I know that it's almost 2 years on now since bagging my first Munro 'Braeriach' but as my addiction to the mountains grow, as does everything involved with it, like this walk report which I only did my first a couple of weeks ago, but like I say, the addiction is growing so watch this space for more walk reports.
I live in Aviemore and have done all my life(I'm 37 now) and yes I know it's quite sad
that I have been such a late starter to the Munro's, especially when I spent half my childhood skiing on the cairngorms and still to this day snowboard there, and yet I still never got to the summit of Cairngorm with my ski's or my board, I personally would have called it cheating to have claimed my first Munro anyway, going up most of the hill on the old side facing chairlift or on the funicular train. 
So there i was on a late summers day back in 2009 enjoying the sun out in the garden, (with great views over the Cairngorms, i might add) and was talking about the hills with my neighbour,(Valmar1965) and I said that I always wanted to go up the 'Gorms' in the summer and see Loch A'an and the Shelter stone, so plan was made and next day we were off. Parked the car at the Coire cas car park and headed up Fiacaill a' Choire chais (the Fiacall ridge to us locals) with it's Cairn on top, still not a Munro Cairn though,
- Fiacall Ridge Cairn..still not my first Munro Cairn
- First majestic view of Loch A'an
- Loch A'an beach
So down we headed and had lunch on the beach, lovely sunny day sitting at a beach in the middle of the Cairngorms, amazing i thought,
- Lunch with Keisha
- 1913 Postcard
- my modern take of the postcard
Then from there we headed up Coire Domhain and past the waterfalls
- waterfalls
- Looking back down from Coire Domhain
- Loch Morlich in the background
- silly hat
as we discussed over a pint 
looking through the photo's on the camera, so then the next plan was hatched, MY first Munro, and it had to be a biggy and one that I would never forget,...Braeriach, it was decided.... 
A couple of days later and a beady eye on the mountain weather forecast and we were off, being an amatuer we did our homework, spent a few quid getting the right gear and bought maps, downloaded instructions, got the plasters, the lot, even decided to go for the longer route from Whitewell as to not have to take Keisha (the dug) through the boulders at the Chalamain gap
Parked the car at the end of the Whitewell/Tulluchghrue road which is very popular with walkers parking up for a day in the hills, set off down past Barry's grave
- Barry's grave
- Start of the Lairig Ghru
A few miles in and just at the start of the 'U' shaped Valley which is the Lairig Ghru we headed up the East side onto Coire Gorm, from here theres a great view over to Creag an Leth-choin (Lurchers Crag)
- Lurchers Crag
From here it was a fair slog up and with many false summit pretences with another summit behind each other and much higher than the one before, I soon learnt not to think that I can see the summit until i'm actually there, little did I know I still had a fair way to go, but with the thought of my first Munro almost bagged I was like a rat up a drainpipe
- better warming hat this time.
The slog up and over Coire Gorm soon opened up as we rounded Sron na Lairige and the view South down the Lairig Ghru with Ben MacDhuie on the left and Cairn Toul on the right was just amazing, with the views getting better and better I knew we were not far off the summit now,
- Looking South down the Lairig Ghru
The views kept opening up with Cairn Toul and The Angels Peak standing out proud and majestic with the Lochan Uaine seeming to be floating in the middle of the two of them
- Wow, look at that view
- River Dee on it's slow and meandering way to the East coast
There it was, the Cairn of Braeriach
- THE SUMMIT CAIRN :)
- My first 'In the Bag'
- at the top
- Keisha on her first Munro at the age of 10
- another view from the top
- another summit view
- and another
As I say my addiction is still growing and I am still a fair weather walker
as I want to see the best views I can from each summit, maybe the addiction will lead onto winter bagging, who knows, time will tell, Keisha is now 12 and still bagging with me, just wish I started earlier with her, she has 20 to her name to date and I have 25 and counting, thought last year when myself and Valmar1965 did the Lochnagar 5 (report to come) that I should leave her at home for that one, so we will tick of the easier one's for her for now..
