In reply to Am Fear Liath Mor:
There is so much more to say than this......
Neil was a man with many passions and I was priviledged enough to be able to share several with him.
His love for the mountains is perhaps the most obvious and his appetite and enthusiasm for climbing was insatiable, it really had to be seen to be believed.
The night before going on a climb Neil would sometimes be unable to sleep such was his excitement.
As a partner on the hill there couldn’t be better. I never heard him complain about being cold or tired even though at times I know he was. His decisions were reliable, his knowledge of the environment he was in was immense. What made him such a good climber though was his drive and determination. On arriving at the top of a route hours after dark, exhausted and struggling to find the energy to go on Neil was the one who would start packing the bags putting extra weight into his bag, Neil was the one who would dig out the map and compass and assume responsiblilty for getting off. It wasn’t so much that he was fitter and stronger than others (although he probably was) but that he had the ability to drive himself on beyond the point where others would give up.
At times in the hills I trusted Neil with my life. I never had to think twice about it.
Neils passions were not just limited to the hills though. Recently I had driven up to Inverness to go climbing with him. The weather and conditions were near perfect. I forgot my boots. Neil wasn’t disappointed he just turned his enthusiasm elsewhere, we could go fishing or rock climbing and cook a huge feast for dinner. And his determination was carried into these other things too. During the summer he fished on the Ness 30 hrs a week. Despite being so driven he was never selfish, the day I caught more fish than him he was genuinely pleased for me.
Dinner at Neils was always an experience, he would throw all his enthusiasm into creating a feast and many a happy night was spent infront of a mountain of fine food.
Every day spent with Neil, fishing, climbing, walking, eating, going to a pub, sitting round a fire, every day was a worthwhile day.
Tim