Snow and Smiles

On paper, not an early start, but when you stroll home at after 1am and have to be in town for an RV for 9 AND the clocks go forward, then....

Came to with a smile which promptly morphed into a panicked look when I realised the time. Coffee, porridge, make salami and cheese rolls, heat the celeriac cashew apple soup, grab crampons, ice axe, compass, map, 15 layers and out.

Quiet (obv) into town; and met up with Nic.o.la (driver), Barry (munitions) and Sharon (spiritual guidance) and off we headed to Glenshee.

Comic interlude at Tesco, Blairgowrie. Sharon is busy telling Nic we'd been here before; Nic adamant she has no recollection. I kick Sharon's seat and she shuts up. Inside I have to remind her we've been there before - just the two of us, last April on a walk to Glen Callater and the bothy there where we had chilli, wine, campfire, etc.

Forecast was - OK - and as we drove north in gloom, I had my doubts. At the sharp right at Spittal of Glenshee, it brightened, and by the time we hit the starting point at the ski centre, it was acceptably OK. (hazy, but views and occasional bursts of sunshine; smattering of snow, and the horrific easterly blasts of the previous few days were less cutting)

40 minutes straight up for the first one; it's a slog, but a straightforward 40 minute one -memorable for Barry (leading) turning and shouting at me 'oi, you're scaring the sheep' when in fact they were mountain hares.... He's very urbane is Barry....

The 3 (Cairnwell, Carn a Gheoidh, Cairn Aosda) are fairy straightforward; effort to reward ratio is good, and once you've done the initial slog up, there's no great climbing to be done. So for the next four hours, we took in the views, chatted, slithered down snowy slopes, and got sunburned and weather beaten.. Barry has not been well recently, and the social aspect of today did him a world of good; Nic.o.la too has difficulties at home and a day off seemed to really lift her; Sharon can never find enough time to be out, walking, fresh air, new experiences and was buzzing, smiling.

So it was good to be amongst this lot; I've done them all twice before and the Cairnwell - 4 times now? But the ladies get to 11 Munros, Barry added one and now has 138; I'm static at 155 but a week in the north west highlands in May will sort that out...!

So we were done by 4.30; sedate drive home and in the house by 7.15. Had an argument with her on the basis of information she took as gospel from a 6 year old; and then bath, posted pics on Fakebook (Sharon's new obsession) and was fast asleep after a busy day by 10.

Yeah.