Meet Report: 8-11 February 2019.

‘Déjà vu‘ is Gaelic for ‘here is the Scottish weather’. The journey northward was straight forward and the forecast suggested a weather front would pass over north east Scotland during late Friday and early Saturday. I imagined we could work round that.

The SMC Raeburn Hut is a small but perfectly formed 1980’s purpose built premises situated on the A889 between Dalwhinnie and Laggan. Initially it was dark and cold however, having followed the various clear instructions the place was soon warm and bright.

Aaron Oakes, Jamie Parker and Alan Linford arrived in Dalwhinnie after lunch. They had made their way up Meall Chuaich, just to the east of the A9 above Dalwhinnie and were rewarded with great views on the way up. Jamie, a prospective member, with suitable glee later announced that this was his first Munro. His suitability to be a member was confirmed as both he and Aaron initially miscalculated, in the dark, the return direction and had to make a corrective detour. Tradition is everything.

All of the party arrived through the evening bar Bob Clark, a guest and father of another guest, Matt, who was scheduled to arrive late Friday evening.

Friday morning was disappointingly wet and windy. Bob Peckham, the new poster boy on the cover page of the vastly improved YRC Journal drove south to Pitlochry and wandered over Ben Vrackie from Moulin and reported back that he had experienced some ice underfoot and strong winds on top of the hill. Michael and Richard Smith with Helen Brewitt made the same ascent later.

Alan wisely kept to the shore of Loch Ericht and its environs to avoid the worst of the weather. Aaron and Jamie, stout fellows, again drove south to locate Stob Coire Easain, above and west of Loch Treig, and east of the Grey Corries. However there was no escape from the ever searching wind and the combination of that and knee deep wet snow persuaded the pair to turn back having reached around the 850m mark. Reassuringly, they had a better idea of where they were on this occasion.

David Large and his guest, Matt Clark had plans to reach Hell’s Lum Crag above Loch Avon but having pushed up Fiacaill a’Corie Chais to the large cairn, at spot height 1141m on the map, the pair had no choice but to retreat in the face of a ferocious wind driving over the plateau. Similarly Michael and Richard Smith, Helen Brewitt, Anca Pordea and Chris Hilton drove up to the ski centre car park with a view to finding one of the many easy gullies in Coire an t-Sneachda (pronounced ‘trayack’).

Stepping out of the car I thought if I had a dog I wouldn’t let him out in this. Despite suitable clothing wind and sodden snow hindered progress up into the corrie. Aladdin’s snow covering was thinner than anticipated and Central Gully disappeared into the clouds. Given the soft snow and strong gusts a decision was made to go further west, a little further than the Goat Track, and up a broad gully running southeast to exit close to the top of the Fiacaill Ridge.

The wind howled across the plateau. Barely able to walk and lying down momentarily in the maelstrom it brought home to one just how brutal these hills can be for the unwary. Rather wet and chilled, steady progress was made back to the ski centre car park.

Saturday’s planning took into account the previous day’s experience and many opted for a lower level walk requiring a shuffling of the cars. The iced up tracks from Nethy Bridge near the Boat of Garten were taken, south through forest before crossing the open moor a little west of the River Nethy to Ryvoan in the relative shelter of Meall a’Bhuachaille.

Along the way elevenses were taken by a memorial stone for James Hamilton Maxwell, killed at Ypres in 1915 aged 22. The moor gave good views of Braeriach, Bynack More, Cairngorm and in particular, a straight line across to the Chalamain Gap leading over to the Lairig Ghru. Ryvoan Bothy was inspected and found in good condition, before dropping into Glen More for a second snack overlooking a frozen An Lochan Uaine. Here, our navigator, Anca, pointed out a 600m alternative route on the other side of the valley. Richard took this up, only to find it had changed from the mapped line and went about 70m up the hillside and went on for over 2km into the ‘centre’ of Glen More.

For those new to the area a ‘scenic’ tour was taken back to the Raeburn hut via Inch and the Ruthven Barracks. Aaron and Jamie, in similar fashion made a circuit of Loch Morlich and the surrounding forest.

David Large and Matt Clark were determined to make amends for Saturday’s retreat and for the fact that David had now, including last year’s trip to Glencoe, returned to the hut in daylight on two occasions. The pair headed back into Coire an t-Sneachda to find Patey’s Route, graded IV(5). The route was later described as thin and as the light disappeared, David was seconding the last pitch. A denuded and exceptionally long step to the right resulted in him dangling on the rope until success on the sixth attempt. Matt unable to communicate with David, was greatly relieved to see him emerge onto the stance. Climb over, the simple descent in appalling conditions and in the dark was made all the more exciting as David realised he was at one point a couple of steps away from stepping out into the void above Aladdin’s Mirror Direct. The ‘absent friends’ returned to a late dinner a little after 10.00pm, David making up, in good measure, for his two previous daylight retreats.

Hilton as Meet Leader provided sufficient food to allay any unrest and in return the assembled rose to all and every domestic chore. We were in total a party of twelve, and late on Friday evening two members of the North London Mountaineering Club arrived. The hut accommodates fifteen and as is often the case, the facilities suit a larger party catering together.

Sunday, most journeyed home in perfect weather with sun-visors deployed. Bob Peckham enjoyed the sunshine but also a cool wind on A’Chailleach (930m), north from the car park in Newtonmore , with the last km or so providing very good cramponing on firm wind-hardened neve.

Despite the weather the Cairngorms, for me, conjures many happy memories of previous visits, often at Easter, occasionally summer, of remote corries and tops, bothies and burns and remains a magnificent and special destination.

Attending:
Aaron Oakes, Alan Linford, Anca Pordea, Bob Clark (Guest), Bob Peckham, Chris Hilton (Leader and scribe), David Large, Helen Brewitt, Jamie Parker (PM), Matt Clark (Guest), Michael Smith and Richard Smith.