It’s the Friday.
Gulabin looks like it has just had a dusting!
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Today- Mona Gowan GM/ES-034 749m
From the military road.
- 30cm soft snow on heather from the off
- later a metre of snow, covering fence posts
- Wind scoured summit
- Snowing throughout, the ice type
- 30mph SE wind, probably 40mph on top
- Windchill -15°C
- Snow shoes or skis advised
- Goggles essential
I’ve done Mona Gowan half a dozen times at least and that was the toughest, with the most snow I’ve seen.
In other news, the Gairnshiel to Crathie road is open, so if anyone fancies equal adventure - Geallaig hill GM/ES-036 is your hill!
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Hi Andy & Fraser, it is much warmer in The Bothy, Braemar !
73 Peter
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Thanks Fraser !
ALERT set for GM/ES-078.
73 Peter
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Lunch will be at the Bothy, Braemar at 1pm
We’ve brought the time forward because folk are going for less extreme expeditions, given the weather.
So far, me, Andy, Peter (+wife), Alex.
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…might be that it is winter, just a guess!
We get hot weather in OZ and I know it’s summer. 
Geoff vk3sq
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the 4 seasons here are cold, wet, windy and midges (only the latter condition being unique to summer) 
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Yes, but we’re supposed to be the colder and drier side of the country. It’s flipped this year. Our 150 year old granite cottage has sprung a small leak, due to being constantly battered by weather from the “wrong” side.
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Still smiling!
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School run at 9am and then I was off to Braemar. Given the weather, I’d changed from Morrone to Creag Bhalg, GM/ES-046. It was rain until it turned to snow at Ballater, although had stopped by the time I parked up opposite Victoria Bridge. My later start meant the others were on or nearly on their summits and I chased Fraser whilst walking up to Mar Lodge estate.
Sheltered by the hill and trees, it was a pleasant walk up the Land Rover track, some new snow on the ground but straightforward. Once off this and heading up the hill to the summit was harder work. Could’ve done with some snow shoes as the snow wasn’t frozen enough to walk on with spikes.
I heard Andy @G6PJZ calling, so replied with the ES club call, although the rf path wasn’t ideal with me walking further around the hill but we eventually made contact.
Once out of the shelter of the hill the wind was strong and the snow was on and off. Visibility was poor. By this time Fraser had been on his summit an hour, so once I was in the AZ I called him on 2m for our S2S. Andy was still calling, so he was another S2S.
I seem to remember the summit having a few cairns and I thought one at the true summit. I past one and continued on but didn’t find another. I thought about turning back but then found a big boulder with snow drifts around it. Looked ideal to setup.
Peter @GM7STP came back on 2m from Craigendarroch, and he was my fourth call in the log. I debated about leaving or setting up HF, and decided to give 40m a shot. Mast jammed in the snow and me tucked behind the boulder, it wasn’t so bad. After a few QSOs I started getting rf on my mic, so that made it a struggle for others to hear me. I’ve had it before and usually rearranging myself, the mic cable or antenna wire sorts it out, but I was jammed in my nook so couldn’t move. A few more contacts and it was definitely time to go. My fingers were frozen 
Was packing up to head down, when Yaesu service called me to ask for my ft857 serial number. I’d ordered two replacement encoders after a failed sale shipment had damaged them. With a wet phone and poor reception the call didn’t go well, and I called back once in the car.
Then all that was left was a short drive back into Braemar for handshakes, “well dones”, tea, soup, bacon toastie and sharing of stories.
Not bad for a rescheduled event!
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Great to meet everyone. Thanks for organising an unofficial outing for those daft enough to come (or too obstinate to cancel) Fraser.
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A great SOTA day out and great to meet up with Fraser @MM0EFI , Alex @GM5ALX and Andy @G6PJZ at The Bothy afterwards. Thanks for organising Fraser,
73 Peter
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Originally ten participants, and that was (sensibly) reduced to four on the day. Then, most downgraded their summits. Also very sensible.
Fraser 1068m - 743m
Alex 860m - 668m
Andy 560m-560m (the original sensible one)
Peter 743m - 402m
My day was quite full of adventure.
First - the road to Gairnshiel bridge was blocked with a fallen tree. Thankfully, estate workers were soon on the scene to clear it.
oops
Next - the road from Gairnshiel bridge to the parking spot for Geallaig Hill GM/ES-032 - the snow plough had ploughed right up to the snow gates and then pulled off for his tea break (I guess?), leaving a dam of snow across the road. I ploughed through it and up the untreated road, hoping I didn’t get locked in! Approaching the parking, I saw a car 300m further up the hill. Someone was outside it, so I drove up for a look. Surprised to find a nine year old boy behind the steering wheel and his father outside pushing the car. Rather than tow the car, only for him to get stuck again further up the road, I helped to get him reversed, turned and then showed him (drawing in the snow) a better way to go. That done, I reversed back to the parking spot.
looks like a 4x4. Isn’t a 4x4
0930 and now I could finally climb the hill.
parking
Geallaig threw everything at me today. Fresh powder at the start, soft drifts and completely banked out slopes. Visibility was poor, but most of the time I could pick out small trees and other vegetation here and there. When even this was buried, I experienced total whiteout conditions - the kind where my brain didn’t know which way up I was, and whether I was going uphill of downhill.
Garmin to the rescue
Above the whiteout and on flatter ground - scoured snow leaving firm névé and finally a hard iced surface, with the occasional powder funnel. The MSR snowshoes took it all in their stride. Despite following the summit fence line, I had difficulty in locating the cairn. Up top, the wind was howling in my face, hampering visibility further, despite goggles.
When I did find the cairn, I kicked off my snowshoes and dropped into an oasis of calm. Five out of my six activations here have been in January or February, and that’s because of the great shelter.
banked out with snow, but better than it looks
1030 and on to the activation. I cut out a slab to make a seat and I rammed the Carbon 6 into the metre of snow behind me. Slim-G and my FT-3d, which I’ve fallen back in love with.
on 2m FM
I managed to work Peter, who was on Craigendarroch and then some locals. Next was Andy, who was on Meall Alvie. Then I had to wait another 15 minutes minutes on Alex! I was getting cold hands, but not too much. I’ve been wearing my Buffalo Special 6 shirt and Paramo trousers all week and in all conditions. Both items were worn next to the skin, with no base layers. It took a bit of bravery on my part to wear a single layer of clothing in the conditions, but both have been superb. Never hot on the uphills, yet keeping me warm when sitting (for an hour in this case).
Anyway, as soon as Alex said 73, I was off. Nine contacts in the log, which is decent for 2m around these parts, as well as working all three summits.
tools of the SOTA trade
Down to the road, headed towards Crathie to find the gates still open. Great - up the main toad to Braemar and the Bothy cafe, where Andy was already seated. All assembled, we had a right good natter about just about everything apart from amateur radio. Nice.
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With prominent QFH antenna!
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I wondered why you didn’t take off your “jacket” in the cafe!
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There’s been discussion on here before about phone navigation v dedicated GPS devices. I have the utmost confidence in my GPS 66i, with its rugged buttons and lack of touch screen, never mind the InReach functions. My phone remained in my pocket until I was safely tucked in the summit cairn (apart from the odd photo).
I didn’t want to scare Andy and Peter.
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