Falling in love again..Returning to Howling Ridge on Carrauntoohil.

Yesterday was my first chance to return to the Magillycuddy Reeks since March 15th. That was just before the lockdown and snow lay down to around 600 metres. This time the mountains looked very different, with green being the predominant colour. There was some cloud on the tops but it was light and the weather didn't hold the promise of rain. With things looking quite good I decided to have a look at Howling Ridge. I haven't done any rock climbing in recent times but  mountaineering is something I am loath to give up entirely. Howling gives a proper mountaineering outing and it rises in a series of rocky steps in an ever more spectacular setting. I must confess to having been a bit nervous about soloing the route, but I know it well and I also know that it is not too difficult.

So green. 

Howling runs pretty much on the skyline. 

I reached the notch in the ridge at the Heavenly Gates, and after a deep breath I started up. The rock had a few damp patches but it was predominantly dry and very inviting. Almost straight away I was simply enjoying the act of climbing. It was a simple pleasure to concentrate on each move and become engrossed in few metres immediately ahead. Each step passed easily enough and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was climbing well and feeling strong. As you get higher up the route the exposure becomes ever more serious but I guess I have become inured to it over the years and it really didn't bother me a bit. There is nowhere on the route that feels desperate and on the steepest sections there are hand and foot placements in abundance. After passing "The Finger" I was faced with the final section called "The Pinnacles" which offer a few interesting sections and all too soon it is over. Nearly 200 metres of a steep slog follows before the summit cross appeared out of the fog.

Hard to capture but the drops are substantial. 

Looking down towards the finger. A wonderful section. 

As is usual, the summit of Carrauntoohil is a busy place, and  I didn't linger long after having a bite to eat. I decided  to finish my day by heading across the airy Benkeeragh Ridge, which gives an enjoyable easy scramble to the summit of Ireland's second highest mountain. As I crossed the ridge I could see a pair of climbers on my favourite route on Carrauntoohil, Curve Gully Ridge. Not having a climbing partner at the moment, and being a couple of grades harder than Howling, I haven't climbed it in a couple of years. From where I was it looks super steep and exciting. I must try to climb it again soon. As I looked across I could see people spread out either side of the cross on the summit and it bizarrely reminded me of statues standing on the roof of a basilica. Perhaps it made this my cathedral.  Anyway,  the remainder of the descent went very well. I went down over Knockbrinnea and back to Lisliebane. My poor quads knew that I hadn't done much climbing of late but it was a pure pleasure to have been back on these mountains. I hadn't realised just how much I had missed them. I found myself enraptured anew by their grandeur and beauty.