Mixed emotions in Scotland

For the last weekend of the semester, I had booked a Friday-to-Monday trip to Scotland to meet Robbie and Katie and to winter climb. But then the news came: Andy Nisbet and Steve Perry had perished on Ben Hope, my last Munro. Two great Scottish mountaineers. Here Simon writes euologies:

http://www.scottishwinter.com/?p=6974

http://www.scottishwinter.com/?p=6967 

So I flew to Edinburgh with mixed emotions, ran 10 km up and 10 km down Glen Tilt in a rainy storm and stayed with Katie and Robbie in Forres. Here is Robbie during our again stormy run on the Saturday. 

In the afternoon I drove to Aberdeen to meet Simon. I was lucky, as the mild & wet storm had given way to cold & crisp weather. The ephemeral was happening. We rose at 5 am and two hours later we ascended Lochnagar.

 Here we reach the col...

 ... and here we approach the Southern sector where I had never climbed before. 

 We climbed two two-pitch grade IV routes. Here is Simon just above the crux of the first climb...

 ... here on our way to the second climb...

... and here he climbs route number two. 

On route 2 I had again the easy pitch but with an exposed tip toe traverse out onto a nose.

Monday was the last cold day before things would go back to wet and windy and my last day in Scotland. The running and the two routes on Lochnagar had taken their toll and so when the alarm rang at 4 am I scored a 0.001 out of 10 on the motivation scale. We drove to one of the Angus glens. Unfortunately, our first line was not in condition and so we had to walk quite some distance before we spotted an icy line high up. 

It looked better and better the closer we went. Here is Simon on the steep entry to the gully.  

After that, the angle eased to the belay. I climbed pitch two which also had a steep step. 

Fantastic climbing so close to my former home. Here is Simon judging the climb with his facial expression. 

 The third pitch is easier but again ice and neve all the way to the top. 

 When topping out I scored 10.001 out of 10 on the motivation scale. A great grade III ice gully and a top out into warmish February sunshine. 

 I briefly lay down to photograph one feature that I love above the Angus glens: that yellow grass coming out of the snow. 

Then a walk on the plateau, here with Mayar behind...

 ... and finally down the Kilbo path.  

All of this is what Andy and Steve had loved. I thought of them when descending from this snowy, light world into the glen below. 

HW