On the Friday 16 of us or so headed to Rucksacks for a weekend of fairly blustery icy/snowy showers, poor vis and snowy tops but bare lower slopes.
Hamish, Nicola and Martha enjoyed a dusting of snow on their run over Carn na Drochaide from the Victorian Bridge on their way up, serving as a warm up for a big day on Saturday! Kate and Allan warmed up with a short loop from the Invercauld car park with a good view of a couple of golden eagles.
A fairly prompt start for most on Saturday, saw a groups heading to Lochnagar. Matt F, Chris A and Doug B had a long day climbing Raeburn’s Gully as a three. Though protection was pretty sparse at points, highlights included an ermine sighting (a stoat in winter coat) and Doug loved getting to place some of Matt’s brand new ice screws.
Claire H, Nicola, Hamish and Martha set out for a run over some tops on Lochnagar. Those witnessing the runners leaving the hut would struggle to believe it was possible to run with their packs stuffed with layers, ices axes and microspikes, but run they did! They trotted into Carn an t-Saigairt Beag from Invercauld, where they seemed to enter the inside of a ping-pong ball and had to use Nicola as a frame of reference for compass bearings. Next they skipped across to Lochnagar summit in the bitter cold and down over another Munro top to the Prince’s stone, a welcome spot despite the drizzle because it meant lunch for a hungry crew! A great adventure, with highlights of spotting ptarmigans and mountain hares. The day was rounded off by a daring climb over a very spiky obstacle next to a perilous drop to cross the Dee.
Cathy C, Fiona C, Tim N, Keith and Rhi walked straight from the door – always a delight – up Morrone/Morven. While conditions were fairly grim on the summit, we holed up for flunch (first lunch), finding ourselves absolutely covered in a thin sheet of ice, which shattered if you put your hood down. We enjoyed fabulous breaks in the cloud as we went along the ridge over Carn na Droichaide for slunch (second lunch), spotting hares and ptarmigan. We descended from Carn Mor, alarmingly toward the sound of gunfire (clay shooting it turned out) which thankfully stopped before we emerged from the clouds.
Just along the road Kate and Allan went from Victoria Bridge over Creag Bhaig dropping down through the woods into Glen Quioch to return to the car.
Meanwhile Chris W headed south to the Cairnwell, completing a super speedy round of the three Munros there.
In the evening a well exercised group curled up by the fire in the Farquharson’s pub to watch rugby, drink beer and play Scrabble and pick-up-sticks. Hamish entertained us all at the hut after dinner by loudly crashing his head against the window falling asleep in his seat.
Sunday was a sociable walk for many of those heading south. Tim, Doug, Hamish, Matt, Chris W and Martha pootled up Duchray Hill with a return via Loch Binnie/Cataran Trail. Kate and Allan walked a bit of the Cateran Trail from Bridge of Cally towards Kirkmichael. Note – avoid this section of trail for a few years while the forest is felled!
Claire, seemingly still having energy to spare(!), parked at the little cottage beside Victoria Bridge ran along Glen Quoich and back down Glen Slugain and the Fairy Glen. She enjoyed the granny ones, which Allan told her to look out for.
Chris A also headed north for a quick climb up Aladdin’s couloir in Coire an t-Sneachda. Also keen to get some climbing in, Nicola headed off to climb Raeburn’s Gully on Lonchnagar with David C, who’d joined us on Saturday night.
All in all, a weekend with a lot of fresh air, plenty of compass use and a lovely reminder of just how much we thrive in the wind and ice*.
*with the slight exception of me recovering from covid, who’s spirit loved the wind and ice, but body needed a little longer to thrive
Rhi W
