Enjoying or enduring?
28th December 2019
Had a couple of days off and enjoyed being in the busom of my family post-Christmas. The prospect of a few work days was welcome however after the usual protracted seasonal celebrations.
The weather was wet & terrible of course but the car park at ‘Meggie had at least a dozen cars in it. That’s an unusual juxtaposition at Creag Meagaidh!
Saw a fair few folk on the main Coire Ardair path, one or two bright hellos but hoods up/heads down seemed to be the order of the day for everyone else. The rain was incessant and the wind….well, there’s always wind isn’t there on a day like this?
I was genuinely conflicted. “I’m not sure whether I’m enjoying or enduring this!”, was a somewhat rhetorical greeting I offered to one group of walkers on the path. It raised a cheery laugh of recognition from an older guy. Maybe he too, like me, had been cooped up inside for just a little too long this Christmastide?
Peeling off my dripping wet gear back at Aberarder, I reflected some more on my day and the ‘enjoying/enduring’ conundrum…..
Sorry, no warm, fuzzy philosophising about this one, folks, I’d definitely endured it. Was a minger of a day!
Limited opportunities for photography today, just a few misty, smeary shots possible.
(Above) Easy Gully, Coire Ardair today. Streaming with rainfall run-off and meltwater.
(Above) Looking up at part of the Post Face. Centre Post is streaming with water (middle of shot) and has a lot of deep wet snow perched at a very steep angle in its mid section. Here and in similar locations there is some limited full depth avalanche potential. Elsewhere the snowpack is in full retreat and is reasonably well stabilised. Further snow loss anticipated overnight and during Sunday as the heavy thaw continues.
(Above) Looking up towards the opening ramps of Staghorn Gully on the Post Face of Coire Ardair. Snow cover very patchy here now.
(Above) Raeburn’s Gully – centre . Just about complete today, but for how much longer?
(Above) Lochan a Choire – looking east back down Coire Ardair. just a few ribbons of snow at lower altitudes on the Carn Liath side.
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