YOU JUST NEED SOME IMAGINATION

Firm snow, Coire an Lochain

Ice hanging on

This is my snow

Ice patterns, Loch Coire an Lochain

More snow please

The cliffs of Coire an Lochain

Diminishing snowpack

Coire Domhain, snowhole possible

Red Grouse

High altitude hare

I'm off down

Great day for wildlife

The Cairngorm plateau, still winter!

Another day of warm temperatures, although a tad cooler than yesterday. The snow pack in The Cairngorms continues to slowly diminish. Having said that, you can still have a fun day out in the snow if you use some imagination and knowledge of where snow lingers longest in a thaw. The obvious places are the Northern Corries. Coire an Lochain probably has the whitest looking crags at the moment. I linked up the big snowfields to the west of the main climbing area today. This gave some good fun on surprisingly firm snow which warranted crampons especially on the steeper sections. Careful route choice required as there is the potential for rockfall in these temperatures. It was a brilliant day for wildlife. The ptarmigan and mountain hare have a distinct disadvantage for wildlife photographers in these conditions. There white plumage and coat are a dead giveaway on snow free areas. They ain't dumb though. Today they were high up in the snowfields and where lovely to see. The mountain hare gave 10 minutes of joy has he ran up the snow slopes in front of me before settling down on the edge of the plateau. A quiet day on the hill, not many folk out at all. Keep the faith. Colder temperatures on the way by next week. A good snow storm would go down well.