Mount Keen

[Budgie1]

This is my first Blog. I tried to put this report on in September but it didnt upload for some reason.

Mount Keen 13th September 2020.
What didn’t happen on this walk must be the question.

I set off from Wishaw at 6am in the morning. The drive up never bothers me.
As I turned off the main road on to the country road, I seen two Golden Eagles hovering above the mountains. Beautiful animals. About 5 minutes in to this road I was going around a left-hand bend and I seen two red squirrels beside the trees in a back garden. It was the only house near, I stopped the car on the bend and tried to take a photo from inside the car. It wasn’t happening, so I got out and tried to get a photo of them. I managed to get one but not too focussed. By this time, I had stopped a tractor at one end and a car at the other. I went to go back into my car and noticed that there was a Golden Eagle across on the field at the other end of the road, virtually overhead. I wasn’t leaving without trying to get photos. Not too bad but still couldn’t get the focus bang on. I apologised to the guy in the tractor and car and drove merrily on my way, quite chuffed with myself after seeing two things I hadn’t seen out-with a zoo before.
Once I reached the carpark at GlenElsk I got out and changed into my walking boots to go up. The weather looked perfect. I started walking along the path, through the gate and started on, my way, taking the odd pic along it, past the church graveyard. I was at least 30/40 minutes into the walk and I looked behind. The bottom of the mountain is 2.5/3 miles walk in to it. I was walking for about a half hour and gazed back, as you do to see how far you have come. In the distance I could see a girl walking. I looked back a few minutes later and she was getting closer. Same again after another couple and closer still. So I thought, there is no way you are catching me. At that I started putting on a wee quick step, looked back and she was getting closer. Another wee change of pace and a few minutes later she was still catching. I then started on a really fast pace, sweat pouring out of me and nearly taking an asthma attack or a heart attack. Turned round and she was still closer. I then decided that I would let her pass me as I didn’t want to have a heart attack and I still wanted to be able to get up the mountain. As she came up behind, I heard her say. “Excuse me, have you dropped your bank card” I said, I don’t think so hen. Then she read out the name and I said, Mibbee I have then. Thank you very much. Then she skelped on ahead of me up the mountain. I was still laughing till I reached the bottom of the mountain.
I was thinking, what a great start to the day, surely that’s the highlights all gone. Looking ahead, past the Queens well, I could see the path up the hill to the right and it looked just a bit too easy as it wasn’t very steep looking. That’s pretty rich coming from someone who struggles up any hill
Anyhow. I reached the slope and started to go up. The valley to the right of me had lots of heather, gorse and the like. I had a quick scout through my noclars but couldn’t see anything around.
Onwards and upwards I go. Round the first bend then I see the steep part coming. Heart sinking a wee bit, but just carried on. Zigzag up, up, up and I start to go into my autopilot where I just keep saying. Slowly slowly catchee monkey. Got to the top of that part and there is a bit of respite in a long lazy slope going gradually up to the next, what looks to me like Everest.
So here I was, sauntering up this slope. Great path and heather to the side of me. I don’t know if you have ever been caught out by a Capercaillie. Until that day I had never seen one in real life. I was keeping to the far right of the path and seen other people up in front of me that had just passed the part I was coming to. Did the Capercaillie jump out on them. Did it hell as like. It waited and waited, probably looking out its wee red evil eyes saying. “wait till yi see this wan then” I was just about to step from my left to right foot when, WHAM! This mental bird jumps up with the terrifying noises of flapping wings and god knows what else right beside me in the heather at the path. I swear to God I nearly fell across the other side of the path. Couldn’t get my camera out to take a picture of where it had landed (about 20 feet away, waiting to do the same again to some poor unsuspecting victim) as I was still trying to recover. The couple behind me were killing themselves laughing. I walked alongside the couple until we reached the steeper slope and then I said to them to carry on as I was about to die.
I then got to the top of what I thought was the summit, only to see another part pop up in the form of the real summit.





I arrived at the carpark at Glenesk and got changed. It was a very nice morning and looked like it was going to last the day. As usual for safety I had followed my usual traits. Once I arrive at my destination, I text my wife to say I have arrived safe, I then text and say I am heading up, then I let her know when I am at the top and heading down. Then txt that I am down safe and heading home.
This time I text her and said that I was going to head to where I seen the Eagles to see if I could get more pics of them. I was travelling along the road about 5 minutes when the Golden Eagle, which must have just grabbed a rabbit from the field at the left hand side of me. It passed no more than 20/30 feet in front of the car with the rabbit hanging from its claws. It landed in the field across. I stooped the car, jumped out with my camera and ran over to the fence. The Eagle flew off without the rabbit. OK, I thought. It will come back for its prey, so I crouched behind the hedgerow at the side of the road with my camera, hiding from an animal which has arguable one of the best eye sights in the animal kingdom. So I was sat there for 5 minutes, 10 minutes. No Eagle but a few cars passing by with people who must have been thinking I was some weirdo. 20 minutes went by and still no Eagle. I gave up and went to the car. Then I saw it rising up from behind the trees away across the fields. It never came near but did fly across.
So, I headed home and decided to go down the coastal route to look for somewhere nice to take my wife on the Wednesday on my day off. Over to Montrose and work down the way. I discovered Lunan beach. Wow! If you have never been then it is worth a day out