Saturday 29.05.2010

I have inadvertently bagged my first Munro. Not, I hasten to add, that there was anything reckless about our foray into the Cairngorms yesterday: all the proper kit and provisions were packed,including the essential scroggin. But we had no overriding aim, only a day at our disposal to do with as the weather permitted.
An overnight drive,some restorative bacon butties and we began the long trudge in at about 4 in the morning.



Trekking with others in serious terrain is quite different to solitary jaunts in fields and forests:the permutations of the group change constantly, conversations (and moods) ebb and flow, and all the time the awe-inspiring scenery bears down making you stop and stare at regular breath-gathering intervals.
From wide riverside path, to a narrower track leading steadily upwards, we arrived after about four hours, at a hut almost under the crags and snow covered tops, brewed up some tea, cooked sausages (which always taste better outdoors) and tried to decide where to go from there.
Much poring over maps and eyeing of the weather (which apart from a couple of sleety showers kept dry if cold - a pretty perfect combination for a days walking) and we continued over a small pass, gazing in delight at the snow rimmed loch and surrounding mountains that were revealed on the other side.



Agreeing at that point that Ben Macdui was not going to be a sensible option but loth to return the way we`d come, and with plenty of time to spare, we traced a route that would take us back a different way, taking in a high peak if the weather held.
It did and we negotiated the snowy,boulder strewn slopes of Derry Cairngorm, arriving at the top to be rewarded with magnificent views on every side (and some very welcome chocolate.)




It always take longer than you think to get back and even dog, who was clearly aware we were on an `expotition` and scurried everywhere looking (in vain) for the North Pole, was beginning to tire, but after a couple more breaks and detours we made it back to the car park we`d left about 11 hours earlier.
It wasn`t until we got home I realised that Derry Cairngorm* is indeed a Munro,at 3789 feet exactly the same height as Lochnagar.
I don`t feel inspired to become a committed Munro-bagger - and why do we `bag` them rather than simply walk up them? - but it gave the trip an added filip somehow.

*http://www.munromagic.com/MountainInfo.cfm/20