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Found the only cloud in Scotland at Drumochter

Found the only cloud in Scotland at Drumochter


Postby sloosh » Sat Dec 12, 2009 11:38 am

Route description: Càrn na Caim and A'Bhuidheanach Bheag, Drumochter

Munros included on this walk: A' Bhuidheanach Bheag, Càrn na Caim

Date walked: 11/12/2009

Time taken: 7 hours

Distance: 19 km

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2009-12-11_carn-a-caim.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts



Another freezing morning, another day at Drumochter. Weather forecast was for a clear day and there had been much talk on forums about temperature inversions and even MWIS hinted at mist in the glens so I was hoping for some spectacular pics.

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Sgairneach Mhor in the background, A' Mharconaich and Geal-charn (cloudy one) on the Western side of the A9


Followed the landrover track then hit the first bit of snow which was easy enough to avoid by walking on the raised embankment all the way up the track. The snow had receded waaay up the hillside compared to my walk at Drumochter last week so the going was pretty good.

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By the time I reached the part marked on the map as a quarry (in reality just a wee depression in the ground) the only cloud in Scotland had shrouded the hill. Nevermind, I thought, by the time I get to the summit I should be looking down on a tasty inversion. Meh. Didn't work out like that.

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The summit of Carn na Caim


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Frosty cairn


One thing I did find was how disorientating the place was in hill fog. Don't get me wrong, there's a fence line that makes for easy enough navigation most of the way to the summit of CnC. It runs out approximately 200 metres from the summit cairn, virtually on the summit plateau but tbh, if I hadn't had my satnav I think I would've struggled a lot more than I did -- I'd probably have been found a week later on Ben MacDui. :lol:

Then I had another first -- it was freeeeeezing at the top of CnC and from the waist down I had begun to go numb in places you really don't want to go numb. :shock: Break out the waterproofs as an extra layer against the wind, check. Switch from my woolly bunnet to one that also covers my ears, che... wtf?! My hair was a bit damp under my woolly bunnet from my exertions and by the time I had taken that off and lined up my other one my hair had frozen solid! :shock:

Oh well, no point hanging around too long so back off down the fence line. Wee bit down the track and the cloud breaks off Carn na Caim and then settles in the valley below. Typical. :roll:

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Carn na Caim


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Fence line down towards (but above) the quarry


Pressed on towards A' Bhuidheanach Bheag.

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The scenery


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Landrover track towards A' Bhuidheanach Bheag


Saw a solitary figure ahead of me (where'd he come from?)

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Solitary figure


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Cairn at height-point 879


While I was having a drink at the cairn at height-point 879, the solitary figure who'd been in front of me reappeared and headed towards where I was. Turned out his satnav was playing up and he wanted to check his bearings with someone else. As we were both walking alone we teamed up and had a great blether together for the rest of the walk.

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Self portrait with the trig point


My wife really liked my picture from last week of me doing a snow angel so she asked me to do another... an inverse one this time (taking the p*** obviously). My new friend was kind enough to oblige. :D

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Inverse snow angel
Last edited by sloosh on Sun Dec 13, 2009 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Found the only cloud in Scotland

Postby mountain coward » Sat Dec 12, 2009 3:00 pm

I'm surprised your new-found friend didn't run off when you lay down and asked him to take photos - bet he wondered what was coming next... :lol: LOL to the hair freezing - it has been severely cold hasn't it! Must be some snow depth to completely fill that quarry! :lol:
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Re: Found the only cloud in Scotland

Postby sloosh » Sat Dec 12, 2009 3:13 pm

:lol: He probably would have if I hadn't explained what it was all about first. :lol:

The hair freezing is definitely a new one on me. I could only have had my woolly bunnet off for a minute at most but probably more like 30 seconds. I couldn't work out why my hair felt like it was full of twigs until it dawned on me what had happened. :lol:

Have you been up to that quarry? The snow could only have been a couple of feet deep at most as far as I could see. Maybe it was 8 feet deep and I just didn't realise? :shock: :lol:
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Re: Found the only cloud in Scotland

Postby Caberfeidh » Sat Dec 12, 2009 3:27 pm

sloosh wrote:by the time I had taken that off and lined up my other one my hair had frozen solid!


I was camping in the Cairngorms one fine spring night, on waking in the morning my lady friend could not put in her contact lenses as they were frozen solid in their little vial of saline. :lol:
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