Took the normal route up from Machuim farm to Lochan nan Cat, then up to the col below the steep side of An Stuc. Only patches of snow, but very hard frozen, so put crampons on. Took a fairly direct line which required some front pointing and easy scrambling. Thus far the cloud had been coming and going around the tops, but now it started to form a better defined layer with the top around 1100m, and by the time we reached Lawers the views were much improved, with Ben Nevis, Ben Alder and the Cairngorms all poking out above the cloud.
Wildlife notes: buzzard below Lochan nan Cat, four ravens on the summit of Lawers, flock of long-tailed tits in the woods above the farm.
