Monadhliath Challenge reccy Day 2.

As it turned out the red paint came off the rucksack quite easily. It was water based and as soon as i got the hose pipe onto the sack it just ran off. ( Thats the paint that ran off, not the rucksack.)

So after a tiring day one which is readily available on JJ’s, Judith’s and Mikes blogs we managed to find a decent campsite. Mike was looking for a place to set up Cafe Akto in Glen Mazeran.

When Mike saw all those new electricity generating whirlygigs and the pylons his eyes lit up. “Maybe they have plug sockets we can use for free”. Unfortunately they only had USB sockets and we think that these were for data collection rather than power but you never know and so it is that Mike is now looking for a USB powered camping stove with 2 burners with an option to use gas just in case its a still calm day during the challenge. Ha

Overnight it snowed and i awoke to a sagging tent. I should have used the cross over pole on the tent but it was so calm when i put it up.

 Snowy pitch, there was talk of snoring but i admit i didn’t hear it. 

A cold morning and nobody was moving quickly. The warm sleeping bag held up progress but eventually we made a move. Basically it was because Mike was already packed and stood there like he expected a bus due any minute. So we broke camp and wind and moved off. Once again we used the access roads which were in excellent condition and good progress was made.

Just as we came to the edge of the industrialisation the red way markers led us to a large double container sized building with no windows. 

As we passed we heard voices from the doorway and Olaf,Oleg, sorry not sure which, came out and greeted us. It was the same guy we saw earlier in the white van.

What he said which Mike roughly translated was "Have you guys eaten because we have all finished and there is plenty left”. 

Now i caught about 2 words and thought he said "have you guys not finished". 

So you don’t look a gift horse in the mouth do you. We were made most welcome and had a terrific late brunch. There was even small dishes of fish roe but we declined. It would have spoiled the FSB and especially the Stornaway black pudding.
Cans of beer could have been bought for a small price and we thought what a great place and what a lovely lot of people. Cafe Akto may have competition.
We spent about an hour munching away and once again it got quite difficult to move out. We paid the bill £10 the lot and set off again for some remote place Mike wanted to check out. It was now late afternoon and getting a bit chilly as the sun was starting to drop down.

Did someone mention a Challenge?

Fellow blogger JJ and I had a fast and furrious scurry via Aviemore to the Monadhliath where we met up with Mike (the Pieman) and Judith for a bit of a challenge reccy.
Well i’m back home now and it was cold, wet, and in some parts deeply covered in the white stuff.
All very challenging.
There is more to come later when i’ve dried the gear out, defrosted my feet and got the red way marker paint cleaned off my rucksack. And i promise not to mention turbines.

 Which way? Are you sure this is Lairig Ghru?

The new Burma Rd, we called it, straight across the centre of the Monadhliath.
Map and compass no longer required.