It’s well into winter now and myself and Cammi are getting cabin fever so we decided to head to Glencoe for some winter hiking. The forecast was looking great although very cold. Its forecasts like these that almost make me giddy! A north wind was the only drawback but with Camerons hot water bottle and winter sack cover we would be unstoppable. I planned to climb the first Munro on the Buchaille Etive Beag also affectionately known as the wee Buchaille. It stands proud at the side of the A82 and rises to 925m and is called Stob Coire Raineach. It’s a nice walk in from the carpark and after 25 minutes it starts to rise steeply up to a shoulder.  A wee turn left then your 30 minutes to the top. There would be a lot of snow and ice, so a good adventure lay ahead.
The plan was to set off at 4.30am. I would bundle Cameron into the car still fast asleep and make the 2hr 30 min journey to Glencoe in silence, well that was the plan. Cameron woke up at 4.10am whilst I was still loading the car. Jo with all her patience got up to settle Cameron until I was ready to go. He pretty much stayed awake until after an hour when we went by Stirling. So now I knew that nap times were going to be up in the air, but I can usually factor this in and not mess up his main nap.
We arrived at the carpark at 7am and we were alone. The mountain rose up like a pyramid and the stars shone bright as a perfect backdrop. Cameron was already awake and was smiling away to himself. I do wonder sometimes what he thinks when we do things like this lol. I got out of the car and the cold air took a sucker punch to my lungs. The ground was solid, and care would have to be taken for this ascent. We spent 45 minutes getting ready and having breakfast. We have a good routine now and have it down to a T.
We saddled up and left the car which had started to have ice form on it with the cold. Cameron was a bit restless, so the nursery rhymes were engaged early. There were 2 hikers in front of me who we passed later but it was good to have others on the mountain. As we started the steeper section of climbing the path turned into a glistening path of ice. The crampons were attached quickly. Its super important to know when to put these on as one slip on the ice and the day could turn into a disaster. But also if you put them on too early you could also the added risk of a trip if rocks protrude the ice in the dark.
By now Cameron was in good spirits and when I checked the mirror, he was surveying the grandeur of the giants around us as the light came up. The mountains were almost glowing in their white coats. We made it to the shoulder which separates the 2 Munros at around 9.30am. From here we could see the steep climb to the summit. The sun was now above us and the glare coming from the steep sides was blinding. This is where we exchanged pleasantries with 2 hikers, and we headed on our way.
The next 30 minutes were tough. The gradient had now really ramped up and dare I say it my fitness has went downhill a bit.
We made the summit and the wind had died down. Usually if its windy and the wind chill is high Cameron will stay in the bag until we get shelter. Today was different, as if someone up in the heavens were looking down the winds stopped, and Cameron got out of the bag to walk the last 30 metres. He loved it. He would stop and play with the snow before realising the cairn was in sight. We sat at the top looking over towards Ben Nevis and in the other direction Rannoch Moor. He sat looking and I remember a deep feeling of wonder, wonder of what he was thinking looking at this spectacular, crisp winters day.  I refilled his hot water bottle and checked his temperature. All was good but it was time to leave. One thing I have become very aware of is that when the views are as good as today you tend to overstay your welcome on the mountain and the cold starts to settle in. This can be seriously not good, so a bit of advice, leave before you start getting cold.Â
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The decent was straight forward and we met quite a few hikers who had had a more leisurely start. We made it back to the car for midday. Cameron was in great spirits, and we celebrated with a bottle of milk and a bottle of Irn Bru. A wee cheers was in order for what was a very memorable winters hike.
Elapsed Time – 3:15
Distance – 4.23 miles
Calories 2000