Kerloch, Oreos and blokes called Duncan

Activity: 48.52km/30.14miles (38km/24 miles cycling, rest walking up Kerloch), 2389 ft/724m ascent. All in all 7 hours round trip.
Weather: Sky splitting sunshine, -4 deg C at top, averaging around freezing.
Tune for today: You got the love, Florence & The Machine
Comments: Braw

Am starving and sleepy so to summarise, it was a stonking day. I cycled from here up over Durris, along to Lochton, turned off and headed for Strachan, avoided death by tractor snowplough by an inch, stopping to climb Kerloch - which was just gorgeous, but very, very deep snow and so I left Bob the hardtail near the bottom and waded up on my lonesome. I met a really great older guy on (Finnish apparently) telemark skis and with a huge beard and proper jumper and we spent a while chatting and grouse spotting at the foot of the hill before we went out separate ways. I didn't ask his name but he looked like a Duncan.

After a moment or two overcome by the sheer gorgeousness of it all at the top, I came down, cycled rest of way to Strachan, into Banchory and then home.

Kerloch in the distance...deep, deep snow in the fore...

Duncan, ahead of me for a start because he was sensible and can ski. Whereas I am old skool, and suffer.

On the way up..

Thats about the average snow depth. Thigh killing trail breaking but worth it.

Yours truly at the summit

Views north west

 View north-north west

Summit trig

Across west to Clach na Beinn etc

and west-north-west to Morven

Ski marks on the summit (sensible people...) looking south east

"Now children..You can always tell which way the prevailing wind has been blowing..."

View back up to summit (I glissaded down)

Wind scouring

I can see the sea! (looking east towards Stonehaven)

A hut used by hunters on the way up.

The way up. Yup, a lot of snow. It took near two hours to get up!

Kerloch from where I left Bob. Its 3 miles to the top from here. And its higher than it looks.

Bob, waiting for me.

Lone mountaineers sustenance of choice..

and here...here is my first ever Vimeo video taken from the shoulder on the way back down. The sound is rubbish (it was a bit windy and its just my wee camera)..


Kerloch from Jo Horne on Vimeo.