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After almost 2 weeks without a good walk it was great to pack the bag and head out toward Glen Shee again. I had studied the route on WH and decided that the 6 may be a little too much for me but 4 would be a good challenge but still enjoyable.
I arrived at the car park to the north of the ski village at 10.50 and took a steady 10 mins getting ready for the off, it was a beautiful day with just a few showers drifting by on occasion. From the car park Carn an Turic (left hand peak in the pic) looked a long way off.
dropping down from the car park a footbridge does away with any need to ford the burn and a good track heads off in the right direction
after a short time I stopped to grab another photo whilst the two walkers behind me passed by, the path was a little boggy in places but nothing to worry about on a day like today
looking back the car is soon a speck on the horizon though there is little ascent so far which leaves me wondering when it will start....
as I continue walking alongside the burn I am beginning to wonder if the mountain is moving away from me as I walk as it doesn't seem to be getting any closer
after a small ford the ascent finally begins and climbing up finally allows me to see a little of the surroundings
continuing on an almost direct vertical ascent the views quickly open out though the ascent is now quite steep and covered in some real ankle snappers
being so steep the ascent is quite short but still a good workout before the hills open out and bathe themselves in the warm sunshine
though there are a few showers passing by and some rain falling in the distance it is a beautiful view over the rolling hills of the cairngorms
I met a lovely lady up top who was ticking off one of the last remaining munros on the list (she had 26 to go ) and we had a pleasant chat before parting company as she set off toward Cairn of Claise. I lined up the usual 'evidence' shot and sat down enjoying a drink and the views for a minute or two.
after a short time I set off toward the same destination along what looked like a gentle rolling hill and at this point I was in my element, great weather few people around and I'm up top....what could be better
the walk to Cairn of Claise really is a gentle wander along a grassy knoll
in no time at all I am at the end of a small wall and can see the cairn on the horizon, with a hardly noticable ascent this must be the easiest munro I've ever seen
I am soon at the summit where I rejoin the lady I met earlier and we continue our chat a little longer
when the lady leaves I take my second 'evidence' shot of the day and have a chat with a guy who has just arrived who is doing all 6
Glas Maol away on the horizon looks a little more challenging being quite a way off with one of those deep 'dips' to add a little to the ascent
very soon after setting off for Glas Maol the heavens opend and I needed to stop and don the waterproof gear pretty quick and even put the rucksack cover on due to the volume of water being dropped, then as quickly as it came the shower was gone and I was looking back at the 2 conquered munros from a good distance away - strange how the 'head down striding' during the rain moves you so far so fast.....I must spend a lot of time looking around when its not raining
on arrival at the summit I take the usual shot but seem to be having trouble with my spacial awareness
looking over to the west I see another shower sneaking in but where it's not raining the views are great and go on for miles
away to the north Carn an Turic is getting a soaking but it doesnt detract from a fantastic day
the shower heading my way drops a quick blast of hail for about 1 minute then passes by and I grab a last shot before heading off to number 4
It is not too far before the ridge that runs to Craig Leacach meets the descent from Glas Maol and the very end of the cairngorms is in sight on the far horizon
a small cairn marks the start of the ridge line as I look toward my final target for the day
walking along the spine the views to either side are great and the weather has improved to steady sunshine once again
the approach is undulating and the peaks and troughs through the ankle snappers is a weary affair at this stage in the day, on arrival at the summit I struggle to find a suitable spot for the camera and my last summit shot of the day
looking north the A93 snakes its way through the mountains up to and beyond the ski village
to the south the ridge top wall continues and the end of the hills is clearly in sight as the land beyond the cairngorms begins to level out
to the north east the blue skies and showers continue away into the distance and the cairngorms spread out as far as the eye can see
the vistas are seemingly endless on a day like today and it seems this route really does save the best till last
after a good 15 minutes on top I decide to head down, via the direct route
though it is steep and I certainly wouldn't want to do it in the wet, its OK today and I'm off without much concern
I am soon low in the glen and the views are lost to me, I take a last pic before packing away the camera and making good time toward the A93
I chatted to a guy from Milton Keynes in the car park for a while before setting off on the miserable wander along the tarmac toward the car - after about 1 mile a guy in a mobile home on his way to Breamar picked me up and whisked me back to my car in no time....that was the perfect end to the day.
Really enjoyed this walk but that tarmac would have been a real killer if I hadn't got a lift.....got to love the outdoor folks who randomly stop and offer a lift. I always offer if I see walkers on the black top and it's great to be on the receiving end today
