Waking up early on the Saturday morning we were greeted with a rather unusual site. Snow. With Easter well behind us, you don’t expect to be packing the winter gear for a day in the hills. The route had been planned the night before so we set off to tackle our first objective, Bynack More. With a strong tail wind we made good progress. As we gained altitude the northerly wind gained more bite and visibility was getting poorer. Horizontal hail and deep snow contributed to the all-white landscape. Making our way over the rocky outcrops on the way to the summit offered a good workout. Moving over slippy rocks and snowdrifts was particularly hard work as we were continually peppered by hail. Poor Lex, our four-legged companion looked the worse for wear, as his jet-black coat was now as white as a dog four times his age. A brief hot coffee at the summit was sufficient time to decide to call it a day. Having turned into the wind the descent was every bit as challenging as the climb. In situations like this it is easy to understand how people can get lost on the hills. We had the relatively simple task of a northerly descent, I am glad to say our map and compass work were up to the challenge. As we escaped the cloud we came across the mountain rescue team as they searched the hills for a downed light aircraft. It was a chilling reminder of how dangerous the picture postcard view from Aviemore could be.
Sunday was intended to be a day on the bike trails. A day I was looking forward to, as it was my first opportunity to ‘play’ on my new bike. Little did I know that this bike was to become a source of much amusement for my simple-minded teammates. I would like to state, once and for all, for the record, that it is not a ladies bike. The snow had stopped falling but there was at least four inches lying on the ground. Blue skies provided the perfect backdrop for a slippy blast around the woods of Boat of Garten and into Aviemore. A good day was completed by a (compulsory) visit to the Mountain Café for a late lunch.
Tags: April 2008, Boat of Garten
