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Double Munro time today! The weather forecast once more promised us strong winds and showers, so we opted for the twin pack Stùcd an Lochain / Meall Buidhe. In case it became too much for us, we could still stop after the first one and leave the second for later. The drive from Killin to the dam at Loch an Daimh took twice as long as normal, as the road which crosses the hills by passing Ben Lawers dam was closed for roadworks (to be re-opened a couple of days before we were going back, just our luck), so we had to drive around via Kenmore, and then half-way up Glen Lyon before branching off to the dam.
- Setting out towards the dam
- Loch an Daimh
We first tackled Stùcd an Lochain, as the weather looked marginally better south of Loch an Daimh. It rained when we set out, but soon stopped. We first had to go down on a track around the dam, then up to the dam crest. We followed the track a short distance behind the dam, then left it before reaching a boat hangar to climb very steeply uphill. The wind was strong again, but luckily not as strong as on Ben Chonzie the day before. The ground was difficult and wet until we came to the ridge. All the time, the wind did not stop, but all in all it was quite pleasant.
- View back to the Loch and dam
On the ridge, walking was much easier despite the wind, and we went on quite quickly, leaning against the wind whenever necessary. The clouds were not far above the summit, but the summit itself was free of clouds. It was further than we expected until we got to the summit, curving around Coire an Lochain with the dark mirror of Lochan nan Cat down below.
- Reinhold leaning into the wind
- Zatapathique photographing Lochan nan Cat (photo by Reinhold)
- Lochan nan Cat
- Reinhold at the summit of Stùcd an Lochain
- Reinhold checking the situation at Meall Buidhe across the loch
The tiny summit provided enough shelter to crouch down behind it and perform my secret summit ritual (I have to mention it from time to time...). Clouds rolled by fast as we set off back again after only a brief pause. We did not feel like having lunch in the cold wind and wet grass, and decided to have lunch in the car back down. On the steep descent, we met a couple with two dogs going up. I slipped on the wet ground, and one of the dogs thought I was trying to attack it, and I was much barked at. Luckily, it was on a leash, and I apologized to the dog for being clumsy...
- Zatapathique leaning into the wind (photo by Reinhold)
- Looking towards Glen Lyon
- Reinhold going down steeply
- Zatapathique going down steeply (photo by Reinhold)
- Somewhere over the loch, there's a rainbow
We soon were back at the car where we had lunch in the dry and warm. It was raining heavily again, and we were happy about our good timing. In fact, we were so happy, comfortable, and full of sandwiches that we both fell asleep in our seats...
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We only noticed that we had been sleeping for maybe half an hour when we both woke up at the same time because the rain suddenly stopped, and the lulling noise of the raindrops hitting the window panes was gone. There was blue sky and sunshine, so we didn't take long to decide that we would go for Meall Buidhe as well, well-rested as we were.
- Setting out to Meall Buidhe
Just as we were starting out, we saw the couple with the dogs return along the track behind the dam. Judging from the time that had passed since we had met them, they probably hadn't made it to the summit of Stùcd an Lochain.
On our side of the loch, just as we were about to leave the track to access the open hillside, two ladies came back on the track from the hill with cries of relief. They hadn't made it to the top because the showers and the wind had become too much for them.
- Looking across the loch to Stùcd an Lochain
We went on, but if we had only listened... Almost all the way up, there were heavy showers with sleet, and everything was incredibly wet, especially the ground. My shoes filled with water and made a smacking sound with every step. Further up, the hill had pity on us and diverted the clouds to the left and right of the summit. The last couple of hundred meters of ascent were dry, and, incredibly, we had sunshine and blue sky on the summit.
- Approaching the summit of Meall Buidhe
The wind was still as strong as ever, and Reinhold noticed that it had blown away his very old but very trusted sunglasses, which he had clipped to his backpack strap.
While I was performing my secret summit ritual, Reinhold roamed around the summit to see if he had lost his sunglasses there while taking pictures. Unfortunately, he did not find them again. We both looked for them while going down the hill, but as we inadvertently took a slightly different route, we did not see them.
Bit of trivia: many Germans, including me until only a few years ago, think that Ray Ban is a person, a sunglasses designer... Well, there weren't many rays to ban that day, and "Mr. Ban's" work of design now forever rests on the slopes of Meall Buidhe...
- Reinhold looking for Mr. Ban's chef d'œuvre
- Our way back along the ridge
- Street of clouds to Schiehallion
- Zatapathique at the summit of Meall Buidhe (photo by Reinhold)
As soon as we started the real descent a short distance from the south summit, it began pouring down again, again with sleet. It seemed to rain ever more with every meter of altitude that we lost. By the time we reached the car, we were soaking wet. Of course it stopped raining right at that moment, and the sun came out again. Oh well, at least we had a nice drive back to Killin, where we dried our boots at the fireplace. There may have been some bottles of cider involved to dry us from the inside...
- Rain almost all the way down
- Fireplace
- The two Munros of the day
