Another Beautiful Temperature Inversion On Carrauntoohil.

A friend of mine from work asked me to help a group of his mates ,who were on a stag weekend in Killarney, to climb Carrauntoohil. Winter conditions remain on the mountains and while the past couple of days had been a little milder lots of snow remained on high. So a total of fifteen plus myself and the redoubtable Frank set off on an overcast morning and set off into the Hags Glen. I decided that the Devils Ladder route was the only feasible way to go as  none of the group had any winter experience or equipment. Thankfully the ladder was nicely stepped out and we reached the saddle without any problems. An added bonus is that once again I found myself above the clouds in an alpine wonderland. The exclamations of delight from everybody (many of whom this was their first mountain experience) was great and it was nice to share their obvious delight.

A glimpse of heaven

Arriving at the saddle above the ladder

Cnoc Duff peeking the blue.

The slopes to the summit are pretty gentle and everybody made it with relative ease. Upon reaching the summit we were all wowed by the stunning scenery. After a nice lunch and the group photos were captures we set off back down the way we had come. The final slope out of the ladder was smooth and icy so I set up a rope that could be used as a handrail for the first thirty meters and this worked very well. Frank then went to the front of the group and ensured that they stayed pretty close together and we made it carefully and safely down below the the snow and then back to the car. Everybody was delighted with their day and I was delighted to help out and that was made all the easier thanks to Frank. What a pleasure to see this beautiful range in such glorious conditions. An auspicious start to the nuptial celebrations for Joe.

Frank

 

A Moonlight Wander On The Galtee Mountains

For some reason I don't go walking that much at night-time. Indeed the last time I was walking at night on the Galtee mountains must be twelve years ago. It was well past time that I put that statistic to rights and what better time than with a full moon and the mountains white with snow. So I set off from home at 16.30 yesterday and arrived at the carpark on the north side of the mountains at 17.30 and set off on the Clydagh Valley horseshoe, a nice 14 kilometre hike with about 1200 meters of ascent with the added bonus that it takes in Galtymore 919 meters. I was really looking forward to it as the skies were clear and a frost had already set in and the views of the north side of the range as I drove in were great.

A view to whet the appetite.

Despite the chill I was soon warm as I set off up the easy track that rises to the shoulder of Cush 642 meters and then climbed the stiff pull to the summit. I had to stop a few times and admire the view around the valley and off the west the rose red sky after the sun set was truly lovely. Soon the lights of the many villages and towns twinkled in the fading light but I didn't need my headlight before I reached the top at 18.30. What a pleasure it was to pause and take everything in. The mountains looked magnificent in their winter coat and to top it all off to the east a blood red moon was appearing on the horizon. There was a liberal dusting of powdery snow covering a hard frozen turf but there wasn't any need to bring out the axe and crampons. There was also a stiffer breeze than I expected and this encouraged me to keep moving.

Starting up towards Cush looking at the rest of the horseshoe. Galtymore in the middle

Glowing skies to the west

I wish I could get a good picture

The wonderful thing about this frosty weather is that the normally wet, boggy ground was rock solid and made what is often a meandering way to try and avoid the boggy bits a much more direct route. The nearly 400 meter climb to the summit of Galtybeg (799 meters) is never easy but with the moon now higher and casting a brilliant glow upon the mountains I didn't mind it a bit as I was enjoying myself immensely. The wind on the summit ridge was really quite stiff now and very chilly and after I tried (unsuccessfully) to capture something of the majesty of the scenery with my camera I was glad to head off towards Galtymore. The normally terribly mucky/boggy ground from here to about halfway up the summit slopes of Galtymore was frozen solid and the going was so much easier which was just as well as the wind was strong and cold. By the time I reached the summit of Galtymore I had to stop and put on warmer layers. A little misty cloud was scudding across the broad icy ridge and I reckon that it must have been -5 degrees with a thirty mile an hour wind making for a wind-chill temperature of minus thirty. I kept moving and soon was heading down towards the broad flat spur that then drops and curls around above the impressive coum in which nestles the almost frozen Lough Curra. Spindrift was now a bit of a problem but if anything the views were even more spectacular. I opted to drop steeply down to the lake and then followed the easy trail all the way back to the car. I arrived back at the car at 21.30 in great spirits having thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Even though the there was a decent snow covering higher up there was no need to utilise axe or crampons as it was soft and powdery everywhere. I must do some practice after dark with my camera as I didn;t manage to get one decent picture. I must do more night walks in the future.

Trying to get a bit of shelter on the summit of Galtymore

All layers needed

A Wonderful Winter Walk on Carrauntoohil

As I left home it was snowing lightly and dim and dull. Nothing about the day suggested that I would see any sunshine. The forecast wasn't too good for the afternoon with snow and rain due to arrive and I assumed that it had arrived earlier than expected. All the way back to the carpark the dull leaden skies spat sleety snow and the gloom reflected my mood a bit. Still it would be an outing in the Reeks and who could complain about that. There was no wind but I expected that to change as I got higher so I put on my full winter battledress and set off from the car. There was nobody else about and it promised to be a solitary outing. Soon I was far too warm and despite the 1 degree temperature I was sweating a fair bit and I had to shed some layers. Mist hung low in the sky so it was a pleasant surprise to discover when I entered the Hags Glen that I could see the summits of the east Reeks. Even though the grey was unbroken it promised that I might at least not be in the mist all day. I wasn't really in the mood to wallow up a gully that was sure to be full of fresh powder so I decided to climb Carrauntoohil via the Devils Ladder. It is rare for me to use this, the easiest route to the top but that actually made it something of a novelty for me.

Cruach Mhor and Cnoc na Peiste

Looking across to the Hags Tooth Ridge

The Ladder

There was a descent cover of snow down to about the 300 meter level which was soft and made the going a little tougher and the stream that comes down the ladder was in no danger of freezing. Eventually I started to gain height once I reached the ladder. There were plenty steps in the snow so it was easier to make progress now. It wasn't until I reached around the 600 meter level that some icy underlying snow appeared and made me ponder putting on some crampons. I didn't bother and once things didn't get worse I was able to continue to the exit of the ladder at 730 meters. There had been a distinct brightening in the sky as I neared the exit and it was such a joy to find myself standing in sunshine and able to enjoy a wonderful panorama of winter mountain scenery. My mood suddenly matched the glory of my surroundings and I set off up the 300 meter slog to the summit above me. The going was at times quite tough as I waded through some deep drifts but I didn't care as the beauty of everything around me meant it was no hardship to stop occasionally and soak up the views. It was warm as well and I could really feel the sun even though it was winter. Eventually the summit arrived and I found myself all alone in stunning weather on Ireland's highest peak.

View from the top of the ladder

Cnoc na Toinne

The East Reeks

Towards the summit

Towards Cnoc Duff

I relaxed for a short while and my eye was drawn to the shapely ridge towards Caher and I decided to do an out and back trip and then to cross the Benkeeragh ridge and back to the car. I could see out to the west some dark clouds but I was hopeful that I would get the rest of the day clear. I set off towards Caher and I really enjoyed the trip. The snow was for the most part soft with only occasional icy bits and again I left the  crampons in the bag. The ridge is normally a pleasant airy stroll and it was no different today but there was sufficient snow cover to make it an exposed traverse if it became icy. Anyway as I reached the summit some wispy cloud arrived and started to cover the views. Unfortunately the cloud stayed and only got denser so I made the decision when I reached the top of O'Shea's Gully to forget about Benkeeragh and head down from here. The gully was really well banked out and it is fairly steep near the top so I donned my crampons in case there were any icy bits and I was glad I did as there were frequent sections that only had a few centimetres of powder on a firm icy base. Progress down was rapid and it got faster when I decided to glissade, which I was able to do all the way to the lake. Unfortunately the mist only got denser and I couldn't see any of the ridges to see what their condition was like. Anyway the rest of the descent went very well and I re-emerged under the cloud at around the 400 meter contour. I was still buzzing after the wonderful sunny experience I had on the summit that made the early start and dull weather well worth it. Sometimes it pays to take the chance and venture out in less than promising conditions.

From Caher across to Benkeeragh

The East reeks

Benkeeragh

Looking west to Coumasaharn

The ridge to Caher

Looking back along the ridge as the cloud comes in

Some well rimed up rock