We had arranged to climb and walk along the Aonach Eagach Ridge (my 5th time), going from Allt na reigh cottage all the way along to the Pap of Glencoe. However, when we met up at the Green Welly in tyndrum, we had to change our plans on account of the mingin' weather. Trying to walk along the ridge is a nervy affair on a good day, so to do it in this muck, high winds, low cloud and hissing rain would have been a bit silly. Our back bottoms would have been twitchier than a rabbits nose. So we resigned ourselves to doing the Buachaille, specifically up Coire na Tulaich (CnT) and up to Stob Dearg. The weather wasn't going to permit a full traverse along to Stob na Broige today. There should have been 6 of us today. 2 had called off in the early hours. I'm guessing they saw the weather report and thought f*** that!!! So four it was going to be. Except it wasn't. Me and Jim met at the welly for Breakfast and when the others arrived, they decided they weren't brave enough to to go up something considering the weather. They decided to do a low level walk along to Loch Tulla. That left me and Jim to go vertical. we parked at Altnafeadh and it was raining heavily, with very low cloud. But onward and upward.
To remember two climbers who died recently, someone had positioned two white roses among the rocks of the cairn. A reminder of how dangerous our mountains can be.
This was my fourth time on this summit, having done the whole of the Buachaille ridge (2 munros and 2 other peaks) once as well. Each time having been done in 'summer' weather, so at least i knew what the view should have been like.
