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Okay time to write up my next report which also includes 2 walks like my first Munro report where I Walked to Loch A'an and the Shelter stone before I found my love for the hills proper, apart from sliding down them on a snowboard in the winter that is,
So this report also includes 2 walks like i say but more Importantly, it includes my sisters first Munro, Ben MacDhui, and her second 'Cairngorm' thought may as well whilst we are up there,when in Rome and all that, I was so glad that I was there with her as I knew what the feeling was like standing at the summit of your first Munro, and I was chuffed to be there to experience that feeling with her,
But I'll start with the Lairig Ghru, which is a walk my sister Isla (HeelenGal) always wanted to do, growing up in Aviemore and moving away she never got round to it, I had walked it from Linn of Dee when I was 12 for the annual Rotary Club sponsored walk with an uncle and to be fair always knew i would do it again some day,
Isla got her taste for the hills living in North Wales and has walked a couple of the 'Welsh Munro's' so the occasion arose when she visited home for a few days and she had arranged for a few of her friends to tag along and to make a day of it and that is was, there was no hurry, plenty of time to stop, eat, hydrate take in the views and catch up with the banter and most importantly, have a good old laugh
Also arranged for a couple of friends to take us through from Aviemore to Linn of Dee so we could finish in Aviemore so we wouldn't have the long journey back after a good walk in the hills (thanks Peter and Charlie) and just as well we did as we had a bit of a casualty in Eilidh who REALLY struggled with the last few miles with the very last one she was almost crawling to the finish, which was part of the day being such a success and an achievement for some,
- Luibeg Bridge, fresh as daisy's
- Devil's Point
- Through the Ghru....North
- Highest point of the lairig Ghru
- Almost finished at Rothiemurchus Estate
- HeelanGal tired and worn out at the car
- Eilidh and Louise almost burst, well done girls
Onto the Isla's next visit and her first Munro, Ben Macdhui, the warm April spell was perfect timing as Isla had been building up her excitement for a couple of months and I was trying to contain that excitement as April is normally still cold with lots of snow and winter walking equipment normally a requirement, but April past there was uncannily warm with most of the snow melting in just over a week, beautiful blue bird blue sky day, perfect timing,
we were up and I had made us all the obligatory Munro Baggers Brekkie, big bowl of porridge, great start to the day, jumped in the car and headed up the 'Gorms' to the Corie Cas car park, got our boots on and started walking, 9 oclock on an April's morning and we were walking up the hills in T-shirts and shorts, weird, anyway well prepared as I am a bit of a wimp and always get cold on the summits when i stop walking,
- Coire Cas car park
- HeelanGal basking in April sunshine
Of we trundled up Coire an Lochan past patches of snow and ptarmigans shedding their winter foliage up over the top of Coire an Lochan there was a fair head on breeze but still wasn't cold, it was a fairly uneventful and easy going walk up to the summit of Ben MacDhuie
- First sight of the Western Cairngorm Massif
- Cairn Toul and Angels Peak
- Me in shorts in April, oh and Keisha
HeelenGal chuffed to have 'bagged' her first Munro but she said that she found it much easier going than she thought it would be, and that's where i told her that she might be standing on the top of the second highest mountain in Britain but the hardest part was yet to come,
- Isla's first Munro
- HeelanGal's first summit
- Munro distance's stone (What is the right name for theses stones,anybody tell me?)
- Isla and Martin on Top of Great Britain, well second highest people in the country at that point :)
- Ma and my sister in the old bothy fireplace just off the summit
I had allready planned the circular route round and down past Loch Etchachan and down into the Loch A'an bowl and to show her and Martin the shelter stone crag and to sign the visitors book that has been a new edition since i was there last, and then up Coire Raibert to 'Bag' Cairngorm before the easy stroll back down to the car.
so that's exactly what we did, strolled down past Loch Etchachan and down into the Loch A'an basin before stopping for lunch at the shelter stone and a few photo's before setting off again,This was to prove the hardest part for HeelGal, crossing the river of fresh snow melt that feeds Loch A'an, but with a little encouragement she jumped across with little hesitation and only one wet foot to boot,
- first view of Loch Etchachan
- Loch A'an
- Me and ma sis inside the Shelter Stone
- crossing the river
On the other hand Martin didn't need any encouragement at all when he pipes up "I'm going for a swim, do you fancy it," "are you mental" I asked "That water is fresh snow melt and is freezing", but turns out it's quite a common thing for him to do when walking in the hills of Wales so here's the photo to prove it, hardy Welshman..
- Nutter, that water was freezing
Then the start of the accent up Coire Raibeirt beckoned, and as many of you know, it's a steep Coire where hands are needed in places, this was to prove a little trickier for my sister and as we exited the Coire at the top she was showing signs of tiredness, from here I pointed out the top of Cairngorm for her second Munro and that spurred her on to the summit,
- Looking down Coire Raibeirt
- Almost number 2
- Isla and martin on Cairngorm summit
the summit was awash with people on the guided walk from the funicular top station and there were a few straggler skiers and snowboarders that were jostling for what little snow there was left, just the descent down to the car park to go and we chose the man made path that goes down the east side of the Coire Cas along the side of Sron an Aonaich which turned out to be really slippy on the loose stones in many places, was easier and safer to walk to the side of the path which is fround upon i know on the Cairngorms
So 2 in the bag and back to the house in Aviemore where the weather was still beautifl and the first BBQ of the year was had, as well as many a bottle of fizzy and many a bottle of beer, great day out, my love for the Cairngorms grew another bit stronger
And please walkhighlands can we have a bigger limit than 25 attachments, i could have put over 50 on this one, but saying that it was reporting 2 walks