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nights are for walking....not sleeping 2 - loch avon

nights are for walking....not sleeping 2 - loch avon


Postby paul2610 » Fri Jun 27, 2014 3:05 pm

Date walked: 21/06/2014

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Objective - sunrise from the slopes above Loch Avon looking towards the shelter cave and the black rock above it - from an idea or hope that during the 3 or 4 days either side of the solstice, the sun rises directly opposite the head of loch Avon and thus may light its slopes up.

I don't know if walking at night has become a sort of addiction.......certainty at this time of year, you can't really say that's its totally night, not like the black nights of winter when the suns way way under the horizon, when only the stars or moon (if visible) help illuminate the black onto the light colors of gravel of a good track. Believe it or not, these tracks can be navigated without light even on the darkest nights.

On this night, the cloud was down. Clear skies over my objective were forecasted for sunrise but as with all forecast, I wouldn't know for sure until 3 hours (to sunrise) and a few miles walk later up onto the cairngorm's plateau. More importantly, I set off in near twilight of a brightness slightly lighter then that radiated by a full moon. Addiction or not I was definitely alone and after a cool relaxing car ride I ascended up into the low clouds and the drizzle it contained with not the wisp of a sleep or the flash of running deer to worry my ears or fears of strange noises or winds - heck this is the cairngorms after all, spooksville of the highlands...

The track from the C/P was its usual bland hike of crunching stones under foot added to night with an annoying queek one of my boots had developed. Saw a few funny looking jet sort of apparatus dotted along the track - probably something to do with the skiing but lords know what they're for.

Used a new improved head light tonight, thought it was time to retire my old bike light I've used for years, just a shame it wasn't dark enough to make use of it to night (could of used it on skye a few weeks ago on the southern slopes which are always very dark) but did burn its fab LED bulb for a few seconds and nearly blinded myself it was that light - so ye, good on you life systems - your do.

For some reason, I always seem to find the maintained trail from the vehicle track hard to find - either I go beyond it or start too early. The LED helped tonight. Usually I turn here and look back....pointless tonight as I was already in the domain of the clouds drizzle zone, but at least it wasn't windy, for now any way.

I remember when this trail was first made, always amazed me the strength and pure stubbornness needed to make such a thing. Initially it was just over the lower gentler slope, but these days huge rocks are laid all the way upto the cairn. Meaning to me that all I had to worry about was the increasing wind and the effects its driven heavy drizzle was doing to me, something you get used to if you've walked up this trail as often as I have. But even in the worse of weather you know that at the top their is the cairn, a lovely sweet high cairn. I know some people hate them but this cairn has been a savior more then once, cause you can always guarantee that one side of it takes you away from the elements while you sort things out - spent a penny - have a fag - munch a bar - call home to say your having a lovely time (not advised at 02.00 in the morning).

From the cairn my destination was all down towards the beginnings, many beginnings of the river that has cut a deep V down the steeper slopes towards the foot of the loch. Its rushing sound is reassuring ( and cuts out all those spooky things) and even the path along it is much more maintained taking all those boot wetting, feet colding stream lets away into distant memory.

About 50 m above where your supposed to cross the river/gorge thing, I started my hunt diagonally across the slope for a decent photo location. Already it was light enough to see everything around me, already like pre-dawn but at an hour before sunrise (don't figure!). The clouds were still bunched up like cotton wool above although less drizzly with a few breaks off towards bynack - very promising I thinks....

Managed to find a lone rock slab position directly above the end of the loch by about 100m - set my stuff up - had a coffee and waited for a sunrise I did feel wouldn't come. Well yes it would come but not with the spectacular entrance I was after - you know blasing oranges and yellows and reds.

One hour later, I had cold feet and had only witnesses the slightest of tinges on the rocks before me, but still worth the effort, still worth the chance to see this loch again in any conditions - its feel of isolation is unique around here with no signs of modern stuff like huts, roads, lights - it looks as it did when the smugglers used it hundreds of years ago - except they had whiskey to warm their feet.

On the way back I took the opportunity of the slight spate the drizzle had caused along the river and took a few photo of the many small water falls their. Just the sort I like i.e not just a load of water going over one long edge but small amounts of the whole rippling over rounded stones causing a sort of step fall.

Plus another bonus it seems of walking at dawn is that even the local wildlife is dozy until they have had their coffee equivalent.; for a few seconds I and two grouse just starred at each other, them having the same expression I get from some humans at this hour in the hills "where the hell did you come from" before they rushed off. Saw a ptarmigan in its summer foliage, which is a change as I usually see them in their winter coats, and lastly, loads and loads of rabbits. Not the large hare kind with long drooping ears and all, these were small like those you'd buy for a kid, many of them at my feet along the edge of the track - they moved quick then stop, I guess hoping I hadn't seen them and stay put even as I knelt down beside them - real funny buggers.

One question for any who may know - saw loads of golden colored lichen on the white crystal rocks in the shape of tentacles - beautiful little things. Couldn't find anything out about them so if anybody knows something...........

Got back to the car OK where the camper vans occupants were still sleeping unawares of the marvels they'ed missed and enjoyed another traffic free trip back home.

waterfall-loch-avons.jpg



loch-avonss.jpg


larger version - http://www.mtn-m.co.uk/web%20components/cairn1012/loch%20avon.jpg
paul2610
Hill Bagger
 
Posts: 61
Joined: Jul 11, 2010

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