Sadly, my 18-year old dog finally passed away during the year. She had been unable to get up hills for quite some while, her last being a snowy visit to Stac Pollaidh about five years ago. However, this meant that I managed to be a bit more active in climbing new hills. Orienteering still gets in the way most weekends, but I finally made it to a Marhof meet over at Strontian. I recommend it - I bagged several new hills, including a couple of island tops that I would probably never have done otherwise. My best outing was a day in north-east Skye, running everything north of Portree. I think I would rate Sithean Bhealaich Chumhaing as my favourite Marilyn of all - what a fabulous ridge above the sea, helped by seeing a fishing white-tailed eagle and looking down on a hunting golden eagle. The Table on the Quiraing at the end of the day is a quite stunning spot.
