An Inverness school pupil has become the youngest girl to climb all Scottish Munros.
Quinn Young was just three-years-old when she conquered her first mountaintop near Loch Morlich on a sunny day out with her family.
And since then, the Duncan Forbes Primary youngster has grown up to be a fearless climber, battling wind, snow and rain on some of the most notorious and challenging Munros.
Having ascended the country’s highest mountain Ben Nevis for the first time when she was five-years-old, Quinn has now scaled all peaks over 3,000ft in Scotland.
He final conquest of the remote Càrn nan Gobhar, west of Inverness, was one of 12 Munros around Loch Mullardoch she did in one weekend this month with dad Ian.
The trip included a summit camp on Mullach na Dheiragain, with the final rock being placed on a cairn when Quinn was 10 years, three months and 13 days old.
Mr Young, 47, who completed all the Munros himself last year, said he couldn’t be more proud of his daughter’s achievements.
“It’s absolutely amazing what she’s managed to achieve,” he said.
“She’s a typical 10-year-old girl – she goes to school, loves drawing and playing with her friends – and I don’t think she actually realises what she’s done.
“It’s amazing what these little people can do, they have so much more energy and naturally move so much more than adults.
“And she was so confident when climbing up, she was just running up the hill telling me stories, while I was trying to catch my breath.”
‘Highlight was spending time with Quinn’
Quinn’s name is now recorded in Scottish Mountaineering Club’s “compleators” register at number 7033.
Her feat included scaling the notorious Inaccessible Pinnacle, also known as In Pin, on Skye, which is known as one of the most difficult Munros to bag.
Speaking to The Press and Journal, Quinn admitted there were times when she felt a bit scared when they stumbled on bad weather while trying to reach a mountain top.
But she enjoyed spending time with her dad and seeing the rich wildlife during their journeys.
Mr Young added: “The scenic places and the views that we have on offer in Scotland are spectacular, but the best thing about our journey was spending time with Quinn.
“It’s the privilege to be able to experience all of that with her – nothing can ever beat that.
“We did a big walk after Quinn completed the Munros, and she said ‘I’m going to miss our walks, daddy, because I’m going to miss spending time with you up on the hill.’
“So we’re not going to stop.”
Conversation