Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Raeburn Hut Meet Jan 2012

The 2012 Burns Meet saw a somewhat under-quota party of Ann, John, Denis, Robert, Jillian, Linda and Morna head off to the Raeburn Hut near Dalwhinnie (for the first time since 2004, surprisingly). Given the “lively” weather forecast we were prepared for some fun on the hills on the Saturday. What we weren’t prepared for was the sight that greeted us on the Friday night. Denis, despite arriving in the light, had managed to get his van off the side of the track and embedded axle-deep in gloopy mud. No amount of mud splattered pushing and clutch burning would shift it so we just had to wait until the AA Landrover did the job in seconds.
Going nowhere fast...
Saturday morning brought heavy hail and snow showers accompanied by gales. This wasn’t enough to deter some: Morna and Linda headed off to the Northern Corries for some ski testing while Jillian took Robert on a bagging trip to Beinn a Clachair. Ann and John had an unplanned long lie in and ended up on the wee Marylin west of the hut. The weather on that was quite foul enough so we were surprised to get back and find the others obviously going through with their plans (except for Denis, who had a van day).

 The view from cowering behind the summit cairn of Creag na Doire Duibhe

View N towards the Monadliath

The ski party were doing well in the conditions until the Ptarmigan cafĂ© materialised out of the blizzard and the temptation of frothy coffee curtailed their adventure. They then skied, with some difficulty, into the wind back down again. Meanwhile R&J, who had somehow managed to stay on their feet long enough to summit, began the walk out only for Jillian to realise that she had already done the hill. Robert’s comments are not recorded.

A fine Burns Supper finished us off and there was widespread apathy on a sleety windy Sunday. Even our keen skiers could muster enthusiasm only for a bit of piste action at the Lecht.
Denis presides over the murder of a haggis and Burns' poetry

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