by munroseeker » Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:32 pm
Date walked: 06/04/2013
Time taken: 5.5 hours
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Another stunning day on the hills today. Ben Lawers car park was like Sauchiehall Street by 9.45 this morning. For once I felt strong from leaving the car park and motored my way to the head of the caterpiller crawling summitwards. Thought I was doing well till I met a guy descending at 10.30am. Must have made a truly Alpine start! Visibility was again brilliant and I made the top of Beinn Ghlas in two hours in reasonable snow conditions. Avoided the churned up footprints on the regular route by heading up the valley towards the Meall Corranaich/Beinn Ghlas col for a km or two then donned the spikes and cramponed up to the ridge. Snow was pretty good overall and more consistent than last Saturday on Cruach Ardrain. Top was, to extend the Sauchiehall Street metaphor, ''hoatching''. Lots of of-piste skiers out. Met a couple who'd been snowed off the Alps because of the avalanche risk. They were a bit smug about a swift descent back to their car. Within another hour I was on top of Lawers and it was sublime. Reckon today was one of the ''great days'' in my 35 years of hillwalking in Scotland. I'd post a pic if I knew how! Pity the high pressure is fading but winter won't go away any time soon on the tops. Roll on next weekend!
