
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


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, started heading down Coire Raibert and viewed Loch A'an for the first time with Beinn Mheadhoin and it's Torrs in the background, think that was the defining moment of the start of my hill walking bug, just beautiful it was and awe inspiring, to see such a lovely loch surrounded in majestic mountains and waterfalls was amazing and to top it off, a BEACH...fantastic
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, then after a breef stop we then headed over to check out 'The Shelter Stone' and what a large lump of grey granite it is too, I posed for a photo which I tried to replicate from an old black and white postcard which I ended up standing in the completly wrong place

Then from there we headed up Coire Domhain and past the waterfalls and out down Coire an Sneachda back to the car park, still no Munro in the bag



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 and onto the long path into what is affectionatly known as piccadilly circus, where the paths break up in all directions to go to Loch Morlich or Loch an Eilein or Glen Einich or our path for the Day, 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)
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
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,
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 and the view of the start of the River Dee was great as well
There it was, the Cairn of Braeriach and MY first Munro 'In the Bag'

As I say my addiction is still growing and I am still a fair weather walker

