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Winter Wild Camp High above Glencoe
This was an amazing experience and what a way to finish the year, a snowy summit camp high above Glencoe.
Film below tells the tale
The weather had been snowy and cold for a few days and a promise from the Met Office for High Pressure taking charge for a few days got me thinking about a winter wild camp. Having already camped on Chrulaiste in the Summer, I decided on this hill for that reason and also the fact that it has some of the best views in Scotland (IMO ).
I left home with most forecasts suggesting a high chance of cloud free summits (apart from one which predicted mist, which was playing on my mind!!!) and all forecasts saying it would be the coldest night of the year, with temperatures possibly down to -10!
Driving along the A85 rather late for an outing, I decided on parking at the Jacksonville car park (it was empty) and heading up the southern flanks of Chrulaiste, a few hundred metres west from the Pink Rib. This led steeply but quickly on the western flank and then a wee pull to the summit which I reached at 14.30. To say the views were amazing would be an understatement, I think I spent more time looking over my shoulder at the views than looking ahead (see video!). What a place!!
BUACHAILE wh by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
DSC03842 by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
sunshine by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
Now to find a pitch. Ended up in exactly the same place as I used for the summer solstice wild camp- not a bad thing though as I had spectacular views to the Buachaille
selfie WH by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
DSC03887 by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
welcome sun by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
DSC03892 by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
There were a few other people on the summit at this late hour,( sunset was at 15.42) however the last hiker left about 15.30 and I had the mountain to myself…. As darkness fell I made an early tea, enjoying the delights of Chilli con Carni, a fine meal to warm the cockles
Dusk in Glencoe by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
Criese by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
I then spent much of the evening out and about taking shot of the stars, some of which came out well, and others not so well.
snowy foot prints by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
Orion watches and laughs by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
Night life - Glencoe by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
DSC04010 by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
Stars and headtorches by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
NIGHT VIEW OF GLEN ETIVE by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
Looking to Orion on summit by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
Then when taking some shots of the Mamores and The Ben I noticed a green horizon – the aurora borealis!! Just as I realised this a big bank of fog and cloud enveloped the summit for about 45 minutes – arrgghhhhhhh. So frustrating!! What was more frustrating was that when it cleared I was in such a rush to get some snaps that I didn’t realise there was a film of frost on the lens and that I had altered the setting on my camera !!! The result is some blurry shots of what could have been a great photo.
Northern lights and tent by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
BenNevis Aurora by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
blurry aurora by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
Never mind, one day I’ll get god shots of the Northern Lights!!
I was surprised at how cosy I was on the summit as well , a testament to the gear, given the temperature and also the stiff breeze that picked up as the evening wore on. By 10.30 I was back in my warm sleeping bag and I drifted off to sleep. A few hours later I was up. Sunrise was at 08.48 and given it was only 06.30, there as no surprise that it was still pitch black!! A coffee brewed and breakfast enjoyed I ventured once again the short distance to the summit hoping for a sunrise. Unfortunately the fog banks that had been floating around the previous evening were still present and I didn’t get a sunrise. However to compensate, the cloud started to lower as the sun came up and the amazing views opened up.
Glencoe Giants by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
Contrast south face by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
pano2 by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
Crisp blue skies and white mountains dominated the horizon in all directions. It was hard to pull myself away!! However I eventually had to head home and back to family. I retraced my steps from the day before heading down the west side of the stream/cleft and got back to the car for 11 am. Although my bag was lighter than on the way up, I have come down with a lot more than I went up with……memories of a nice wee adventure…..
panorama 1 by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
bUACHAILLE WH by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr