The Bone to Carrauntoohil. Snow returns to The Reeks

I took my new La Sportiva Trango Cube boots for their first outing today and it worked out very well. It wasn't really a surprise that they were good as they are exactly the same as my last pair. Still I needed to try them out as my next outing is a biggie..a week hiking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in southern Spain 🌝.

Nice morning for it

Some nice little scrambly sections

I was tired when I got up, tired on the drive back to Kerry and tired when I left the car but I hoped that I would perk up as I got into the meat of the walk. It didn't really improve as I started climbing but I pushed on.Soon I was above the snow line and after a while the weather closed in around me and I found myself in a fury of horizontal snow. I loved it. There are a few scrambly sections on the way up that help to break the monotony of the climb and eventually I reached the small summit. It felt like proper winter here and spindrift and snow were being blown over the crest of the ridge. I turned and headed towards Cnoc an Cuillain and"enjoyed" the atmospheric conditions en route and guarded my eyes against the snow. I was too lazy to stop and put on my goggles and I soon regretted it when I was hit in the eye by some spindrift...ouchy👀. I reached the top of Cuillain and enjoyed a nice sheltered bite to eat in the mist before continuing on to Carrauntoohil. The interminable slog to the summit is never easy but it passed and it was actually quite pleasant on the top as the sun was trying to break through and glimpses of views came and went. I decided to head down via O'Sheas Gully and the weather improved as I went down. The top of the gully was a bit icy but thereafter things went smoothly. I was truly weary by the time I got back to the car but it was still great to get another taste of winter. Now all we need is a proper cold spell and some ice to form. It'll probably happen while I'm away.

A window to the world

The Beenkeragh ridge