Meall Chuaich on a cold winters day

[Driver84]

Another early morning get up and go: in the car by 6:30 and off up the M90/A9.
Slighty worrying on the way up as the inside of the car windows were begining to ice up. Understandable mind you as the car thermometer did read -17 C as we were passing through Pitlochry/Blair Atholl !?!

We parked up on the lay-by of the A9 at the entrance towards Loch Chuaich hydro station. It was some what tropical by this point as the thermometer now read -12 C !?!
Looking at the land around us gaiters on and off we go... 4 men and 2 dogs!

Chuaich hydro station

Not much to report on this really, visibility was alright but there wasnt much to see apart from great looking snow fields.
I dont know what this is like in the warmer months, but with the snow this was one long hard slog in bitterly cold conditions but the body heat generated caused sweating and the biggest hassle was finding a right balance of layers. The wind chill must have taken it to near -20 C, so you imagaine the digust when one of the guys mobile phones went off: gloves off to answer it. Not impressed!

it's in there somewhere

there it is!

Slogging away up the relentless, steep slopes (we may have gone our own way up!) we finally trekked away across the open expanse and the summit was soon reached!

3 men from the cairn

not a lot to be seen 001

not a lot to be seen 002

yes I was there too

but again no time for stopping, just a few snap shots and straight back down again - the majority of it was descended on my butt! which did lead to a quick descent... maybe the quickest one yet?

crossing the river heading back towards the bothy

partially frozen river

A quick stop off at the locked bothy for a bit of lunch; what was now mildly warm soup has never tasted so good!
back along past the power station and into the car where two of us enjoyed the coldest whiskey I've ever had. Sent heat waves through the body! What a way to end a walk!

[mountain coward]

-19degC! But yeah, the windchill does take the temps down to -20 regularly in recent winters... Bet Cuaich is better in snow - the track in certainly would be - the stoniness of it got on my wick when I walked in!

[kevsbald]

I remember that day - a distant memory - brrrr. Your report brings it all back - roll on the Summer jaunts.

[Paul Webster]

Loved all your reports so far, Driver84. Looks like you have had a bit of everything weather-wise

[Driver84]

I don't want say it myself, and curse it, but there's only one type of weather I havent had yet!