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Three weeks had passed since my return from Inverness after completing the West Highland Way, Great Glen Way and a jaunt up the Ben. Boots dubbin-ed and put away, feet pumiced and back to school and football. Bonfire week-end I managed to incur the wrath of my parents having misjudged the alcohol content of a few ciders
The inevitable "grounding" followed...dreading the thought of spending the next couple of week-ends in the house watching the X factor I began to start suggesting (rather cleverly
) a foray into the Cairngorms. Mum took the bait and by Tuesday had started to check the long range mountain weather forecasts - when i got home from school on Friday dad had started to make ready the camper!
I had a game on Saturday so after a quick supper we were on our way Feshie Bound. We parked up at Auchlean before getting our heads down - the plan had been to be away for first light but ye ken fit like. By the time I was up and savoring my bacon rolls it was actually nearer nine before we started walking. The weather was perfect - blue skies, no wind, temperature just right for base layer and jacket. The walk up from Auchlean is good and I would recommend it over the long boring trudge up Coire Chaoil (rhymes with TOIL
). The westerly view opened up the higher we climbed and I got some great views of Meagaidh & Co topped with snow.
As we reach the plateau, the temperature dropped, the clag came down and the views disappeared but it really wasn't unpleasant. The tracks across to Carn Ban Mor and Mullach Clach a Bhlair clearly identifiable through the snow. It was completely silent and we were totally alone - This is the main reason why I love the Cairngorms - you can walk for miles and feel as though you have the hill to yourselves.
As we got nearer to Tom Dubh the skies cleared and we were treated to some awesome views of Braeriach, Cairn Toul, Sgor an Lochain Uaine with Macdui in the distance, his peak just shrouded by a cloud - these were the first hills I did and I have been up them over and over again so perhaps they will always be special.
We stopped before crossing the Allt Sgairnich for some slushy Lucozade and frozen Snickers. Taking our gloves off to eat and drink reminded me of how cold it actually was "but at least no wind" my mother commented - within an hour she was to eat her words
We crossed the Allt Luineag uneventfully and at this point I put in my ear buds and selected Mumford and Sons for company, putting my head down I followed the track up the incline...when the play-list finished and I reached the top I looked back to check on mum...
...wrong incline! True to form I was yet again geographically challenged. It took me twenty minutes and a lot of hard work to descend, cross the burn then reascend the western flanks of Monadh Mor. As we climbed higher so the wind picked up, the snow started falling, the visibility reduced to near nil and the views disappeared - not that that mattered because you had to keep you head in you hood. We had walked into some pretty scary weather. Sticking together we made our way to the top using GPS (and my mums nose...don't ask!) We passed the summit cairn opting not to stop due to extreme wind chill. The walk across the plateau seemed to take forever and although it was frightening, it was frightening in a fun kind of way. As we both picked our way down towards the bealach above Cath nam Fionn I began to think, reminding myself of how dangerous our hills can be. I can drive to the bottom of the hill we were on in about an hour (well I can't drive yet but you know what I mean) but if I get cold, or stop moving or run out of food and drink or panic I am dead and the fact that this does happen is a sobering thought
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Anyway we reach the bealach and mum insists on having a rest (light weight!) I think she is maybe dreading the ascent of Bhrotain - with all the snow that had fallen in the last hour or so the route up did not look an easy one. I was actually happy enough to do this as well and we had cheese sandwiches and some more slushy Lucozade with the Devil's Point dominating our views. Once we got going it wasn't as bad as it had first looked and an easy, surprisingly quick climb up. We made the trig point, and the break in weather allowed me to take some photos.
We started the short walk over to the next hump and hit some really deep snow which sparked some rather immature antics...that was from mum
From height I planned my route down through the snow to the short heather at around 700m, into Coire an t-Sneachda, eventually picking up the Allt Garbh before dropping down into Glen Dee. The great slabs of rock that the Garbh flows down are amazing and loads of time was wasted farting about here while mum watch the silhouette of deer on Carn Cloich-mhuilinn.
As you follow the burn downhill there is a path...AVOID AVOID AVOID...the heather is short and not too rocky a much better alternative to the the wet, peaty, mud which is so slippery and slows you down, frustrations creeping in, especially with tired legs. As you near Glen Dee the path improves before a right turn joins the track to the White Bridge. It was beginning to get dark as we walked out but the fading light gave the Devils Point an impressive presence - I kept walking backwards just to stare in awe!
We managed to make the white bridge before donning our head torches. The last couple of miles to the Linn of Dee passed quickly enough with us both singing a
million love songs and pretending the planes flying above were UFOs, mum hoping I was about to be abducted by aliens!!
Dad, warm camper-van and hot curry we waiting for us at the car park when we walked in at about 6:30. Thanks dad.
I spent the drive back contemplating how much better my foray into the Cairngorms had been than having to stay home and be subjected to the X Factor. Bring on being Grounded
