My original plan for this day was to summit Ben Macdui, at 4,295 ft it's the second highest summit in Scotland, but I heard there was still lots of snow up there and the weather forecast for the afternoon was not looking good. My only alternative that didn't add 21 miles to my route was to go through the Lairig Ghru, which is a pass that runs just west of Ben Macdui but still reaches 2,800 ft, so weather would still be a concern. I woke up early in an attempt to get through the Lairig Ghru before the worst of the weather set in. I had to do 7 or 8 miles to even get to the pass, so I knew I'd still risk facing some of the nasty weather.
I said goodbye to John and Mervyn, as I didn't expect to see them again until the end. From Aviemore I began the day with a 1.5 mile walk along a B road that took me to a well-marked approach trail to the Lairig Ghru. The path went along a campsite and I saw a bunch of other challengers. Pretty much everyone I talked to said they'd be camping at Derry Lodge tonight, which was also my destination. The path was peaceful and flat for the next three miles, which allowed me to make good time.
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| The first real forest I walked through |
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| Black slugs that were all over the place most mornings |
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| The Cairngorm Club Footbridge |
Shortly after the Cairngorm Club Footbridge, I made a southward turn and the trail started to go up, never getting too steep, but a long
steady climb that would take me from about 1,100 feet up to 2,800 feet
at the highest point of the Lairig Ghru. As I climbed out of the forest
the wind started to really pick up and dropping the temperature. Just
before I entered the pass proper, the rain started to fall. Once I got
into the pass, the steep rock walls created a wind tunnel that funneled the wind and
rain straight into my face. The gusts had to be about 45 mph, and with that wind chill the temperature was probably below freezing.
Some pictures of the approach:
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| I would be heading right into the pass on the right side of the picture |
Even with my rain gear on I was soaked, but the climb up through the pass wasn't too bad until nearly the top. Low-lying clouds made visibility near zero, and the trail went over rock fields. The rock fields were wet,wobbly, and covered in snow which made for slow going. Two German backpackers passed me, they were on vacation and had hoped to summit Ben Macdui today also. They were moving quickly and soon I lost sight of them in the cloud cover. At each rock field I had to guess where the trail really went since the snow obscured the small trail, and then after the field try to find the trail again that led me to the next rock field. In good visibility this system would have been much easier.
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| Looking straight up the rock wall of the Lairig Ghru. Somewhere beyond that would be Ben Macdui, covered in cloud and snow. |
Just near the top of the pass, Matt and Lindley (mentioned on day 5) caught up to me. I joined up with them as in these conditions I figured being with others was probably safer. The 4 miles (or so) through the pass was slow going because of the weather; we were all soaked and relieved when we saw Corrour Bothy appear. We detoured over to the bothy to take a lunch break and warm up. Inside the bothy felt warm, but we soon realized it really wasn't very warm in there, it was just that we had been doing intense physical activity. We ate a quick lunch and headed out again (once we got outside and the wind hit us I was shivering).
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| One of the views coming down from the Lairig Ghru |
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| Another valley to the west of the path |
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| Matt and Lindley crossing a bridge |
The next 4 miles was a relatively easy hike on a gradually descending path. It was a nice change from the intensity of the Lairig Ghru. We arrived at Derry Lodge about 6pm expecting to see it bustling with people but nobody was there. We walked another 10th of a mile to the Bob Scott Memorial Hut. We camped outside the hut but there were 6 people staying in the hut, none of them challengers.
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| View of the hut and Matt and Lindley's tent |
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| The view from the door of my tent -- not too shabby |
Overall it was a fun but exhausting day. The Lairig Ghru is supposed to be a beautiful hike, but unfortunately I was in a cloud for the high parts. We did get some spectacular views on our way down from the pass. I had dinner and was in my sleeping bag pretty early. Tomorrow was a town day so I wanted to get an early start!
Great pics bro. I'm so friggin jealous!
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