We drove up on Friday afternnon, ate in Braemar and camped in my "umbrella" tent in the woods by the Linn of Dee - though the continuous roaring of the stags through the night didn't allow much sleep
Camp at the Linn
Breakfast
It was pretty cold, but we both had Buffalo shirts and salopettes, so that wasn't really a problem
"Isn't there a bit too much snow? " I asked.
"No it's OK" said The Leader " you can brush the snow off the ledges"

Norm. and I stiill have visions of a magic brush - but we've never managed to find a shop that stocks one



My tent was covered in condensation so we slung it in the boot and taking The Leaders lighter one set off with heavily loaded sacks along the track to Derry Lodge and beyond into Glen Luibeg, where we pitched camp. The weather was cold but mainly clear and the wind was quite bearable - ideal really. The Leader also had a set of these "new fangled" walking poles that he'd acquired in the Alps. I bought a set a short time after and endured the endless " have you lost your skis?" quips for years until they became standard.
Equipped for all eventualities The Leader sets off down the track to Derry Lodge.
NIce views through the Scots Pines
The camp in Glen Luibeg
Zoomed view up Coire Sputan Dearg
It didn't look like there would be time for any climbing today so we decided to walk up Derry Cairngorm which was just up to our right (with much lighter sacks

Derry Cairngorm
The going was quite easyy to start with, but climbing the endless fields of rounded snow-covered boulders higher up was slow going - If there was a path we didn't find it . Here are the photos ( I think) in the order they were taken
Looking up the Alt Carn a Mhaim towards Macdui
Looking East across the broad Southern flank of the hill
two views across to Sron Riach above Lochan Uaine
Frozen stream
view back South down the broad ridge
The Leader makes an adjustment - The Devils Point and Cairn Toul behind
Looking up to point 1108 beyond our hill
North West again across the Lairig Ghru - Angel's Peak and Braeriach on the R
Summit
We continued North for a bit then circled down and Left into the coire and returned to the tent. The Leader had brought some dried meals in bags into which you poured boling water to create a brown sludge: it was pretty tasteless (they're better now) but no doubt contained all the nutrients we needed for the day ahead

Ben Macdui
The day dawned fine and clear, but the Leader had reluctantly decided that perhaps there was a tad too much snow for climbing

Sunrise on Sron Riach and Coire Sputan Dearg
A bit later from inside the tent
So after breakfast we again left all the ropes and gear in the tent and took the path up and over Sron Riach
Across the Lairig Ghru again
Up R to the rocks we were supposed to be climbing on



On the summit plateau - The Devil's Point, Cairn Toul, Angel's Peak and Braeriach
resting below the summit cairn
A view looking East I think near the summit
We returned the same way, packed up the camp and all the gear, trudged back to the Linn and drove home.
We hadn't achieved what we set out to do, but I think even The Leader agreed it had been a good "mountaineering weekend
Footnote
The Leader has taught me everything I know about climbing and taken me up routes I could only ever have dreamed of. Without him I would never had got to the alps and climbed the Swiss mountains. I hold him in the highest esteem - even though he can occasionally go a little OTT
