UKC

Hi.
Above combination: anyone do it? Is it madness?

Both the dog and I have a fair bit of experience in the hills and done grade 1 scrambles with the mutt.

In reply to Flinticus:

Someone may be along in a moment to tell of the time their guinea pig soloed it in winter whilst recovering from losing its front legs in a wrestling match with a bear, but I wouldn't take a dog on it.

I don't really consider it a scramble, and remember it as being rather more like wrestling a bear.

My wife didn't really enjoy it either:
http://www.dreamsofmountains.co.uk/spring2007/20070528Witchs_Step.JPG

A good day out other than those 5 metres or so, though!

In reply to skog: Agree with Skog. I seem to remember we abbed down it with my then girlfriend. Would Arran grit be tough on pooch's paws ??

In reply to Flinticus:

The witches step isn't too bad when dry, it's horrendous when wet. Fortunately you can walk around the hard bit quite easily if you don't fancy it. I suggest going anyway and making your mind up when you see it close up.

In reply to Flinticus:

No idea about the dog, but you'd have to go round the hard bit to make it anything like a grade 1 scramble. Taken direct it's a thrutchy Diff.

In reply to Flinticus: Hard to add anything to the above comments so I'll just reiterate them - it's not a scramble, it's an awkward Diff. I don't know a lot about dogs but don't imagine many would enjoy it.

Thanks all. Weather looking too iffy anyway I think (for Thursday / Friday).

Flint's paws are pretty tough and he's been over that kind of rock before. However I've no wish to take him down / up a difficult difficult.

FWIW he's worn a harness for minor sections on walks / scrambles beforehand where he's been pulled up or lowered down: bits that form a minute fraction of a day's outing and while he may not enjoy that particular section, he knows not to struggle etc and then when the bits over, the pleasure at getting up / down is great. I interpret this, based on my own experience, as a sense of achievement / relief (we are just animals too), materialising in the form of excessive tail wagging, play bows and spinning.

But, like I said above, awkward diff is a witch's step too far.

In reply to Flinticus:

You can walk around the diff bit.

In reply to davidbeynon: That's very true - I'd forgot that. Easily bypasseed on the N side

In reply to Flinticus: It is madness. Its an unusually horrific, off balance and disproportionately committed piece of (alleged) scrambling. I've looked at it from the top and the bottom then always taken the easy way round which seems entirely sensible. Unless your dog is a marmoset-cross I wouldn't even consider it .

In reply to Flinticus:
As above- taken direct the eastern side of the gap is a diff climb that has put off several VS leaders. But there is a way to avoid this by traversing the north side of the eastern pinnacle after descending the gap a short way. The traverse scramble to avoid the direct route is about grade 1, not too hard, but thrutchy for people who only do hill walking. If you do this the main hazard really is getting in to the gap from the western side- the usual path is now very eroded and steep and the rock is chossy, I tend to wend my way down slightly north of the main path, to avoid the gravelly slabs. Some dogs could do this, but most owners would not cope well with a dog in this situation.

I regularly lead this traverse for work, but have on occasion taken the decision not to take some clients across if they are not confident/sure footed.

Cheers, will note for future. Took the train to Corrour instead and camped by the ruined 'lodge' at the end of Loch Treig.

Had a couple of pints of Corrour Gold, on draught, waiting for the train home. Great.