STUCHD - 15th Nov '09

There has been nothing much to report on the climbing front of late as I've been pretty ill.  The flu knocked me out for around 4-5 days after coming back from holiday, followed by the cough from hell which turned out to be a case of acute Bronchitis.  Me being me, tried to keep on going (Wall anyone?  Bouldering comp anyone?  Benny Beg anyone?  Carn a' Mhaim anyone?  Running anyone?  Who me?)
So after a trip to the wall last week saw me feeling faint and dizzy and feeling pretty f*cking louzy I finally relented and realised this weary old body needed a rest.
God damn it though, there has been snow on the high hills and reports of Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis being done in snowy conditions, and Andy has done a route in the Cairngorms, as have several others.  That will teach me to push myself when sick though!
I don't think conditions have been *that* great however, mostly unfrozen and early season snow, so I don't feel that I've missed anything amazing.
Last weekend I had a much needed rest and went to visit a wonderful person in Glasgow
http://streapadair.smugmug.com/
who'd been nagging at me to look after myself, (very effectively!) has taken care of me and who has completely captivated me.

This weekend we drove up to Glen Lyon in D's van and slept over, buffeted by the rain and wind, the van shaking to and fro through the night.  It was wonderful though to be cozy inside, to wake up, draw the blinds of the van and see the hills and mist outside, a hint of sunshine poking through the clouds, nature slowly awakening to a new day.
The van was parked up by the Giorra Dam at the head of Loch an Daimh, the Loch of The Stag (and there were plenty of stags around for sure!)

                                                                                                                                                           
At around 9.30 am we made our way along side the loch and then up the sodden slopes of Coire Ban and up to point .887.  The cloud then came in with a shower, whereupon I realised I'd left my waterproof jacket back at D's house.  Rats!  I shoved on an extra fleece, my hat and buff and gloves to keep the damp at bay and we carried on through the mist and drizzle up to the summit of Stuchd an Lochain.  If the weather had been fairer I might have eagerly suggested we carry on to the nearby Corbett Sron a' Choire Chnapanich but as it was, it was a tad on the dreich side and me jacketless, was getting damp and cold!  D had pointed out to me earlier that, 'oh aye, lets just carry on to the Corbett, walk the Daimh skyline, bag the other munro Meall buidhe, and heck why not another couple of Corbetts added on too!'  I was politely told to behave myself, and just as well really as I *do* know that I have to get back into things slowly after being so unwell.

So a needed short day was had and neither of us felt too pushed and I rather enjoyed sludging down the wet path.  Although the path was more like a corroded and flowing watercourse!
Back to the van for a cup of tea (how ace is that!) and a nice drive back to Glasgow, then back to bonny Dundee for me.

Reports are coming in that the cliffs of Coire an t-Sneachda are bare of snow, that someone said Ewan Buttress in Lochain was in (dubious?) and that all the cliffs in the Loch A'an Basin are bare, but MacDui was holding snow.
Mamores have a little snow, so presuming the Ben still has some snow left too.
A lot of wet and stormy weather forecast for the next few days though and temperatures above the summits but the charts show the possibility of it being cooler towards Sunday.