It would be a crime to leave Scotland and not trek along one of the thousand of epic hikes this beautiful country is known for. We were given a number of recommendations from friends and locals, and after some peer-pressure, we decided on conquering the Anoch Eagach Ridge, the most legendary Grade 2 scramble in Scotland.

From Loch Ness, we drove to Glencoe and in the morning, began our hike to Anoch Eagach, recommended by our Scottish friends from Mammoth and whom I don’t know if we’ll still be friends with (KIDDING!!).

I’m a pretty tough chick, and have done countless hikes, but without a doubt this was literally the most terrifying and difficult thing I’ve ever done. 8.5 miles, 9 hours. The rock scrambling, mixed with rain, wind, and SNOW! Along with slippery rocks, plus the fact we really didn’t know where we were going, was a recipe for disaster in my book. 

Not sure if we were on the “trail”, and trying to figure out the best route over the “Crazy Pinnacles”, which I thought there were only three, but turns out theres like nine (I think… I blacked out 🙂 )! Here’s an article describing the hike — Wish I would have read this beforehand!

And if that weren’t enough, we had to hitch hike to get back to our car, which took us another 30 minutes to catch a ride. As we were about to start walking, a nice local picked us up. Thank God! When we told her we just hiked the ridge and pointed up, she said, “Oh yeah, lots of people die up there.” No shit! At one point, I thought I was going to do just that. I was so scared, but Michael talked me down and we survived! Overall, I’m glad we did it, but more glad it’s over!

Although, the views were pretty epic though…

SNOWING!

  We hiked this entire ridge line… “Gnarly” is an understatement.

But we made it! Happy to be alive!… Celebrating with the traditional scotch shot at the top!

To be honest, this hike would have been much easier and more enjoyable if the weather was better. If you’re into scrambling, rock climbing, and tempting fate, then give it a go! But definitely wait for the sun 🙂 Otherwise, check out one of the many other beautiful (and easier) hikes around Scotland!

Fun Fact:

• Once you reach a summit (aka “Ben”), you have to take a shot of scotch/whiskey. It’s Scottish tradition. Of course, we had to oblige (twice!), once when we thought we were at the top, and once when we knew we were going to survive 🙂