4th July 2014, Carn Dearg (M232), 3087ft, 941m
I did not take a photo of myself at the top of this mountain. I did not think to do so because I was not yet bagging Munros nor demanding of myself validation of this.
I took several from its slopes though. Among which the above long distance shot of the Fort William train clattering up the hill to Corrour Station past the lower slopes of Leum Uillem, near where Irvine Welsh took the characters of his Trainspotting, thereby germinating the epic rant from which the title of this blog is a quotation.
It is of course pure coincidence that this was the first Munro I climbed with cancer, for the idea for and title of the blog were yet to present themselves to me.
The previous day I parked at Rannoch Station and walked through wet summer rain over the path to Old Corrour Lodge, now a ruin, but once a substantial arrangement of buildings with a very fine prospect over the northern reaches of Rannoch Moor towards Nevis ranges and Mamores.
Here I pitched my tent and fell asleep, to be awakened by brilliant sunlight and clouds of midges. It felt good then to be back in the mountains after so many years away, under such challenging mental circumstances.
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