Epic weather, views and atmospheric conditions made for a stunning day out in the Monadhliath mountains. It was also a pretty epic 9.5 hours due to difficult conditions on both the ascent and descent. The ascent involved about an hour of frustrating progress in upper Gleann Ballach, across knee-deep snow, with a thick crust that almost held your weight, but not quite. Occasionally it would hold your weight for a few steps before collapsing. I snapped my hiking pole on one of these plunges through the crust.The slow descent was mainly due to the deep snow that persisted low down on the southern slope of A' Chailleach, and later on the deep heather, snow and ice patches that made it very difficult to follow the path down in the dark. At least the light held and a nearly full moon helped to negotiate the upper snow slopes safely.















































It was a spectacular day of epic proportions in every sense. Certainly my poor blistered feet thought so. I didn't meet another soul the whole day, though two people had done it ahead of me, the day before if not the same day based on the footprints I saw. I have to say I was tired enough that if there had been an easier escape option off Carn Sgulain I'd probably have taken it, but on this round you're really pretty much committed after you leave Carn Dearg. Overall an incredible day to remember on the hills.