It was -8C as I parked in Lay-By 87 on the west side of the A9 Perth to Inverness Road just south of the A889 turn off for Dalwhinnie. I walked north for a short distance before crossing the A9 onto the quarry track which would take me to the 902 metre knoll south-west of the Munro, Carn na Caim. Improvements had been made to the start of this track due to the construction of massive pylons through the Pass of Drumochter.
Initially there were some vehicle tracks through the snow but beyond the pylons just boot prints. Once a bit of height was gained there was drifting snow to contend with and further on the track was filled with snow and eventually it was difficult to tell its exact position.
The 902 knoll was reached then a short drop north-east took me across some frozen bog before following old fence posts onto the Munro Top, Carn na Caim South Top.
These fence posts continued towards Carn na Caim but the folks who broke the trail through the snow made a more direct ascent. I followed this trail although at times the snow was knee deep and occasionally thigh deep managing to avoid the latter. A couple of guys and their dog passed me on their descent before I finally reached the summit cairn where I had views across the Pass of Drumochter to Ben Alder and north to the Cairngorms.
After a short break here I returned to the 902 knoll by the upward route then along the edge of a quad vehicle track as I descended to the col with A’ Bhuidheanach. From here I continued to follow boot prints below this hill then through some more deep snow onto the south-west ridge of A’ Bhuidheanach Mhor. It was then a short walk to the summit of the Munro, A’ Bhuidheanach Bheag where I took another break looking south towards Schiehallion.
I later retraced my steps to the 902 knoll then down the quarry track to the A9 where the temperature had risen to a balmy -4C.
- Time taken – 6.5 hours.
- Distance – 18.75 kilometres.
- Height climbed – 835 metres.