Climbing Ben Nevis April 26, 2008

These are some pictures that I took of our climb up Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis is the tallest mountain in the UK and tops out at 1,344 metres (or 4,406 ft if you like your altitudes that way) and the base is quite close to sea level so the altitude gain is similar to a 14er except you get to keep your breath. We set out in the morning from our hostel which was at the base of the mountain and hiked back down to Fort William where we picked up some last minute rations and then set back up towards the peak. We made it to Lochan Meall an t-suidhe (the lake which was at about 560 m) by around 5 pm where we ate some dinner and then set up camp. The weather that night was calm at times but mostly gusty winds and it got a little chilly.

We got up around 9 and put our stuff in genes tent, that he got for free for spending more than 65 pounds at a backpacking store, and started up the mountain. At around 800 m we started to hit snow. The snow was fairly frozen and slick. It would have been nice to have some crampons and an ice axe but I had left mine at home in my basement. Wei and I pressed on and Gene went back to hang out in the tent. There were plenty of tracks to follow because the weather the day before was super nice. Normally, like the day we had chosen, there are low clouds that cover the last 300-400 m of the peak and make it hard to see where you are going (aka white out conditions). Armed with a great map that I picked up in town for 13 pounds ($26 better be great) and my gps marking tons of way points as we went we made our way up into the clouds where snow met sky.

This mountain has a series of cliffs and gullies that one can easly fall into if visibility is bad. We had been warned about them and took great caution not to get too close. Eventually we found to top where it was quite windy and white. Not much of a view but there was a survival hut to check out. We took some pictures and then headed down. On the way down the snow was a lot softer then on the way up. We made it easy on ourselves and did some glacading. Once back to the tent we met up with Gene and packed up. When we got back to town we checked into a cheep hotel and then treated ourselves to a nice steak dinner. It was a good day.

Inverness and Loch Ness April 26, 2008

Palace Of Holyroodhouse and Royal Botanical Garden April 26, 2008

Edinburgh Castle April 18, 2008

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Today we took the bus from Glasgow to Edinburgh (Pronounced Edinbra) which only took an hour or two. Once we arrived we looked around and found a hostel that had some openings and checked in. With our large packs left off at the hostel we were free to roam around and take in the local sights. We started off walking through a nice park that was right at the foot of the castle, which is up on a large hill right in the center of town. We took a look inside a church and then made our way up to the castle. Once inside there were a couple of museums to take in and plenty of nice views. After checking out the castle we went to an art museum that had an Ansel Adams exhibit on. The admission was kind of steep so we just checked out the free part that was nice as well. There was an exhibit of work by a local political cartoonist, which was interesting. For dinner we cooked up some spaghetti in the Hostel kitchen.

Route as of April 15th April 15, 2008

Glasgow Lights Under Bridge April 15, 2008

Here is a short video that I made, hope you all enjoy it

Glasgow Pictures April 15, 2008

Pictures From Belfast April 14, 2008

Giants causeway April 14, 2008

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Today we signed up for a day trip along to coast north of Belfast up to the Giants Causeway. It was rainy when we started off but then as we traveled north the clouds cleared. Our first stop was an old Castle, which we only had a couple of minutes at because we were running late. Our second stop was an old rope bridge that we got to walk across for a small fee. It was on a cliff that had an island right off of it where you could walk around once you crossed. The view was quite nice. After that we headed up to the Bushmills Distillery where we got to sample a little bit of Irish whiskey right from the source. After that we headed on to the main attraction, which was the Giants Causeway. This is an area with strange rock columns that were formed by Lava. They made for some interesting pictures. We hiked around there for a couple of hours and then got a pint before getting back on the bus to head home to Belfast.

On to Galway April 9, 2008

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Today we got up at 6:45 am and packed up at our hostel. We had to get up that early in order to make it to a bus that was leaving Dingle at 7:15 am. We rode to limerick and then transferred to another bus and then we rode to another town and transferred to yet another bus. We arrived in Galway at around 1:20 am and it started sleeting on us right as we got off the bus. We ran into the bus and train station and then it let up. We were going to try to couch surf with a couple in town but it kind of fell through so we found a hostel that was just right across from the bus station and checked in for ∉15 a night and stayed in a 14 room dorm. There was great free fast Internet there so we hung out for a bit. I went to the grocery store and bought some ready-made pizzas and cooked them up in the hostel kitchen for us. While they were cooking I met a guy named Jimmy who was from Australia who we ended up becoming friends with. After dinner we went out to a pub for a pint. We found a place called the Kings head and went in. There was a band playing live music there, which was nice. There was a group of guys that were really enjoying them selves and some how we got to talking with them. Some of them were from Glasgow and were in Galway on vacation. One of the Scotts asked where I was from and I said Kansas and he said Canada, before I could correct him he declared that he was buying all three of us shots. So we got some shots of Jameson Whiskey. After the shots he asked what part of Canada I was from and I said that I was actually from the states. He laughed and probably half joking said that he shouldn’t have bought the shots for us then. He was nice though and then preceded to talk to us about Dorothy, which seems to be the common response to us Kansans.

Can you name all the Rock stars? Dead or Alive?