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Dinnertime & Zigzags

Dinnertime & Zigzags


Postby basscadet » Tue Oct 31, 2017 10:41 pm

Date walked: 26/10/2017

Time taken: 9 hours

Distance: 11.9 km

Ascent: 1320m

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Had a couple of days off, I had recovered from a bad cold, and the weather forecast was actually looking alright :) so I decided to head up to Glen Coe for a bit of a scramble - well winter is coming so perhaps not many scrambling days left - I remember last year I was thwarted from lagangarbh buttress in mid November..
I had trouble with packing - couldn't find any of my kit, so it was a later than intended departure, and I didn't reach the glen until lunchtime.
Decided to head up north face of Aonach Dubh, as I have sadly neglected the area. Weather didn't look promising when I got there, with drizzle and wind :roll:

ImageDSCN3683 by Seana Carroll


Dinnertime 26 10 17.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts



So I headed up the familiar path for only a short distance before heading left over the river - not without some difficulty it must be said, and wet feet were the result :?

ImageDSCN3686 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3687 by Seana Carroll

There then followed a long pull uphill - a bit of a slog if I am honest, but at least it was nice and cool, and there were nice views down to waterfalls in the gorge. A bit of a path developed, and there was some firm ground, but generally the hillside was so sodden, the turf came away when you trod on it :lol:

ImageDSCN3693 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3694 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3695 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3697 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3698 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3700 by Seana Carroll

The changing clag/sun/rain situation gave a different view every 30 seconds, and it was hard not to dilly dally - an hour and a half to the band of rock, only some easy isolated scrambling to get up to there, and a lot of plodding.
The weather looked promising for a few minutes before it took a turn for the worse - proper grim, so I ditched my exploration plans, and carried on up Dinnertime - a couple of moves more difficult than expected for a grade 1 :D

ImageDSCN3701 by Seana Carroll
initial pitch[i][/i]

ImageDSCN3702 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3703 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3704 by Seana Carroll

Just 20 mins of climbing took me to the top of the buttress, and I found myself in a corrie.. I traversed left just a short distance, and found an entertaining scramble, which gave me wobbly legs :lol:

ImageDSCN3706 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3707 by Seana Carroll

The grim weather returned a I headed up to the summit - this photo says it all :roll:

ImageDSCN3710 by Seana Carroll

I didn't linger, headed down to the shallow col, not far, but the mists were the confusing kind, I started up the other side until I saw the traversing path, which wa surprisingly good going for a time - pinnacles came and went in the mists..

ImageDSCN3713 by Seana Carroll, on Flickr

The the path fizzled out and I found myself on the open hillside, I had descended enough to get out of the worst of the clag. and could see the waterfall in Coire Beith down below me - looked like a sheer drop near the bottom, but it turned out to be not bad going across boulderfields and now dead bracken.

ImageDSCN3714 by Seana Carroll

Down in the corrie I had a break and texted Dougie to let him know where I was. Coire Beith has an idyllic, peaceful air I have enjoyed many times, and I didn't want to leave until I had to, but the sun was low so eventually I headed off down the well constructed path - so much down!

ImageDSCN3717 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3720 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3723 by Seana Carroll

Got back to the car at dusk, so perfectly timed exit from the corrie. I headed down the glen and camped the night, which started off really windy but it was perfectly still by morning and there was a condensation problem when I awoke. I had had a midnight visitor, helping themselves to my milk supplies, and chewing the teabags :?
I was up late - had a much needed epic sleep, so was just looking for a short route so I wouldn't be too late back. Decided on the route up the nose of Gearr Aonach, as zigzags for descent makes it a quick outing, and although I've been up before I remember this as a good route.
The weather was altogether better, a nice crisp, sunny day. Squeezed into 3 sisters car park, and set off on my way, I'm sure I have written a report detailing the route before so I wont reiterate. I didn't rush, lots of stops to enjoy the weather.


Zigzags 27 10 17.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts



ImageDSCN3724 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3725 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3726 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3727 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3730 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3731 by Seana Carroll

ImageDSCN3732 by Seana Carroll

I didn't bother going to the top, from the top of the buttress, the path for zigzags were only a few feet away, felt like it would be time for lunch but I wasn't hungry so just headed straight down. The bulbous slab was wet and scary - bumshuffling a go-go :wink:
Once I was off zigzags, I felt like it was too early to go home, so at the path, I turned right to follow it uphill for a while. I had lunch looking down into the gorge, watching folk on their way up to lost valley making a hash of crossing the river. I descended into the gorge by way of the eroded path and enjoyed rock hopping over the boulders. I heard a shout behind me - a family had tried to follow me and had got a bit stuck :lol: so I went back and helped them to the path. I got back down into Glen Coe in what felt like no time at all, and it was time for home. Just a short stay, but quite nice way to spend a couple of days.
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basscadet
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