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After 5 days in the cairngorms it was time to travel back home .It would be about 8 hour drive back but I’m sure I could squeeze 1 more munro in ,I couldn't leav it it on13 munro's.As I would be travelling over Glenshee I had Glas Maol in my sights .So I got everything packed in the car and was off from the B&B by 8.30 .
Everything looked great a little rain but no problem to walk in but as I was climbing things began to change sleet then slush on roads and then snow a lot of it. By time I got to Glenshee it looked like about 4” had dropped during the night. The car was skidding a bit getting up the road and the snow ploughs where out. I was thinking of just driving home I had a word with driver of the snow plough asking him about the road ahead he said it was better than where I had come from. I said I’m not turning round in the car park he was in .He said he wouldn’t in the car I was in
. So I thought it would be safer to walk Carn Maol than drive any further
- the day before
- 24 hours later
I started the walk up from ski centre there was no problem here with all the lifts around just deep snow it was a pleasant climb not to much wind low down just the odd drifting I would have like to have walked over to Creag Leacach but conditions where poor and it would just had to much time on to my walk for the day
Once I left the ski area on the hills the wind picked up and there was a white out on the tops. I was close to the top. So last 400 metres I followed my gps and then took a bearing with the compass when I got to the top just in case. A quick stop then down I go
- white out
I must have just started to drop and the cloud started to clear it was a rush for the camera but got some good shots as I came down
- descent
- Descent
coming down in the snow was fast and easy on the knees .a mountain hair came running up to me it got about 30 feet away looked at me and then ran for it
I was soon back to the car roads had now cleared I was just about to set off and a car pulled up a man asked if this was Cairnwell and I new he was a birdwatcher straight away. And he was looking for Ptarmigans. I told him where he could find them on the ski slopes I was going to go but I got my scope out and helped him we found a 6 of them all together on the ski slopes he was grateful we chatted then I had to go
It had been a brilliant 5 days in the cairngorms two nights wild camp two nights in braemer and 8 munro's roll on spring
- good bye munro's
