, up, sheep, run away, buzzard, up, drink, meet hikers, 30 min, they say, footsteps in snow, plateau, first summit, go right, summit, Ben Mhanach, 953 m, NN316353, all white, photo, cake, all white, head back, down, footsteps, down, past fence, down, big sheep, a ram, down, brown again, view again, all brown, golden, burgundy, orange Alice says, see the loch, which one?, a bothy, down, down, see path, reach path, bridge, stream even bigger, back W, talk ideas, planting and walking, seeds and steps, nice, change, in the air, walk, past sheep shed, ram horn, ford, more water, walk along, along, ford, along, ford, along, ford, along, ford, along, ford, so much water, can we all cross?, some dry feet, some wheat feet, ford, lots of water now, loose pole, where is it?, gone, under rail bridge, past farm, now illuminated, up, car, dark. 7 hours. Back to hotel, with Alice and John and whisky and fire, and fish and chips and lamb shank and juke box and stories and whisky.