Day 11 - a witch before tea and scones
"Good morning Mrs O!" Sue greets me as I unzip my tent.
"Good morning Mrs O!" I reply completing our morning ritual. "A bit of a chilly one!" That's something of an understatement. Once again the tents are rigid with frost. An uncomfortably cold night is at least in part mitigated by a wonderful dawn. A brittle blue sky with a solitary cloud setting off a marvellous view over the Angus hills towards the lowlands.
Early morning sun looking south to Glen Shee
We breakfast and pack as quickly as possible, frozen fingers struggling with tent pegs and tea and scones on our minds. By 6.30 we are scurrying up the corrie headwall eventually emerging from the shadow of Cairn an Ait where the rising sun finally starts to defrost our extremities. A rocky scramble beside a well built wall brings us to the boulder strewn south top of Creag Leachach.
Distant Cairngorms The early morning light set off magnificent clear views of the Cairngorms. Many a photo is taken but none do justice to the expansive vista. The first Munro of the day is surmounted before most people have woken up and the second, this time the grassy bump of Glas Maol topped by an impressive shelter, before most will have had breakfast. By now though the crystal skies have clouded over and a brisk cool breeze is blowing up. The leaden skies feel oppressive and an apparently black clad figure in the distance looks intimidating. We are both curious but it turns out to be the top of a ski tow. We prefer however to think of it as "The Black Witch of Glas Maol"!
The Black Witch of Glas Maol The plateau is easy walking particularly once we pick up the clear track heading for Cairn of Claise. Sue pauses by a dried out patch of bog and points to a boot print "Alan's been this way" she announces. His route took him via the Glen Shee ski area and up to Cairn of Claise so it's entirely feasible but I'm astonished by her powers of deduction. It's only later in pub that I discover Alan left us a message drawn in the peat with a walking pole which I had missed!
Cairn of Claise I'd be quite happy to enter the co-ordinates for tea and scones in the GPS and head straight for them as I've climbed all the rest of the Munros up here on previous Challenges. Cairn of Claise however is all but on the track so it may as well be added to the tally although it means a climb over a snow bank. Sue is intent on Tolmount and Tom Bhuidhe as she calculates that will bring her summit total to a nice round twenty by the end of the Challenge. "I might miss them out and meet you by the forest," I suggest somewhat lamely. Sue gives me a look which tells me I'm not going to get off that easily. "What's the most you've climbed on a Challenge," she asks. I run through 2000 in my head. "Sixteen, including these two." I add rather pointedly. "How many so far this time?" "Fourteen," I see where this is heading now. The trap has been well laid. "So add in Tolmount, Tom Bhuidhe and Ben Tirran tomorrow and you'll have gone one better!" Clearly arguments along the lines of "I've already been up them twice" and "I'm not competing with myself" are going to be futile so I follow her dodging snow patches across the plateau. She's right of course, it's easy walking, and so little ascent I'm surprised they are classified as Munros. It is with a sense of satisfaction that I phone into control at noon. "So what hill are you on this time?" laughs Roger. "Tom Bhuidhe," I answer "It's our fifth Munro of the day!" I add with childlike glee. "Only five," says Roger, "I expect more of you two!" We both remember an easy descent off Tom Bhuidhe two years ago but this year there is much more lying snow. It proves frustratingly tricky but eventually we cross the stream to pick up Jock's road near the shelter. Before we know it we're on the fine path down to the Glen Doll forest.
We are going well but we both remember the long road slog to the hotel so we make ourselves sit down for twenty minutes by the old campsite. The sun makes a brief appearance negating the cold breeze and friendly chaffinches bob around us in search of crumbs. The rest pays off and the final miles seem easier than before. We arrive just ten minutes behind schedule and the comfortable room, tea and scones and evening meal are every bit as fine as we remember. Thoughts of an early night dissipate as we meet up with Alan Jordan, Dave Skipp, Penny and Bernie Roberts and Neils Vinther whose recent rescue via his "SPOT" device has apparently made national news. His return to full health is worth raising a glass.
Path to Glen Doll
Me, Neils, Alan and Ian in Clova
We find many more things to celebrate and as a result the final ascent of the day - up the hotel stairs - is by far the most dangerous.