Baggin' Beinn Achaladair & Beinn a Chreachain

Last Saturday some mates from Garscube invited me out for another day of hill-walking -- a chance to 'bag' a couple more of Scotland's 284 munros and thus bring my total to an unimpressive (though at least a beginning) 3. The day's walk, beginning near Bridge of Orchy just south of Rannoch Moor and Glen Coe, would take us over peaks of 1038 meters (Achaladair) and 1081 meters (Chreachain) in a duration of about 6.5 hours. Click here for a crude map of our route (Beinn Achaladair at aprox. 4 mile mark, Beinn Chreachain at aprox. mile 6.5, Cranach wood at miles 9-10.5). Setting out from Achallader Farm, from left to right, are David (Scotland's teacher-of-the-year), Athole (Garscube men's captain and Scotland's most-welcoming-to-red- headed-American-runners), Marco (the mad WHWer and bagger of all but 40-odd munros, many more than once) , and Debbie (ran the 95-mile WHW race while 10 weeks pregnant, going strong here at 18 weeks):Achallader farm - an old granary perhaps?
With the thick cloud-cover, I couldn't see what I was getting myself into ... thankfully:
The first part of the climb followed a cascading stream up a wet and muddy slope - perfect conditions for my not-so-water-proof Nike trainers:
The awesome views of waterfalls pouring out of the cloud-covered mountains made it difficult to both watch where I was stepping and take in the atmosphere:
The group presses on up the initial slope - still in the mild, calm conditions of the lower regions:
Perhaps the most scenic part of the climb (mostly due to the fact that, having not yet reached the clouds, one could still see further than 5o feet) - the stream is pretty neat too:

Almost to the first top, Athole and David charge ahead:
Higher, colder, windier - time to get serious, time to get the tommy on (i.e. put on one's stocking hat):
Debbie strolls along with Bambino Consani:
Reaching the first minor top, we were well into the clouds and vicious wind:
Atop the first peak --- Beinn Achaladair in the bag. The jocular mood a sign that pure exhaustion had not yet set in:
Descending along a steep rocky ridge on our way to the next climb:
After dipping just under the clouds, we begin the next ascent to Beinn a Chreachain:
A view across Rannoch Moor to the north - as bleak and hostile as a distant, lifeless planet:
The view across highland peaks to the south:
After climbing back into the clouds and up a steeper slope, our troupe arrives on Beinn a Chreachain (Debbie, David, and Marco):
Athole at the cairn:
Munro numero tres:
Though it was all down-hill from here, there was still more than two hours of walking in order to complete our circuit, and the descent was far more difficult than I was anticipating.

Looking down to the mountain lochs:


Marco, Athole, and Debbie on the way down the soggy slope:
Striking the mountaineering pose in front of Beinn Achaladair - the first of the two peaks we had just climbed. Our ascent was up the opposite side (out of view), while our descent was along the left ridge (I think):
We descended into the midge-invested Cranach wood - one of the few patches of scotch pine forest left in Scotland:

Back through the ghost-structures of Achallader farms, and the circle is complete.