Blog
Winter in the Cairngorms - 4
Monday 5th March 2018
Dan Saulite
At some point in the early hours possibly 4 or 5 am I awoke to the sound of a red deer, a stag i supposed as it announced itself with a grand bellow. A fine way to be woken i thought as i rolled over and fell back asleep.
When I did finally get up I saw that our new friends had already departed, The rutting stag was too much for 'He who must not be named' and his death eaters.
This was to be our last big day in the Highlands and what a day it was, the weather was looking fantastic and the forecast suggested it would remain that way all day (to be taken with a pinch of salt of course)
So we decided to again split the group into two and have one party head up onto the ridge, and traverse over Cairn toul, Sgor An Lochain Uaine (Angels peak) and Braeriach the 3rd, 4th and 5th highest peaks in Scotland. Then gradually come down into the ancient and beautiful Rothiemurchus forest. A big challenging day no doubt but with superb rewards for those who dared.
The other option was the less formidable but still spectacular and probably one of my all time favourite hikes, through the mighty Lairig Ghru following an ancient drovers road all the way out and down into the shelter and safety of the forest.
A long and splendid day was had by all, the high group certainly worked for their reward but it was an unforgettable experience that they will all cherish. The lower group had also an amazing time, with grand views dominating the landscape from all sides and high spirits making it so much fun to be there.
That evening in our perfect little campsite we ate well, laughed hard and relished the work we had done and what we had accomplished. Tomorrow we would walk only for half a day then we would be out and back to the real world and everything that goes along with it.
The end.