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Carn Crom sunrise

Carn Crom sunrise


Postby litljortindan » Thu Apr 15, 2021 5:32 pm

Munros included on this walk: Derry Cairngorm

Date walked: 03/04/2021

Time taken: 9 hours

Distance: 19 km

Ascent: 835m

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I got the top of "Carn Crom" and saw that the time was only 5.30am. If I was an hour ahead of schedule then maybe I had forgotten to put the clock forward on my seldom-visited phone. Having verified that it was the correct time it dawned on me; try checking the map. And sure enough, I had only got as far as Creag Bad an t-Seabhaig. So I hadn't gained some mysterious covid vaccine fitness boost side-effect after all. Disappointing as that was, it was comforting that my plodding progress is so predictable and, sure enough, to the minute, I was at Carn Crom for 6.30am in time to see the sunrise.

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Actually the first time I've used the new headtorch that I bought last November. I bought it because it is rechargeable / planet saving but hadn't yet used it for an extended period because of frustration with its too easy to depress on/off button i.e. I would stow it then find it was on, leaving me uncertain as to how much juice would be left in it. I suppose it's just a matter of not over-packing the pocket I put it in.

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Lochnagar.

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Something mysteriously appealing about the half-light or is it appealingly mysterious.

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Beinn a' Glo not yet aglow.

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Beinn Mheadhoin and Glen Derry from just below Carn Crom.

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Mind and eyeballs travelling illegally more than five miles into an adjacent local authority area.

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First view across to Cairn Toul & co. is fairly jaw-dropping, possibly because it is concealed during the ascent of Carn Crom.

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Carn Crom cairn.

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Cairn Toul and Braeriach.

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The way to Derry Cairngorm.

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Lochnagar again.

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Ptarmigan waiting about to see if they'll get their photos taken.

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I had been deceived by the first snow patch into thinking I was near the summit but soon found I had a bit to go.

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Views have opened up again though.

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Coire Sputan Dearg cliffs.

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Ben Lawers.

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Beinn Mheadhoin with Stob Choire Etchatchatn cliffs in front / to the right.

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Cloud drifting across Craig Derry slopes.

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The sunshine reflecting off the snow is a sight for sore eyes.

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Leaving the final snow patch, which has been great fun to walk on, and entering the hell that is the small summit boulder field. Hell for me, at least, as I dislike boulder fields.

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But I am in no hurry to start boulder hopping (or boulder stumbling in my case) so I take another photograph.

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I dislike the summit terrain but I do like the views!

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Lochnagar again.

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Cloudy to the north east.

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Giving my ankles a rest. Beinn Mheadhoin again.

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Roller-coaster.

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My heart sank when I saw that there was not one summit cairn but two. I nevertheless did the extra stumbling so that I could legitimately claim to have climbed Derry Cairngorm but in some way I feel I should have resisted and that it would have been better to be able to later say that I had nearly climbed Derry Cairngorm as that is clearly a much more sensible thing to do.

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Devil's Point catches the eye to the south west.

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It's maybe not such a good idea to have stunning views from bouldery summits (I don't know who is responsible for the planning) or, indeed, to visit the absolute summits of such bouldery summits.

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Ready to descend.

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Goodbye boulders.

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Ben Lawers again.

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Lochnagar again.

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Morven maybe.

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There are good views of Glen Derry to be had by heading a little bit east of the main path.

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Nearing Carn Crom again.

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Finished the descent with a very pleasant walk through the pines that I couldn't see in the dark of the morning.

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But I find that I still have to be careful where I put my feet.

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User avatar
litljortindan
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Posts: 2377
Munros:153   Corbetts:67
Fionas:29   Donalds:1
Sub 2000:47   Hewitts:12
Wainwrights:10   
Joined: Dec 11, 2011

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