Cairn mon Earn (again)

Weather: Sunny, but cold with occasional warm bits
Activity: Hill walk with Jnr. Cairn mon Earn (1247ft), 6km
Today's Tune:Even more Icelandic plinky plonking..
Comment: Found the snow...

Had an afternoon off today and it was an amazingly beautiful day so after a cup of tea & catch up with my mate, Jnr and I set off up Cairn mon Earn. We were well up into the snowline and Jnr was shocked that snow could be as high (higher) as him. I tried to explain that quite a lot of things were higher than him, including the hill we were walking up but he was having none of it. Never try to rationalise with a four year old. It will drive you insane.

And here is the Argumentative One next to his snow drift. Yes, I know he looks like he wants the bathroom urgently but actually that's his serious National Geographic Scientific 'Find of the Year' pose.

 

 Kerloch & Clach na Beinn

 

Looking west from Cairn mon Earn

It was lovely up there and made all the more lovely by the scent of freshly sawn timber and the sound of a harvester and forwarder working on a clear fell. My forestry days were amongst the best of my life and I am always happy when back amongst it, watching or working. On the way back down, we stopped and chatted to the operators. Much humming and tutting about the fact harvesters did me (and most woodcutters) out of a job (ayef*ckinbastardhooerin'machineseh!), who we all worked for (ayekenBeelfaeStrichenayeweelnohimbuthisbritherfaeEllon), the price of timber (f*ckinatrociousmin), state of the timber industry (f*ckinabominablemin) and the re-telling of the Mine'-the-boy-fit-wis-crushed-tae-death-by-the-harvestin-heed-fae-Strathdon? story that seems to crop up during every meeting (accidental or otherwise) of forestry types up here. Anyway, Jnr got to sit in the lads harvester and was happy as Bills Brother from Ellon.

We left them to it and carried on down the hill discussing Jnrs plans for the future. I'd go into them with you but as he inhabits in an universe where linear time does not exist ("I was working on fishing boats when I was older mum and you was a baby") you'll appreciate how hard it might be to try and put it into type..

Glad to be up a hill again and pleased that James handled it with no problems especially as the snow was up to his shins and 6km up a hill is a long way for a 4 year old! I'm making tentative plans for a run on my own  up there or Kerloch again in the next few days to make the most of possibly the last snows of this winter.

Looking towards Kerloch (centre) and Clach na Beinn (to the right) with the wooded slopes of Mongour near-left