Mothers Day - Sgor Gaoith
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 11:07 pmWoke to find the sun splitting the skies, if only my head was as clear. Planning a walk the morning after a rugby international is never the best idea! Dragging ourselves from the luxury of our friends cottage which they have rented for a week at about the same cost as a night in one of the nearby MacDonald hotels we set off towards Glen Feshie.
Both Cairngorm and Braeriach looked very inviting, indeed somewhat tame looking with virtually no snow to be seen anywhere, however having climbed them both in the last year we turned off up past the glider strip and found our starting point for the day.
Being mothers day, we allowed the ladies to choose the route, set the pace and attempt the navigating. Bearings set we headed off the forest path into the idilic woods on the slope of the lower Allt Ruadh
After 2km we came to where the track split and the ladies first navigation test of the day, despite the compass stating we should keep to the right they allowed me to take the left fork which I suspected headed directly to Geal Charn.
After a bit of a scramble up through some boulders wew ere soon on the top of Geal Charn with some great views down to loch an Eilein and beyond.
From there it was a stroll across a couple of tops and up to teh top of Sgoran Dubh Mor and our first views down to Loch Einich . We took the opportunity of a bit shelter in the lea of the summit to taste our new best companion on the hill- heinz Lentil soup!
Across the coll at Sgor Gaoith there was now a steady stream of people taking in the views.
I had intended trying to get a photo from the top of Coire Odhar down the length of Loch Einich but my enthusiasm ran out about one third of the way around the rim and I headed off to catch the others who were disappearing down the west side towards the long walk back to the car
Both Cairngorm and Braeriach looked very inviting, indeed somewhat tame looking with virtually no snow to be seen anywhere, however having climbed them both in the last year we turned off up past the glider strip and found our starting point for the day.
Being mothers day, we allowed the ladies to choose the route, set the pace and attempt the navigating. Bearings set we headed off the forest path into the idilic woods on the slope of the lower Allt Ruadh
- Fine forest trees in the Allt Ruadh valley
- The views across to the Mondaliath were splendid
After 2km we came to where the track split and the ladies first navigation test of the day, despite the compass stating we should keep to the right they allowed me to take the left fork which I suspected headed directly to Geal Charn.
After a bit of a scramble up through some boulders wew ere soon on the top of Geal Charn with some great views down to loch an Eilein and beyond.
From there it was a stroll across a couple of tops and up to teh top of Sgoran Dubh Mor and our first views down to Loch Einich . We took the opportunity of a bit shelter in the lea of the summit to taste our new best companion on the hill- heinz Lentil soup!
- A tame looking Braeriach
Across the coll at Sgor Gaoith there was now a steady stream of people taking in the views.
- Our intended target from the summit of Sgoran Dubh Mor
- The fine summit of Sgor Gaoith
- A feeling of exposure with Loch Einich some 600m below
- The summit looked even more impressive from the SE
I had intended trying to get a photo from the top of Coire Odhar down the length of Loch Einich but my enthusiasm ran out about one third of the way around the rim and I headed off to catch the others who were disappearing down the west side towards the long walk back to the car
