An adventure in thick clag! 12 hours of very low visibility made for an interesting if slightly surreal expedition. A good exercise in micronavigation.
Stob Coire Easain - GM/WS-015 - 1115m - 10 points
QSOs: 40m CW - 3, 2m FM - 2
Feeling keen I took the mountain bike a fair way up Coire Laire until I was utterly exhausted and the terrain became too rough. Shanks pony took over and I headed towards the NE Ridge. I'm getting to know this place pretty well. Saw a golden eagle here a couple of years ago. Halfway up I was into the clag and wasn't then out of it until mid morning the next day when coming off Sgurr Innse.
Once on the summit (about 2130) I made the discovery that the 40m dipole tunes rather well on 2m and then promptly worked Robin, PKT who informed me this is no new thing as GM4COX does it all the time! Pretty cool though and worked MM3USU in Falkirk on it also. 40m CW found Age, PA0XAW with a very strong signal as always and then F5VAO (with difficulty due to big static crashes) and Roger, MW0IDX (again a strong signal).
By the time I was down the hill the clag had reached the coire floor so had to navigate off the ridge and across to the bealach and then hunkered down in the bivi bag for the night.
Sgurr Innse - GM/WS-166 - 809m - 4 points
QSOs: 40m CW - 4, 2m FM - 1
Got up and away just before the heavens opened (about 0530). Greatly relieved by this since getting my 6'3" frame dressed and sorted in the confines of my bivi bag is quite a trial. Made my way up the SW ridge of Sgurr Innse which gets quite steep and interesting near the top (in the low vis. it's possible I didn't take the easiest break in the summit defenses).
DJ1QR, DF7IS, G3ICO & PA0XAW were worked on 40CW in fairly quick measure followed by a rather marginal qso with Robin, PKT/M on his way to work in the fort. By this time I was very wet and cold and so beat a hasty retreat back down to Coire Laire.
Effort expended on mountain bike on an approach is amply repaid on the way out. Picked up the bike and weeeee...all the way home!
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