Moruisg...a twin cairn conundrum

Moruisg, a Munro west of Achnasheen, was my destination for my first Munro walk of 2014. I never really subscribe to the assertion that some Munro's are undistinguished, they all have some little quality about them that sets them apart from the rest. Admittedly Moruisg is not as aesthetically pleasing on the eye as it's near neighbour (and ex Munro) Sgurr nan Ceannaichean, which attracts the eye with it's far narrower ridge and rocky top. In fact it could be suggested that Moruisg is easy to overlook in favour of it's smaller neighbour. None the less, Moruisg contains one thing that Sgurr nan Ceannaichean doesn't in the appearance of not one but two summit cairns on it's wide plateau.

I was actually hoping to climb both of these summits when I sat down on Wednesday night to plan my day. The route looked achievable in the timescale I had regards daylight hours, providing I could rouse myself from my slumber in plenty of time to drive the route from Peterhead to Achnasheen.

Initially I had intended to do this on Wednesday, however the weather forecast suggested that Thursday would offer more chance of cloud free Munro summits in the North-West highlands...also I was still suffering from the effects of a two week long head cold and earache which has left me feeling particularly drained of late.

I last set foot on a hill some forty seven days ago...in between then and now I have had that on-going cold to contend with, a blocked ear that has caused me no end of distress (my hearing is bad enough normally, but now I am really struggling to hear through the constant ringing in my right ear). The festive period also saw me eat my way through two weeks of calorific treats with no access to a gym and only fleeting runs outdoors to try and burn off the extra pounds that were appearing (specifically around my waist). I knew enough about depression to recognise the signs creeping over me, but I also know enough coping strategies to get me through short term effects (hill walking being my one true saviour on occasions). I needed this hill more than I cared to admit to anyone around me.

I left home at just after six AM and set off on the road to Inverness. I have travelled the road to Inverness on many occasions from Aberdeen, admittedly I was getting a little blasé about it after so many previous trips, but I would swap everything to be one that road once more instead of the one from Peterhead!! I could normally do Aberdeen to Inverness in a comfortable two hours, but from Peterhead it is taking at least three. At least the A96 had straight sections and overtaking lanes to bypass the slower moving vehicles (bloody tractors mostly) safely...but the A98 has neither of these benefits. Too many bends in an unfamiliar road, always driving in the dark (and rain it would seem) and loads more drivers unfamiliar with an accelerator peddle mean that I am going to have to adjust my tactics whilst I reside in the far North-East of the country.

Unfortunately I didn't arrive at my destination until almost ten o'clock. I changed into winter walking boots and checked the contents of my rucksack one final time (at least three times the previous night and twice before leaving the house this morning) before setting off into the crisp clear morning.

I could see the rocky outline of the Corbett Sgurr nan Ceannaichean directly in front of me and the more rounded flanks of Moruisg to the left of her.

The walk reports I had read of the route I planned all spoke of bog hopping and wet feet well before the flanks of the mountain could be reached. Thankfully the recent cold spell had hardened the ground and I was able to traverse across the bogs in relatively dry boots. I passed through the wooden gate at the side of the road, from a layby on the south side of the A890, and approached the small bridge crossing the river Carron.

This river flows from the nearby Loch Sgamhain and passes through Loch Dughaill before flowing into Loch Carron at the far end of the Glen and eventually joining Loch Alsh in the Inner Sound.

Once across the river Carron the next obstacle is passing beneath the railway tracks, which forms part of the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh route, just beyond.

From beneath the railway crossing lies the first of two wooden gates leading into the series of bogs that require negotiating before the slopes ahead can be reached. Once through that initial gate the way is marked by tiny red ribbons on sticks towards a second gate leading through the deer fences that have been erected.

Height is now gained quickly up the slopes between two gullies, interspersed with sections of path through a steeper grassy/rocky part of the slope. Once at the top of this section the slope evens off and the ground (even in frozen conditions) gets boggier. There was a section of snow melt cascading off the crags on the right gully next to me.

Ahead of me lay some stubborn sections of snow, blasted solid by the recent winds and requiring great care to traverse across. Once on it I realised that it was more ice than snow beneath my feet, so I was grateful for the decision to wear my Scarpa Manta's. I have only worn these boots a handful of times since I bought them but on every occasion bar one I have been glad that I did. They are quite unforgiving on paths but really come into their own on slopes and especially through snow and ice. I contemplated putting on my crampons but erred against it because the Manta's give me so much traction in such conditions.

The views were increasingly good all around me, the air was crisp and so were the views, the Torridon peaks, Slioch, Fisherfield forest, Achnashellach range.

I could see clouds forming above the Loch beneath me and all the way back to Achnasheen. A small cloud started to form in front of me (pic above) and evaporated just as quickly.

I headed on to the summit plateau, where the real views opened up for me. I struck out first for the nearest cairn to me (927m according to my GPS) and snapped Jelly McBaby on the summit.

I could see the other cairn at the far end of the summit plateau, with a sheet of ice between them. I teetered out across the ice and tentatively made my way to the other cairn (928m according to my GPS) and got another snap of Jelly McBaby.

It was almost twelve thirty now and I could see that it would take me at least an hour to reach Sgurr nan Ceannaichean from here. I could also see that the weather was changing for the worst across at Strathfarrar. With daylight being a factor in my decision making all along I elected to leave Sgurr nan Ceanaichean for another day and return by my outward route to the car. But not until I had stopped long enough to eat my lunch at the summit cairn, mince and tatties and peas and carrots all mashed up in my flask, delicious. This short stop also allowed me to snap away at the surrounding hills, mainly Munro's, the majority of which I have now traversed.

I may have stayed on the summit for no more than fifteen minutes but the weather deteriorated quite a bit in that short time. The wind chill picked up significantly and I had to start moving to generate some body heat.

I reversed my outward route and took just over an hour to get back to the car, arriving back with a couple of hours daylight left to drive home.

I have another week off work and am hoping that I can fit at least one more trip in before returning to work. I am now down to 59 Munro's left to climb, most of which are very remote and/or part of some big rounds. Clearly at this time of the year I will be restricted by daylight hours and travelling time, or overnight stays away from home, but I am still hopeful of reducing my tally further prior to the next Caberfeidh Munro Baggers meet up on the 7th March (the walk being on the 8th).

 

https://www.facebook.com/john.stalker.31/media_set?set=a.10201479061645375.1073741840.1440975916&type=3

Hopefully the link above should let you see more pictures from the day. Happy future bagging, whatever your hill choice.