Epic Hikes of the World ( PDFDrive )

‘Hold on, let’s take a bearing off this summit,’ said Jeremy, as I shouldered my
pack and started to amble down what seemed like the right path. My intuition was
proved entirely wrong. I’m not sure how long it would have taken me to realise my
mistake, but a little compass work had just saved me the humiliation of a big
ascent to get back to square one.
© Gareth Mccormack | Getty
treading carefully on Devils’ Ridge.
Before we hit our final summit, we climbed to the top of Sgor an Iubhair, which
despite its height of 3284ft (1001m) holds the record for having been a Munro for
just 16 years; there’s a subjective element to this mountain compendium, and this
former Munro was demoted to join the 227 subsidiary tops in 1997.
It is the prelude to the Devil’s Ridge, an airy section of the route at its most
exposed along a broad arete. Blessed with a calm day we sauntered across with
hands in pockets, but I can imagine this being dicey when the winds are whipping
up or if there’s ice underfoot. For those who love climbing over rock there were
sections of scrambling to add to the excitement, while nervous members of our
group could opt for the grassy path to the side.
That delicious hint of exposure led to the final Munro of our day, the 3606ft
(1099m) Sgurr a’Mhaim. The descent from here is tough and the long trek back