Camp below Sail Mhor

 

Following on from the last video clip here's my camp below Sail Mhor. 

I must learn how to avoid/crop my shadow!

The View From Sail Mhor

Here's a little video I took on Sail Mhor last month on the trip described in this post. 

I took the clip twice, once on the Sony a6700 camera and once on the OPPO Find X5 Pro smartphone. This is the phone one. The camera video looks fine but the wind noise drowns out my words. I'll have to take a separate microphone in future. Or else just use the phone.

I took another clip of my camp later in the day. I'll have a look at that and post it next if it's ok.

Igloos & Ski Touring on the Moine Mhor

The igloos & the tent

The annual Inverness Backcountry Snowsports Club igloo building trip took place on the last two days of March this year. These trips began back in 2010 after I’d given talks to the club on my adventures with Igloo Ed, designer of the IceBox tool we use to build the igloos, in the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming and some members were interested in building one in the Highlands. (I’ve posted about every igloo trip on this blog, here’s a link to that first one).

Sgor Gaoith from Carn Ban Mor

That first trip we built an igloo on the slopes of Carn Ban Mor on the Moine Mhor above Glen Feshie in the Cairngorms. This year we went back there for the first time in a decade. The snowline was quite high – about 750 metres – so we had to carry our skis a fair while before we could use them.

After the storm

Soon after we reached the snow the dark clouds that had been blowing across the sky thickened. Rain, then hail, then heavy wet snow began to fall. For a short while we were in a blizzard. With the snow sticking to our wet clothing it wasn’t pleasant but we were to be glad of the new snow the next day. 

Into the mist

Eventually the wind died down and the snow faded, leaving us continuing upwards in thick mist. We were aiming for a long shallow stream gully that began not far below the summit of Carn Ban Mor and which holds the snow well. We weren’t likely to miss it but even so we checked maps and took compass bearings.

Braeriach begins to appear

Slowly the mist began to dissipate and the shadowy hanging shapes of steep slopes on Braeriach began to appear. For a while the sun shone as the storm passed over Sgor Gaoith. Our gully appeared and we began to search for the deepest snow. Clouds still swirled across the sky, summits appearing and disappearing constantly.

Starting an igloo

A suitable site selected two IceBoxes were unstrapped from packs and igloo building began. The snow was soft and damp and made blocks easily. Even so it took many hours before the igloos were finished.

Cloud over Monadh Mor

The huge clouds were a distraction as they piled up into constantly shifting shapes catching the setting sun. Up there the wind was still roaring. I crossed the gully to shallower snow and flattened a site for my tent. I usually have to get up for a pee at least once a night (getting older!) and I sometimes read for a bit if I can’t get back to sleep so using a tent means I don’t disturb others. I can also lie in the tent and look at the stars. I do admit that if the weather was stormy I’d have been in an igloo though!

The igloos at night

After sunset the clouds cleared and there was a brilliant night sky, the stars sharp and bright. Across the gully headlamps lit the igloos before everyone settled in for the night.

My tent

Dawn came with a frost, beautiful light, and a chill breeze. Thin clouds quickly started streaking the sky and the brightness soon faded. Two people headed back down to Glen Feshie. The remaining four of us set off across the Moine Mhor plateau for Monadh Mor, a remote Munro.

The cornices

Soon after leaving the igloos we passed above a deep section of the gully overhung with cornices. Here one of my bindings came loose, the ski came off, sped unerringly towards a cornice, and disappeared over the edge. The only way to retrieve it was to descend below the cornices and then walk back up the gully. I hoped I could find it. I soon did and at least had a close-up view of the giant curls of snow hanging above.

Skis back together again. Thanks to Andy Ince for taking the photo.

I’d already thought I was unlikely to make it up Monadh Mor. I now wasn’t even going to try. I didn’t want to lose a ski again far out on the Moine Mhor. I might not find it this time. I also knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the others on the downhill from the summit, partly due to rusty skiing skills but mainly due to my mismatched boots and skis, the former being too light and soft to properly control the latter. Why was I using such a bad setup? Because in a year of looking I’ve failed to find any suitable replacements for my cracked and worn-out plastic boots. Nothing available is anywhere near wide enough for my feet. So I was back on my old leather boots from the 1990s. (For anyone interested I wrote about this in a couple of posts last year – here and here).

Heading for Monadh Mor

The others were on a mix of much more substantial gear – split board, ski mountaineering, heavy duty telemark.

Sgor Gaoith

The undulating terrain of the Moine Mhor was not a problem so I didn’t turn back until the slopes started to steepen and the ascent of Monadh Mor began. I enjoyed the gentle skiing, gliding over the snow, stopping to admire the clouds and mountains. The fresh snow was only a few inches deep and starting to thaw. It had fallen in the storms of the day before. Without those storms we’d have been walking across the Moine Mhor. Only in a few sheltered areas was there any older or deeper snow.

In the tent. Again, thanks to Andy for taking the photo

Back at camp I melted some snow for a drink and chatted to some ski tourers, curious about the igloos. Once the others returned we packed up and skied back across the shoulder of Monadh Mor and down the snow towards Glen Feshie, as far as it went. Then the skis were back on the packs and the long walk out began, straight into the now bright and hot afternoon sun. Soon jackets and hats came off, gaiter and trouser leg zips undone. Still too warm. This was shorts and t-shirt weather. I was glad of my leather boots now. Finally we reached the glen and then the cars and another successful igloo trip was over. I wonder where we’ll go next year and whether I’ll have found some new boots that fit.

 

Nicki doing the traditional standing on an igloo

Two fine igloos

Clouds

Sgor an Lochain Uaine & Cairn Toul almost appearing

Looking for a site in the stream gully

A Look At The May Issue Of The Great Outdoors

The May issue of The Great Outdoors is out now. In the gear pages I review four men's big packs (50 litre +) and Fiona Russell reviews four women's ones while John Manning and Lara Dunn review five pairs of three-season hiking boots each. I also review the Eddie Bauer Guide Pro Pants and David Lintern reviews the Montane Solution waterproof jacket. 

In the main features Hanna Lindon considers less popular peaks and routes that punch above their reputation, David Lintern goes backpacking round the remote coast of the Isle of Jura, James Lloyd discusses his rather longer coastal walk - right round Britain, and Sarah Hewitt goes on the Manaslu Circuit Trek in Nepal.

The magazine opens with a lovely photo of Cressbrook Dale in the Peak District at dawn by Emily Huzzard. Creator of the Month is landjustice campaigner and podcaster Nadia Shaikh. Francesca Donovan reviews Alex Roddie's latest book Wanderlust -British and Irish Isles. In the Opinion piece Mary-Ann Ochota says that access to nature is a necessity not a luxury. Jim Perrin looks at Carn Ingli in Pembrokeshire for his Mountain Portrait. Emma Schroeder thinks about the wind on her coastal walk in her Notes from the Edge. In the Skills section Alex Roddie considers how to look after your feet.

Alex Roddie pops up again in the Wild Walks pages with two routes in the Scottish Highlands - Beinn a' Ghlo in the Cairngorms and the trio of Ben Lui, Ben Oss and Beinn Dubhcraig in the Southern Highlands. In the Lake District Vivienne Crow climbs Blencathra and Scales Fell and Norman Hadley goes up Great Gable via Moses' Trod and Scafeel from Wha House Farm. In the Peak District Francesca Donovan wanders over Shining Tor and Windgather Rocks and Ian Battersby takes the Dove Dale and Manifold Trail. There are two walks in Wales - Andrew Galloway climbs Carnedd Llewelyn via Cwm Eigiau in Snowdonia while Ian Battersby visits Waun Rydd in the Brecon Beacons. Finally Fiona Barltrop walks the Cornish coast from Tintagel to Polzeath.

Celebrating the Spring Equinox on Sail Mhor

An Teallach from Sail Mhor

After leaving the path work party on An Teallach (see last post) I drove a short way alongside Little Loch Broom then climbed up beside the wonderful Ardessie Falls to the flatter upper glen of the Allt Airdeasaidh where I found a not too boggy spot to camp on the sodden ground.

Ardessie Falls

The chain of waterfalls was spectacular, the river full of the heavy rain of recent days along with the last snowmelt. I wandered over as close to the edge as I dared to look at them many times. For those who like waterfalls I’ve added a selection of photos at the end of the post. I was though shocked by the state of the path, if the confusing morass of muddy trails could be called that. With my new found knowledge I mentally reconstructed it as I went along.

Sgurr Ruadh

An Teallach rises to the east but only the rolling north-western end of the mountain can be seen. It doesn’t look very interesting, the great prow of Sail Mhor rising to the west being far more dramatic. Higher up rocky Sgurr Ruadh, the end of a long spur from the main An Teallach ridge, gave a hint of the glorious rock scenery just out of sight.

Just before the rain

A cool breeze blew down the glen and the sky was overcast. I had just settled into my shelter when a fierce squall rattled against the fabric. The forecast was for the wind to die down and the sky clear and sometime during the night both happened as I woke to warmth and condensation. Overnight the temperature had fallen to just 1°C. I didn’t need to wear a jacket all day though. Appropriate, as it was the spring equinox.

Early morning light

Leaving camp to be collected later I set off up the glen hoping that a ford of the Allt Airdeasaidh, necessary as I wanted to climb Sail Mhor which was on the far side, would be easier higher up than it looked here. It wasn’t. It was knee deep and I had to pick my spot carefully in the fast rushing water. I was glad the day was warm.

Sail Mhor & the Allt Airdeasaidh

From the ford I headed up to Ruigh Mheallain, the 594-metre southernmost top of Sail Mhor. A dip to a col and then it was up the western edge of Sail Mhor where a rough path goes steeply up along the edge of crags to the 767-metre top, marked by a small cairn on the long gentle summit ridge.

Little Loch Broom

The views from the top are extensive and glorious. Out to the west the sea extended to hazy, almost invisible islands. I sat on the summit revelling in the sunshine and the calm. The first day of spring indeed. Pulling myself up before I drifted off to sleep I wandered over to a cairn to the north that gives a better view of Little Loch Broom. This cairn looks to be higher from the summit but when you look back it doesn’t. There can’t be much in it.

Tors & rocks on Sail Mhor

From the summit I descended south-east to the more interesting part of the mountain. Soon the plain grassy slopes gave way to stony terrain with little vegetation beyond which lay a series of little sandstone tors. The rocks are fascinating and the tors give a better view of An Teallach and the surrounding hills than the summit.  Further east the sky was cloudier though the summits were clear and just once Sgurr Fiona soared into blueness.

Sgurr Fiona

Descending east from the tors is unwise as the hillside is craggy and very steep. This is the prow seen from the Allt Airdeasaidh. Instead I went south until I was past the crags and could turn east and descend to another knee deep ford of the river opposite my camp. Then it was back down past the waterfalls and home. A grand start to spring!

Pictures of Ardessie Falls 

 

It's Up To Us: Pathwork on An Teallach

Last July I posted about Mountaineering Scotland and the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland's campaign about the need for investment in hill paths called It's Up To Us (see my piece here). Part of the project is to raise funds to repair a badly eroded footpath on An Teallach. A few days ago I visited the path work to see how it was going and to to get a feel for what actually doing the work is like. 

I was there for The Great Outdoors magazine and there'll be a feature about my trip in the June issue. My role was to talk to the work crew - full timers and volunteers - and to experience the work. Photographer James Roddie was there to take photographs - you can see him at work in the picture above - so I only took a few phone snaps, which you can see here.

I was impressed with the skill and dedication of the workers and I learnt a great deal about path building. I also learnt how hard the work is! I'm looking forward to seeing James' photos of me trying to roll a big rock uphill and digging a hole for a rock step!

This is a major and important project worth supporting by anyone concerned about the state of Scotland's hill paths. 

Uath Lochans, winter storms, climate crisis

Uath Lochans & the Glen Feshie hills

On recent trips to Glen Feshie I’d been shocked by the storm damage in the lower glen, where great swathes of forest had been flattened by very strong winds earlier this year. I also heard that the area around the lovely Uath Lochans had been affected and the paths there closed whilst windblown trees were cleared. These have recently opened, unlike those at Feshiebridge which are still shut, as are the car parks.

Wanting to see how much damage had been done I recently visited the Uath Lochans and went for a walk in the woods around them. From the car park I made my way up Creag Far-leitire, with its splendid view over the three lochans to the Glen Feshie hills. Snow capped the tops and the forest and water shone in the sunshine. I was pleased to see there was no sign of destruction and the scene was as peaceful and beautiful as ever. However on my way up the crag I’d passed many fallen trees and in many places the path was lined with cut logs. I could see why the paths had been closed.

Uath Lochan & Glen Feshie hills

From Creag Far-leitire I followed paths and tracks, mostly signed as the Badenoch Way, down to Loch Insh, and then back to the lochans via another route, waymarked as the Speyside Way. There were many large areas of fallen trees. Lining these flattened areas were tall, thin, tightly packed pines. Most of this forest is a plantation, pine not spruce so perhaps more natural looking but a plantation none the less. The trees are planted close together in straight lines. With no space to grow outwards they grow upwards, reaching for the light. Even sized and in symmetrical blocks it’s easy to see how one falling can cause a domino effect. And in last winter’s storms many fell.

Storm damage

The climate crisis means storms are predicted to be more frequent and more powerful so more forest destruction is likely. This is especially so in plantations. Nick Kempe wrote an excellent piece that's well-worth reading about this on Parkswatch Scotland in which he argues that climate change makes plantation forestry unsustainable and that windblown areas should be left to regenerate naturally and not replanted. It seems storm damage is less severe in forests with a variety of randomly spaced  trees of different ages and sizes growing where they can expand outwards as well as upwards, a real forest not a plantation in fact.

Whilst slowing and limiting climate change is essential the effects are not going to just stop, whatever we do, so mitigation is also necessary. Allowing natural forests to grow via regeneration is part of this. 

Loch Insh & Geal-charn Mor

Approaching Loch Insh I could see Geal-charn Mor and the Kinrara Estate, the site of Brew Dog’s “Lost Forest”, where extensive planting is taking place. How will that stand up to future storms I wondered.