It was intended to be a longer visit and include GM/WS-019 since they are only a couple of km apart… ha ha
I woke an hour late and still managed to get to the summit early despite not “travelling in excess of the permitted speed” …shows my planning is poor.
I’d pinged Fraser @MM0EFI beforehand so we could attempt a S2S before a CQ and spot. That kinda worked although Gordon @GM4OAS and Colin @GM0HBK managed to get in first while Fraser corrected a self spot.
Fraser was duly worked and the familiar tones of Jack @GM4COX tailended with an “up 1 Alan” so Jack was worked too . Thanks all.
After that I’d a fruitless period of calls although I heard both sides of QSOs of Richard @2E0XGO on Robinson G/LD-021 - I wasn’t heard by him though which was a pity it would have been a nice way to get a complete.
As we are still not in the winter period, obviously the weather was great… ok it was freezing , snow underfoot and a blustery wind was whipping about, so the decision was made to get moving again to be warmer.
GM/WS-019 is not far away as the crow flies but includes a descent of 163m and reascent of 155m - careful study of the map shows that the reascent has 132m ascent in 477m lateral ie it’s steep. It was also covered in a few cm of snow/ice? There were some footprints at the start of the descent into the bealach, but tbh I didn’t fancy it much and as the ascent would be reversed for the return, it was a no brainer - it can wait!
I did catch some nice pics of Rannoch moor through some clouds and later as the cloud lifted, the views were immense. I’ll leave others to identify all the hills in view.
Apologies to anyone who was hoping to catch me on other bands or the second summit alerted for, but I’ve run out of brave/daft pills for now.
Rannoch Moor and mountains from summit GM/WS-017 Meall a’Bhuiridh
Descent and ascent to GM/WS-019 centre of photo - the summit is off pic to the right, not an enticing thought without the correct gear available (it wasn’t).
Yes, and your subsequent 0745 message informing me that you’d slept in meant that I had an extra 45 mins in bed. You still managed to get up your hill half an hour before me!
A contrast to yesterday, where Alex @GM5ALX, who is terrible at timing managed to hit the top of Ben Avon within a couple of minutes of me topping out on Dun da Ghaoithe. Now, that takes some skills.
Thanks for the S2S on 2m. Now you need to go to Mull…
Stunning views Alan! That panorama is incredible, must’ve been quite the sight in person.
I’m not sure if you’re complementing me here…but given I left later than planned, stopped at a friend’s to pick up crampons, stopped to check the map several times, gawked at a stag, changed my mind how far I’d cycle, and missed the turn up to the sneck, it all ended well
Rather fine view of Buachaille Etive Mor - Stob Dearg @GM/WS-044 with other big lumps hiding in the cloud. Crowberry Ridge and gully, Rannoch Wall etc Happy memories of Agag’s Groove…
easy, you follow the path till it’s too late as the turn off isn’t obvious at first and you are drawn towards the nice path to the left - don’t ask me how I know that… (ahem)
Exactly! The lovely made up track to the left, or the trampled long grass to the right? The top crossover is still the nice path, so it wouldn’t have been that bad…But I was marching away when the inreach started buzzing I was off course.
Ha! There’s not enough capacity on this server for me to account all of the times I’ve got lost. Mo reminds me of the day I turned a 12 mile hike into a 15 mile one, every time we drive past Loch Laggan.
Well Fraser maybe you’ve got a way to go as I managed to turn a 7 mile walk to take in Tosson Hill G/SB-007 into a 19 mile jaunt with wife and kids in tow. My excuse was that there was no brief. I’m still not trusted thirty years later.
I’m bringing the properly bad weather in a couple of weeks. Just got to finish polishing the crampons and I’ll be there.
Thanks for a brilliant report and super photos Alan. Good decision on the second summit. Getting down a slippery slope is always more difficult than getting up it.
If the pic does it justice, that snowy col looks like at mininum iceaxe terrain, and ideally crampons in the pack at least, for their reassurace value.
