Meet to The Cabin, Laggan, 13th–15th April, 2018
Present: Tony Kinghorn & Graeme Morrison.
For various reasons this was a poorly attended meet. Nevertheless, the participants upheld the Club’s good name by achieving a hillgoing average of 3.5 man-Munros per man-day.
On Saturday morning, drawn to the west by a good forecast and Tony’s unfinished “second round”, they drove to Glen Shiel, where an ascent was made in sunshine to the bealach between the so-called Three Brothers and Five Sisters of Kintail. Mighty accumulations of snow still lay on the north sides of these hills, and on the crest a chilly wind forced a swift change from shirt-sleeves to woollens and windproofs. The ridge was followed eastwards over Saileag and the snow-arête of Sgùrr a’ Bhealaich Dheirg, where Graeme experimentally deposited his spectacles as a lure for the circling raven. From Aonach Meadhoin, the day’s third Munro, there were fine views of An Riabhachan and the Strathfarrar hills, which had been the venue of the FMC meet in March.
Leaving the top of Sgùrr an Fhuarail at 4pm, Tony pressed on to Ciste Dhubh, while Graeme retraced his steps westwards along the ridge, in pursuit of ornithological enlightenment: would the predatory corvid have stooped upon the optic prosthesis? Imagine his fascination at finding the spectacles undisturbed at the cairn! No thieving magpie, this. The splendid views of the Sisters and the distant Cuillin were enjoyed with added clarity, before a swift descent was made from Saileag to the car in Glen Shiel.
Meanwhile Tony had left the remote summit of Ciste Dhubh at 6 p.m., coming down An Caorann Beag to a point near the Clunie Inn, where his bicycle had been secreted in the morning. A 40-minute ride down the glen took him back to the car by 9 p.m. After a swift drink and crisps at the Inn came the long drive back to Laggan, where dinner took the form of a midnight feast (or nourishment, at least).
On Sunday morning it was pleasant to sit outside the hut and enjoy, at long last, some warm spring sunshine. After a leisurely breakfast Tony & Graeme drove to Aberarder and made an ascent of Càrn Liath and Stob Poite Coire Ardair beneath grey skies, before dropping to the Window. From here, a descent was made through recent avalance debris to the lochan beneath the Post face. Though the view was grand as always, the snow-burdened gullies looked soft and menacing, the temperature being well above freezing.
On returning to Laggan the party tidied the hut, which had provided a comfortable base for the weekend, and adjourned to Newtonmore for a meal, before eventually reaching Edinburgh at 11:30 p.m.
It is a shame so few members were able to attend this meet, as the hills were a fine sight and few other walkers were about.