It’s a record-breaking adventure that will see every Scottish mountain over 1km high all 130 of them scaled in a human-powered relay to raise funds for charity.
ARCHIE’s Mountain Challenge kicked off a week ago, with an intrepid team of athletes made up of staff from Ninewells Hospital, their friends and families, running up the mountains in a bid to raise vital funds for Tayside Children’s Hospital’s twin operating theatres.
Starting with a ceremonial toe dip in the chilly North Sea, near Dingwall, last Saturday marked by a rousing bagpipe recital by Alison Geddes, a staff nurse on the children’s surgical ward at Ninewells the relay team then cycled to the foot of Ben Wyvis, where they were greeted by a crowd of cheering supporters.
They then passed the relay baton, ARCHIE’s rabbit mascot, to a group of hill runners, who sprinted up the towering peak.
While the relay aspect of the challenge is very much the domain of these experienced runners, three community walks including the jaunt up Ben Wyvis and a hike up Lochnagar today play a big part in helping to raise funds.
So while the mega-fit athletes made it to the summit of Ben Wyvis in about 90 minutes, they were followed by groups of walkers (including me), who climbed the 1,046m mountain at a more sedate pace.
A quick internet search and I discovered that the Gaelic translation for Wyvis (Beinn Uais) means Hill of Terror.
So it was with some trepidation that I fell in with a team led by civil engineer and qualified mountain leader Steve Byer, the husband of fellow walker Suzie Byer, a senior charge nurse at Ninewells.
Grey clouds hung heavy in the sky and we were soon engulfed in a thick mist. Rain belted down and hailstones threatened but, eventually, after a hard three-hour slog, we made it to the top.
Among those who reached the top were 75-year-old Keith Brunskill and seven-year-old Anna Fettes, the daughter of ARCHIE’s Mountain Challenge pioneer, Dr Paul Fettes, a consultant paediatric anaesthetist.
Other heroes to make the summit included seven-year-old Anna Irving and nine-year-old Isaac McCabe, who was born prematurely at 29 weeks.
Back at base and soaked to the bone, it was hard to imagine the hardcore athletes would continue their quest well into the night.
Having climbed Ben Wyvis, they cycled to and ran up Beinn Dearg, two peaks on An Teallach and then started climbing two of the Fannichs at 10pm, finishing up in the wee hours a total of six ARCHIEs in just one day.
The following day, they completed four ARCHIEs Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair, Beinn Eighe, and two peaks on Liathach and finished with an 11-mile cycle over the Cuillin Pass.
The next few days saw the team moving into Glen Cannich, Glen Affric, Glen Shiel and then into the isolated Knoydart peninsula.
Wild, wintry conditions hampered progress at some points, with runners forced to retreat from two peaks and climbing 200m to cross a burn in spate. While some nights will be spent in youth hostels, the adventurers will mostly be roughing it.
The relay team will chart their wild travels via a GPS locator worn by the ARCHIE rabbit mascot.
Paul is adamant that the team are not “conquering” the mountains; rather, they’re enjoying the privilege of spending time in them.
“This is a journey and a celebration of Scotland’s wonderful outdoors playground,” he said.
Once the team have completed all 130 peaks, they hope they’ll be able to apply to the Scottish Mountaineering Club for the collection of hills to be officially named ARCHIEs.