Ben Vorlich illuminated by moonlight
I visited Ben Vorlich back in the autumn, but now with a fresh layer of snow it was hard to resist a return visit with a new adornment of white fun. For once I remembered to charge the battery in the head torch, I needn’t have bothered, with a full moon and snow on the ground my surroundings were lit up with a silvery blue light giving an otherworldly atmosphere and plenty of light to illuminate the way.
It was easy going at first and headway good, that would change the higher I ascended where a lot of the path was just solid ice from water run off, though I could skirt around either side of the path for most of the way. I resisted crampons at this stage, I could still keep a good pace and crampons tend to slow you down until absolutely needed. Eventually I was on steep snow and they were needed, but in many places the drifts were deep and heavy going on the upward track. I’d forgotten how exhausting it could be, hmm maybe I need snow shoes :)
Eventually I made it to the summit and a stiff wind, temperature -7ºC, windchill -15ºC, ha, I didn’t hang around for long my targeted spot a little further down the other side on a small spur. There was little respite from the wind though and as soon as I stopped the big down jacket was out of the camera bag and wrapped around me, hand warmers activated and jammed into gloves.
Moonset
First thing I looked out for was the moon, a full moon was setting just around the same time as the sun was going to rise, one of the best times to capture an image of the moon. In this case it sank below a low cloud bank tinged with pink from the about to rise sun.
Stuc à Chroin catches first light
I’d considered carrying on to Stuc à Chroin mulling it over whilst I ate my second breakfast of hot coffee and butter with apricot jam filled croissant, but the legs weren’t up to it and besides the best of the light would be finished by the time I got there. It would warrant a return though via a different route probably.
A distant Ben More with earth shadow behind
It was still a long walk out without doing Stuc à Chroin or taking to the summit of Ben Vorlich again, exhausted I eventually made it back the the car, but what a cracking morning it had been. At least it won’t matter if I forget to charge the head torch battery on my next early morning jaunt…