The Foxys: Act 3 (Dearg Mor, Avon)

[Foxytoon]

The Foxys: Act 3 (Dearg Mor, Avon)
A ‘Foxy’ is the combined traverse of a Loch or Lake (over 1 km) and the summiting of a Mountain (over 2000ft) bearing the same name; there are 21 Foxys.

I park up at the Silver Bridge just before 1 am and sleep in the back of the car until 4.30 am. After a quick brew I continue past the Falls or Measach and around the coast road to reach Gruinard Bay and the start of the track into Loch na Sealga. After porridge and coffee, I pack my bike and rucksack and set off up the track to the Loch. Ahead of me the cloud base is starting to rise revealing the peaks of An Teallach but still hiding the summit of Beinn Dearg Mor. On the shores of the loch there is the remains of a boat house where I leave the bike locked to a tree root and start the hike along the loch. The path is not always defined and is damp and boggy in places until it drops back down to the shoreline. I treat myself to a rest and a second breakfast before I start upwards towards Loch Toll an Lochan nestled in a corrie below the summit. There are no obvious paths up the ridge that links Beinn Dearg Mor to Beinn Dearg Beag and so I opt for a gully to the left which ends up as a grubby scramble to the ridge. Looking back over the loch, An Teallach appears and disappears in the swirling clouds but my route to the summit is cloud bound. At the top there a brief glimpse of the buttresses ahead but the cloud is not lifting, and so I make my way back to the col and this time drop of to the south, down to the shores of Loch Bienn Dearg. I find a small beach to on which to set up the pack raft and I make use of a slight tail wind to assist me as I paddle the pack raft across the Loch. Having Packed up I descend over the lip of col and eventually find a well-defined path that leads to the valley floor. As I near the head of Loch na Sealag all of the surrounding summits are clear except Beinn Dearg Mor. I have a feeling that I am the only person here in the middle of this great wilderness. There is still a long slow journey out and eventually I make it back to the car after 28 miles and almost 14 hours on the go; not such a challenge, more like a brutal episode of SAS who dares wins, but only with myself as the bullying instructor. I feel somewhat knackered as I change into dry clothes and start the drive to my next destination, Ben Avon.
I stop just before Carrbridge at 11pm to take an early night and a well-earned sleep. It is damp when I wake up get a brew on the go. As I drive through Grantown and over to Tomintoul the hills are shrouded in cloud. The ski centre at Lecht is fog bound; it exudes the eeriness of a deserted resort from a Scooby Doo episode. As I follow the snow roads there is a hint of brightness and the dark clouds are starting to clear. I was concerned about arriving late at the car park as everywhere appears busy at the moment but there were only 3 cars in residence at the Keiloch car park. By 9.30 I am packed and heading up the road and tracks into Ben Avon. Generally, the going is good with a few spots to push the bike up as the path climbs over the Slugain and the final part of track before you start climbing in earnest. I leave the bike at the ford and after a second breakfast of sausage and beans, start up towards the Sneck. It is reasonable going and at the sneck there is a short steep ascent to reach the plateau. The sun is trying hard to burn through the light rolling clouds but somehow, we stay shrouded. Fortunately, there are clear moments that allows a glimpse of the summit Tor of Leabaidh an Daimh Bhuidhe ahead. I scramble up to the top of the Tor 2 hours after leaving my bike and take a rest. Its an easy descent down and back to the bike. Thereafter its 8 miles down hill and as they say, ‘It was worth it for the ride down’, I would recommend it to anyone. Back in the car park I cook supper and have a wash in the toilet block before taking a slow drive back to Aviemore. With roads now fog free it is a superb sunlit late afternoon drive and I take time to stop off at Corgarff, the Well of Lecht. The Watchers and the Still before taking the back roads to Coylumbridge and Aviemore.
I restock on snacks in Aviemore; a sign in the supermarket suggests that I should support local producers and so I buy a bottle of Glen Livet and I drive up to cairngorm carpark to have a mug of whisky whilst I watch the sun set.
The next morning, I set off early heading up the Windy Ridge path; I hike up and over Cairngorm before I drop down the steep and somewhat precipitous path adjacent to Alt Coire Raibeirt until I reach Loch Avon. The sun is out and there is a slight breeze rippling the Loch and after my ubiquitous second breakfast of sausage and beans I inflate the packraft and launch out onto the water. Within minutes the clouds clear, the wind stills, and the loch becomes ripple free. This is just an awesome place to be as I float towards the imposing rock walls at the head of the loch. I spend an easy hour or so on the water before heading back to the beach packing up and walking back up the gully towards Cairngorm before dropping down the ridge of Choire Chais and back to the carpark. 3 days and 2 Foxys completed; yet again I have travelled to places, hiked mountains, and traversed Lochs that I would not normally have gone to. The Foxy’s; an excuse for an adventure.

Convergence
Stills the wind
Reveals the sun
Smooths the
Rippled reflections
And I am here
Lost
In this moment of being