Post Holing Day 2
1st January 2024
Sunny spells and blue sky at Creag Meagaidh today 🙂 Plan A was to head into the South of the forecast area towards Beinn a Chlachair, but black ice on the approach track towards Loch an Earba soon put paid to that one. At lower levels all the approach tracks were surprisingly icy and as soon as you stepped off the track it was breakable crust and ‘post holing’ below 800m which made progress painfully slow. The mountains looked fantastic today with blue sky and what looks at first sight reasonable snow cover, but don’t be fooled, much of the snow still lies on bare ground and doesn’t’ hold the weight of a person.
Fresh snow showers are expected from 4am onwards on Gale force South-Easterly winds, some drifting is expected mainly above 900m creating windslab on SW through W to N aspects. As the temperature rises in the afternoon, further consolidation is expected.
Photo below around 700m elevation on the SW aspect of Carn Liath, to say underfoot conditions had been challenging to this point would be an understatement. Above 700m in this gully line the going was easier.
Photo below: Looking into Coire a Chriochairein (aka Stone Coire).
Photo below looking across to the summit of Sron Coire a Chriochairein 991m.
Below a view towards Coire Ardair.
Photo below: Sastrugi (wind sculpture shapes in the snow). In this photo the wind would have been coming from the RHS of the photo. Sastrugi is a good indication of the recent prevailing wind direction and gives you a clue as to where the snow has been moved from/to by the wind.
And finally, we spotted a new piece of art work at the junction of the newly constructed ‘Munro Baggers’ track heading off towards Carn Liath. Any suggestions as to what animal this is?
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Callum Horne
1st January 2024 4:22 pm
I think it’s a Pictish or Celtic depiction of the mythical Kelpie.
Colin
1st January 2024 6:50 pm
Think you broke the trail for me up those S. West slopes of Cairn Liath today. Even so, still very hard work as you say. Keep up your great work, it’s really valuable.