the easains – 21st December 2021
Posted on 15/02/22 in munro-bagging
I couldn’t have expected a better hike on the shortest day of year!!! The adventure all started with a frosty and atmospheric morning which had a beautiful winter’s feel to it!! It was cold and snowing with cloud-covered frosty mountain tops. However, it wasn’t what I was expecting! I was prepared for an autumn’s day, just like my hike 3 days prior. With the glorious weather and cloud inversions we’ve received recently, the forecast stated there’s a high possibility of further inversions.
The ascent to the Easains ridge was up through a frosty peak with some parts steep, icy and rocky. Just wish I took my crampons as I was not optimistic about reaching the 2nd Munro and then realised on the ascent, am I even making the 1st Munro!!! When approaching the Easains ridge, I noticed some blue sky and it was looking promising they’d be a cloud inversion on top. Upon reaching the ridge, the scenery transformed into something straight out of heaven!!! There were cloud inversions everywhere, blue sky, little frost and a straightforward walk!!! When I reached Stob Coire Easain, the views of the Grey Corries and the Mamores mountain ranges were simply out of this world!!!
The cold inverted clouds had frozen the lower slopes so it was nerve-racking descending through the clouds. Since I’m new to winter munro-bagging, I’ve discovered it’s far easier to ascend icy rock than it is to descend them. To make matters worse, I was 2500ft high and 1 hour before sunset. The descent was tedious and the path felt never-ending. Fortunately made it to the loch side just before darkness and the views of the frosty misty mountains were stunning!! Then had a nice stroll in the dark alongside the loch without a living soul in sight.
