Spring or Winter?? No Rockclimb on The Reeks

A surprisingly wintry summit of Carrauntoohil

Its fair to say that this weekend didn't go exactly to plan. A good forecast meant I was all set to head back to Mount Brandon on Saturday with the plan being to do a big old two day round with a bivy on the ridge overnight. So I got up and packed up all I needed for the trip and set off in good time. It was a lovely weather morning with a chill in the air but blue skies being the order of the day. All was going great until I was entering Tralee (45miles from home) and I started to get the uneasy feeling that I had forgotten to bring my boots. A quick stop and my fears were realized and I was left with no option but to turn around and head back home (my old pair of crocs just wouldn't have cut it). So I spent the remainder of the day catching up on some gardening duties at home and looked forward to heading to Carrauntoohil on Sunday with Denis with Curve Gully Ridge being the target.

A nice sunny rock climb he saud

Icy hard snow

Winter still hanging on in the gully

There had been a light frost overnight but the day promised to follow yesterdays example and be a beauty. We set off back in good spirits and were looking forward to the technical challenge that this route brings. It was something of a surprise then to arrive back at the mountains and see that above 700mtrs was looking a bit wintry and there had obviously been a fairly severe frost and maybe even some snow. Still we put everything we needed into the bags for our climb and set off into the Hags Glen. Our hopes of a sunny blue sky day were also quickly dashed as there was clearly some precipitation falling in the back of the glen. We made our way steadily up through the levels and as we got to the lake we even had some snow falling. We arrived at the base of the route and it was decidedly chilly and even though the rock was clear of snow and ice down here I wasn't over confident that that would be the case higher up. To make the decision easier it started to snow fairly heavily so we turned away from the climb and made our way over to Central Gully where we found that it was fairly complete with hard frozen snow which required several slicing kicks to make a small step so we could make progress. Soon the gully was behind us and we climbed to the summit and enjoyed a now sunny and calm top. We continued all the way to The Bone and descended back to our car. It had been an enjoyable outing despite the disappointment of not doing our route of choice. It is hard to be too down when you come home with a touch of sunburn and been in the midst of a beautiful landscape for the day. More great days lay ahead.

Out of the gully  and wonderful views

The Bone

Cnoc Na Peiste North Ridge and a return of sweet winter.

What a way to start the day

My recovery continues slowly but surely and after a few weeks of physio and staying of the mountains since I returned from Scotland last month I was finally ready for a return to action. I went for a gentle 7K run yesterday for the first time since before Christmas and it went well so I was fairly confident that my knee would hold up to a sterner outing today. The weather had turned a fair bit colder overnight and I woke to a clear frosty morning which promised a reasonably fair day ahead. I met up with Denis and we set off for Cronins Yard where Bridie would be waiting. It came as something of a surprise to see a good dusting of snow down to low levels on the hills as we drove back and its fair to say that things looked decidedly wintry as we set off from the carpark at around 08.45. What a lovely morning. Chilly but with little or know wind. Mostly clear summits and little prospect of too much precipitation in the short term meant we were set fair for a very pleasant taste of a winters outing, and so it proved to be.

The ridge looming ahead

A tough of mist and snow only adds to the magic

As we walked in we had no real idea as to what we would do and on a whim I suggested the north ridge of Cnoc na Peiste which gives a very nice grade 1 outing to the fourth highest mountain in the country. I was very pleased to find that my knee wasn't protesting too much as I went along and my fitness was still fairly good so we made decent progress. On the rocky ridge itself there was no need for any hardware as the rocks were fairly clear and what snow there was was nice and dry and ice wasn't an issue. We were loving our day. Stunning views were a constant distraction and good fun was also to be had as we picked out the choicest options as we rose higher on the ridge. Eventually the fun petered out but it wasn't too far to the summit. We turned right on top and enjoyed the beautiful snowy yet benign conditions all the way to the top of Cnoc an Chuillin where we had an early lunch. Thereafter we continued to the top of the Devils Ladder where our solitude was definitely a thing of the past and we joined the hoards heading for Carrauntoohil. The slog to the summit soon passed and we enjoyed a brief respite before descending via the Heavenly Gates. We were back at the car in a respectable 5 hours 45 mins and a well deserved coffee and cake followed. Its good to be back.

Denis is a devil for trying Bridies lippy

The Horses Glen and Mangerton in a Wintry Blow

This morning I went back to Mangerton again for what will probably be my final blow-out before my trip to Scotland. The physio therapy has been quite effective and I wanted to do a bit more than just a straight up and down like I did with Ruby last week so I decided to head in the Horses Glen and climb Mangerton North and then cross to Mangerton itself. It may be Spring but Winter isn't finished with us yet and there had been a fair bit of snow last night and it was only two degrees as I drove back. There was a stiff breeze blowing as well so the more sheltered Horses Glen would offer some respite for a lot of the route.

A new spring arrival

Heading into the wild Horses Glen

The cliffs on Mangertons north face always an impressive sight

Hopefully Frank will come with me to climb this ridge this year.

I had forgotten to bring my waterproof pants and as I walked through the long heather as I crossed the rough ground that led to the glen I was quickly soaked through. I didn't mind as my knee was feeling good and the wildness of the place I was in more than made up for any discomfort. I plodded on and was eventually in the back of the glen where I turned and climbed steeply to the top Of Mangerton north. When I reached the crest of the mountain the wind was quite strong and with the ground covered with snow I was immersed in a proper winter landscape. Unfortunately the cloud had come down to around the 600 mtr contour so there were no views to enjoy. Perhaps it was just as well as in the conditions it was easier to just keep the head down and plod on. Down and across the arret and up an icy slope saw me reach the summit plateau of Mangerton where I turned right and contoured around the steep ground above the Devils Punchbowl. Wow but the wind was strong. It had perhaps doubled in strength and I really struggled (at times unsuccessfully) to walk along the coum edge. Spin drift was also a problem and I had to don my snow goggles. I had been debating wheather to carry my lightweight hard shell coat to Scotland but today I was glad to be wearing my heavy duty one so I think that decision is now made.  Things gradually eased as I lost height and by the time I was back at the exit of the lake I could walk with relative ease again. Down under the cloud and I could again enjoy the wonderful views over Killarney and back to The Black Valley. It was nice to get back to the car and change my clothes and enjoy a nice bite to eat. Roll on Scotland.

Towards The Black Valley

Over Lough Leane and Killarney

Torc with Purple mountain beyond. Blue skies on the way.