With the roads mostly cleared and gritted (Horseshoe Pass still has the signs on saying it’s closed) I headed to GW/NW-032 for a nice stroll up the stony track to the top. Things started well and I was able to park in the usual layby at the start of the track which was neither icy nor boggy.
I put my boots and gaiters on and headed up the track, several of the trees have now been toppled since the felling on the road side, all blown to the North so not blocking the route.
Passing through the gate into the wilds there was a thin covering of snow on the track, maybe 10-15 mm. The sun was out and it was absolutely roasting as there was no wind at all, which started becoming a problem as there was no breeze to evaporate the sweat off my baselayer under my shorts and short sleeved top.
Pressing on, a bit soggy, I followed the sheep footprints as the snow gradually got deeper (sheep know the best routes and seemed to have picked the shallowest of the snow) until somewhere near the 450 m contour where even the sheep had given up. This felt like the stepper machine at the gym with the snow having drifted across the track in places. By the time I’d got up to 550 m the snow was more than ankle deep and I contemplated turning back however the snow was thinning in places and eventually the going got a bit easier again so I progressed.
As I dropped back down to 450 m to ford the river, the snow had melted in places where water had seeped out of the hillside onto the track. Normally an annoyance but very grateful on this occasion!
There was now a very slight breeze due to changing direction which brought a significant wind chill. Knowing there was a steep climb after the river I didn’t bother getting any extra layers out as I’d only have to stop and take them off again. After the river, there was a good stretch where the running water has cleared one side of the steep track up to about 500 m but then, as the track rounded the steep terrain I was met with beautiful but challenging snowdrifts as high as my waist.
I was able to find some “shallower” snow in the waves to find a point to climb over the crests onto the back edge and repeat. The depth of snow was over knee deep in places and I was having to stamp down squares in the snow to stand on to plan my next steps leading to progression at less than snail’s pace until the gradient eased and the snow was a bit shallower again up to the saddle at 613 m. This last km had taken nearly 45 minutes to cover 
Up until this point, navigation had been easy even if the going was tough but beyond this point was just featureless white. The track was not visible. I probably could have made it to the next plateau around 630 m from where I usually take a shortcut direct to the summit however it had taken nearly 2.5 hours to get to this point with at least another 45 minutues each way to the summit so I decided this was as high as I was going today. Windproof top, big coat, waterproof trousers and second pair of gloves were donned due to the breeze and having stopped.
My stalker (another walker who I noticed was following me up from wheree the sheep tracks ended) caught up with me here as I was having a cuppa and after thanking me for carving a route up through the snow which made his life easier, also decided that he wouldn’t be going any higher. I turned the 2 m handheld on just in case any other intrepid adventurers were still out on summits but heard nobody.
The descent was a bit easier than the climb. My big coat quickly went back in my bag as I warmed up from climbing through the snow retracing my steps, follwed by the waterproof trousers which were making it difficult to step over the waves over snow (I think they were snagging on the gaiters). Cloud and possible snow flurries were coming in over Arenig Fach and Fawr although they stayed far enough west not to reach me.
Below 450 m, the snow had cleared in several places where the sun had been on it all day. I found a single set of microspikes on the track, then about 1 km further along I found its partner. I’m not sure if they belonged to my stalker or to the women who I passed on their way up late in the afternoon. I left them on a big, bare rock next to the track in the forest just beyond the barrier so hopefully they’ve been reclaimed.
I was disappointed not to get to the summit and activate it this time, however it was a great day to be out especially after having been mostly stuck indoors since Gaulfest.
I did manage some radio action after getting back to the car as I made a detour to activate a bunker. As well as the usual contest QRM on 40 m, a persistent radar type signal appeared across most of the lower part of the band and I had to QSY. I know others in the UK heard it but not sure how widespread it was. I have a recording which I can send to the band police anyhow.