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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2010 17:22:53 GMT
I like the look of your country, Iain!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 26, 2010 21:08:02 GMT
These are just as beautiful as your last group of Scottish mountain climbing photos, Iain, but in a completely different way. For one thing, these are so green! Do mountains everywhere rush into Spring? Here, there is a dramatic difference after only the first rain.
The pictures certainly explain why you'd want to toil up to the top of those peaks -- those vistas! that deep, deep blue lake!
A couple of questions, please:
In the 2nd, 4th, and 5th photos of #29, a dense spread of woodland can be seen, with some rather orderly chunks visibly missing (see 4th pic). Is that deliberately planted forest, such as you showed in the Ben Alder estate in the first part of this thread?
About the path, which has obviously been made over a period of many years: who &/or what made it? Was it a sheep track originally, or something trodden into being by mountain climbers?
It was a real treat seeing the mountains in a different season, and your explanations are perfect.
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Post by BigIain on Jun 26, 2010 21:35:00 GMT
Yes that forest is planned planted and I think that the gaps within it are just natural thinning out process. The path likely is just years of walkers going directly from point to point. Once a small rut is formed, the drainage effect of the huge rainfall gouges out the path quite quickly too. Paths such as that one are like mini torrents when it rains.
Off to do another long climb tomorrow, will have camera if the weather is fine. Potentially stunning views to be had.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 26, 2010 23:14:00 GMT
Eager anticipation in force.
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Post by BigIain on Jun 28, 2010 19:36:44 GMT
This week we are off to climb two more Munros near Rannoch Moor, one of the remotest areas of the country. It starts as a very lovely flat walk along a valley where there are the remains of the old Scottish forest Took this one especially for Bixa...this is one of the new plantations where trees are planted very densely. I find them a bit of an eyesore. After an hour the route leaves the main path and heads towards todays mountains. At this stage the weather was pretty crappy and the tops were really clouded in. If you take your eyes directly up the track... we are climbing the mountain directly to the right of it, then crossing a low ridge to the one directly on the left of it. They are called Stob a choire Odhair ( Peak of the earth-colured cliffs) and Stob Ghabhar ( The Peak of Goats) Evidence is all around which shows the ancient forest buried under peat marshes. Errrrr... UP!!!! On the climb, around 100m below the summit and about to head in to the clouds. Time for good old fashioned map and compass to find the direct route to the top avoiding those cliffs! The Swan inspecting the summit cairn A food break was taken sheltering behind the summit cairn in heavy rain and cloud Suddenly gaps are appearing in the clouds hinting at the views on offer Descending from the clouds and on to the ridge connecting to the second mountain which is hiding in those darned clouds! From the low ridge, back in the direction from where we came from From the start of the climb to number two, looking back along the ridge at the first mountain. The weather is getting clearer now. Its warm and very humid and the midgies are out in force Oh, and it is very VERY steep as we start to climb Stob Ghabhar Now we are on the narrow and rough part of the ridge, just don't look down, OK? Now looking back along the ridge. Reaaly had the pulse racing! Now onwards towards the second summit Finally!!! The weather had improved and the top is clear. We are at 1090m above sea level and have actually climbed a total of 1240m on both mountains It was a bit dark for my camera though. Final view as we walk back to the car park, from roughly the same place as one of the first pics. Stob Ghabhar in all its gloomy glory
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2010 19:56:57 GMT
Down with the midges! The views go far beyond what I would qualify as "breathtaking". The "gloomy glory" is not the least bit gloomy -- it is just glorious! Thanks for taking your camera along!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 29, 2010 0:26:14 GMT
*blush* Oh, Iain ~~ you took a photo of an eyesore just for me! That is so sweet.
Seriously, in that photo the trees look pretty natural. It's the views from above that show the crass pattern.
I am stunned by these pictures. I thought I'd be blasé after that last gorgeous group, but damn, these are incredible! Your sequence really shows how quickly the puny world of man got left behind. Really, it's like a documentary going back into pre-history, and just so beautiful.
I hope you are properly proud of that jaw-droppingly perfect photo of the vista through the gaps in the cloud. They're all such great pictures, but that one and the third one below it just knocked my socks off.
Thank you for risking your life in the pursuit of beauty!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2011 9:12:29 GMT
Something made me remember this spectacular thread as the season of gloom and cold begins to arrive.
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Post by patricklondon on Sept 23, 2011 18:43:18 GMT
To help hold the gloom at bay, here's a little music appropriate to those spectacular photos:
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Post by nycgirl on Sept 24, 2011 15:25:07 GMT
Wow, Scotland certainly looks like a beautiful country. Wonderful photos. I'd love to do this hike.
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Post by BigIain on Sept 24, 2011 20:11:50 GMT
As a very rare visitor here at the moment... I had forgotten about this thread too. Hopefully be doing some mountains before the end of October.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 24, 2011 23:18:40 GMT
Always good to see you, Iaian, rare or well-done.
Yaaay that you're getting to go climbing. Close to home or further afield?
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Post by tod2 on Sept 25, 2011 18:36:03 GMT
Anyone who can climb those peaks in a day under some pretty awful conditions to start off with, has my thumbs up and respect! The last time I climbed a mountain of 1,647 metres, was three or so years ago (and I would never attempt it in Scotland...I'm scared of falling in a peatbog). It was a mountain I had climbed aged about 15 and now was back after 50 years. To say it was damn hard is to put it lightly. The coming down was worse and I suffered from the most hideous cramp in my legs. (Well what the heck do you expect leaving on an empty stomach and only drinking a few gulps in a mountain stream? ) I lost both my bigtoe nails due to the punishment they got in my trainers. I guess I felt about as proud as you BigIan on the summit. ;D
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