Wind - 1 Dave - 0
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 12:16 pmHeaded upto Glen Lyon yesterday for my second attempt at the horseshoe. The first attempt didn't even get started due to the culling of the Deer!! Better luck this time, or so I thought, as the Deer hunters had been out on the Sunday.
On the drive up, it had remained dry, with cloud just covering the highest tops, and the wind at low level at least, didn't seem too bad, though the forecast for summits was for 70mph+ gusts and difficult mobility on summits. Driving past the Lawers carpark there were a fair few cars parked up, so I wasn't the only one hitting the hills. Eventually got to Invervar, parking at the small carpark next to the red phonebox. As I was getting booted up, the first spots of rain started to fall. Typical!!!
Crossed the road and through the big gate, following the track through the forest, and through two more gates and eventually out into the open, conditions gradually worsening with the wind picking up and the rain getting heavier, and not seeming to mind which direction it's coming from! Not a day for many photos
The path (stream???) leads you to a nice wobbly rusty bridge, and once across, the path splits in two, I take the path to the left leading upto and around the forest. The ground here was very slippery, and the going was getting very tough walking into horizontal rain, which had most definitely made up it's mind to blow from the West!!! On I plodded, it was kinda fun at this point! Then I got to around the 2,500 foot mark and it most definitely wasn't fun as a huge gust of wind threatened to knock me off me feet. I crouched down until it passed, then carried on, hoping it would just be a one-off gust.... Then I got onto the plateau just before the summit and the wind was relentless!!! The thing that scares me most at over 3,000 feet is the wind, and with driving rain in my face along with it, I was out of my comfort zone. Eventually I inched my way to the sheltered cairn, which I shared with a fallen Trig. I pulled out the mobile phone for that all important summit snap, then sat for a few moments to see if the wind would ease, no chance!!!! Soaked and slightly scared, the decision to retreat was easy. I looked about for a sign of the path I'd come up, though I think I lost it a few feet from the summit, so I took a rough bearing ESE (not easy when the wind is trying to rip the compass out your hand!!) as I just wanted to drop height asap, and judging by the map, there were no unseen obstacles to stop me, thankfully that was the case and i found the path without any mishaps, other than sliding around like Bambi on mud 
Eventually the wind subsided as I dropped height, then, as has been the common theme with my last few walks, the sun came out!!! Amazing how wonderful conditions look when the sun is shining, even when you know it will still be wild up there! Got myself back to the car fairly swiftly, thinking of the irony of having posted about being feert of the wind on another thread just a few days ago Thankfully no harm was done, but coulda been messy if that wind was much stronger. Still managed a 
for the summit photo tho 
As I drove home, I couldn't help but notice an empty Lawers carpark, I guess I wasn't the only one whose day was cut short
On the drive up, it had remained dry, with cloud just covering the highest tops, and the wind at low level at least, didn't seem too bad, though the forecast for summits was for 70mph+ gusts and difficult mobility on summits. Driving past the Lawers carpark there were a fair few cars parked up, so I wasn't the only one hitting the hills. Eventually got to Invervar, parking at the small carpark next to the red phonebox. As I was getting booted up, the first spots of rain started to fall. Typical!!!
Crossed the road and through the big gate, following the track through the forest, and through two more gates and eventually out into the open, conditions gradually worsening with the wind picking up and the rain getting heavier, and not seeming to mind which direction it's coming from! Not a day for many photos
The path (stream???) leads you to a nice wobbly rusty bridge, and once across, the path splits in two, I take the path to the left leading upto and around the forest. The ground here was very slippery, and the going was getting very tough walking into horizontal rain, which had most definitely made up it's mind to blow from the West!!! On I plodded, it was kinda fun at this point! Then I got to around the 2,500 foot mark and it most definitely wasn't fun as a huge gust of wind threatened to knock me off me feet. I crouched down until it passed, then carried on, hoping it would just be a one-off gust.... Then I got onto the plateau just before the summit and the wind was relentless!!! The thing that scares me most at over 3,000 feet is the wind, and with driving rain in my face along with it, I was out of my comfort zone. Eventually I inched my way to the sheltered cairn, which I shared with a fallen Trig. I pulled out the mobile phone for that all important summit snap, then sat for a few moments to see if the wind would ease, no chance!!!! Soaked and slightly scared, the decision to retreat was easy. I looked about for a sign of the path I'd come up, though I think I lost it a few feet from the summit, so I took a rough bearing ESE (not easy when the wind is trying to rip the compass out your hand!!) as I just wanted to drop height asap, and judging by the map, there were no unseen obstacles to stop me, thankfully that was the case and i found the path without any mishaps, other than sliding around like Bambi on mud Eventually the wind subsided as I dropped height, then, as has been the common theme with my last few walks, the sun came out!!! Amazing how wonderful conditions look when the sun is shining, even when you know it will still be wild up there! Got myself back to the car fairly swiftly, thinking of the irony of having posted about being feert of the wind on another thread just a few days ago Thankfully no harm was done, but coulda been messy if that wind was much stronger. Still managed a for the summit photo tho - Made it!
As I drove home, I couldn't help but notice an empty Lawers carpark, I guess I wasn't the only one whose day was cut short
. When it time to bail, it's never a wrong decision 
Anything exciting planned for it?