Edinburgh Mountaineering Club: Meet Report
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Meet Report

16th to 18th January 2009 - Mill Cottage, Glen Feshie

Despite a few last minute call offs due to untimely illness, we had a full house on Friday night and much merriment ensued round the cosy stove (I'm very proud that I lit it first time following previous failures at Black Rock). Saturday had a feel of winter. A sizeable number headed down Glen Feshie. Bill and Eileen proceeded, armed with skis, to find suitable terrain to tackle. Richard, Helen and Penny set up the really quite likeable and rather unfairly maligned (by some members) Mullach Clach a'Bhlair. It's quite tricky with that land rover track to follow right to the cairn. However, summit it we must as Helen wasn't sure whether she'd actually reached the summit on her previous attempt (apparently it looked like there might be land rising away from her in the photograph at the "top"). Job done and we returned to claim our reward of hot chocolates at the watersports centre. En route we encountered the party of Alan S, Derek and Janet who had just returned from a day on Sgor Gaoith. They experienced an exciting encounter with a rather aggressive male Capercaillie in the forest. David, meanwhile, had headed further down the Glen to bag a Corbett. Another group headed off for some climbing in the Cairngorms while Gillian and Anne R headed up Meall a'Bhuachaille. There might have been great mountaineering expeditions planned for the Sunday. However, we emerged to a pristine blanket of snow. There is a reasonably steep incline to negotiate to exit the cottage. Let's say that initial attempts were aborted amidst spinning wheels and a party was dispatched with shovels to clear a path. Meanwhile the very well prepared drivers set to work fitting their snow chains. (Why, when there is a group of men, does it always end as a competition? I'm not sure who was quickest.) After a considerable effort the entire group emerged onto the road and we retired, exhausted after our efforts, to the Ballinluig Motorgrill.

Penny