Second thoughts

I'm not sure why I thought there was much need to post any kind of trip report on the Ben Vrackie jaunt last Saturday, given that it was a rehash, plain and simple, of our visit back in 2012. And I gave an, er, enormously detailed explanation of the route when I wrote that one up.

In an effort to post something, however, I thought it might be mildly - mildly - interesting to stick up some side by side photies of the two trips (a) to illustrate that snowcover can be a bit random, even when conditions look much the same in general, and (b) I have no imagination when it comes to varying the bits of a hill that I feel need photographing.

January 2012

April 2013

January 2012

April 2013

January 2012

April 2013

January 2012

April 2013

Actually, things changed rather markedly from that point. The path - well, sections of it - was largely             obliterated by the deep, chopped up and mainly still solidly frozen snow. Folk had clearly been breaking out in all directions, and trying to find the easiest route over the uncertain terrain. There were rather more snow-hidden puddles awaiting the clumsy heavy-footed hillwalker than I realised from previous visits.

And, truth be told there was really very little comparison between the ascents by the time we reached the last wee pull to the summit:

January 2012

April 2013

January 2012

April 2013 (Direction Finder cairn thing, not Trig Point!)

January 2012

April 2013

 And after all that, with the summit sandwich stop enlivened by the presence of a nice group of Polish folk who had very wisely elected to bring cans of lager up the hill with them, the only matter outstanding was a commemorative dug shot, and then down the hill and back to the car by lunchtime.

With Sheepdogs to look forward to in the evening, of course...