I should have followed my gut instinct, as I rolled up into the car park in the dark I missed the turning and started off up some track. I knew immediately I’d gone wrong which resulted in an owl like neck twisting as I reversed back down the narrow dark track and back to the parking opening spot. Then the rain started, it was surely an omen.
The forecast stated cloudy for Bridge of Orchy, light snow around 6 am for Stob a’ Choire Odhair, the mountain I was going to climb. Okay it was going to be a bit windy but it should be manageable. Reality, continuous rain, sleet and some snow all carried on a wind which seemed far stronger the forecast. This is the same location as my last story below, how different a day to that one.
In the dark I set off with a positive, hopeful mindset, ‘endure’ I thought,’ it’ll be tough but once on the summit it’ll pay off’. Hmm, the best laid plans.
It might have been showery, but I made good pace to the turn off point for the mountain track, even though the trail was its’ usual claggy, muddy self and with the rain more so, I still made good progress as I hit the zig zag track up the side of the mountain without passing this second turn off like last time.
Here the hard work really started, heavy, wet drifted snow lined the path making it easier to try and keep to heathery sections above the path. The higher I got the worse conditions became. Now having to cross open snow fields, easy if the snow were hard. Mist blew in and out hiding my route above.
I’d been somewhat in the shelter from the wind but now it was starting to tickle the side of my face, the snow underfoot was Creme Brulee , that is a hard crust with deep, soft wet snow underneath. For two paces the crust will support your foot fall, then for three paces your foot goes through and you have to drag it out. Then for four paces support, two paces through and extrication required; so it went on for most of the way to the summit. It is totally exhausting sapping your energy to the core. The dull wet dark world had changed into a bright white misty one as the mountain opened out.
Once on the summit there was about two seconds relief at having made it, but these were completely different conditions to my visit last month. The wind pushed and shoved me constantly and when a strong gust came there was nothing for it but to crouch down and brace, the air sucked out of my lungs. Mist swirled in and out revealing then instantly hiding any view, eye stinging snow showers made me hide my face until they had passed.
The tripod was out of the question, all I could do was up the shutter speed and try for something hand held.
A stormy Rannoch Moor
I fired off a couple of shots as the wind jostled me about after first struggling to get my down jacket on, the wind threatening to tear it out of my hands.
Broody conditions
I turned to try and repeat a panorama that I’d shot last time but now with a snow clad Stob Ghabhar, I was shooting straight into the wind, the mountain for moments hiding in mist, then revealed for a few seconds. It was an impossible shot with gusts of wind coming more frequently and there was no way I could stay still long enough as the wind treated me like a rag doll.
I was so disappointed, but with regret it was time to get out of here with conditions worsening and it was time to put safety first. Descending should have been easier, but the deep leg grabbing snow was relentless, ankles, knees and hips aching with the constant need to jiggle and drag each leg out of the snowy white traps.
It was a relief to get off of the snow and back on the water logged muddy tracks again and finally back out to the solid Landrover track. Just before reaching the main way out I saw a possible composition, I debated whether I would stop, all I wanted to do was get back to my car, crank up the heater and go home to a hot shower. But I had to do it and captured a shot of the burn (river) named Allt Toaig. I also now had a chance to drink some gloriously hot sweet coffee, I was a bit dry so to speak. Looking back up to where I’d been it still looked nasty and uninviting, today the mountain didn’t want to play.
Allt Toaig
It rained on and off all the way back to the car, I’d not brought a change of clothing so had to put a plastic bag on the seat so as not to get it too wet, I took solace in that although I’d not taken many photos, at least I’d gotten a good workout.
Weather forecast be damned, I think I’ll hang a piece of seaweed outside my front door, it might be more accurate… :)