-3°C, clear, calm.
Coldest morning that I have ever woken to in a tent. The water bladder is a slush-puppy inside and the tap is frozen. I cleared it but it’s glazed over again now. However, it’s a dazzling beautiful morning and I am comfortable in my quilted coat and ski salopettes. It’s dangerous on the upper slopes of Snowdon, so probably best to walk on the Molwynion just south of here. The ground should be less marshy between snow fields.
8°C,Clear sky, warmer.
Quick dash with MapMyRide! Distance: 22.03mi, time: 01:28:40, http://mapmyride.com/view_route?r=3382856112234561537
Very dry, dusty in places with some lumps of snow remaining. Got an idea for the weekend though- go to Wales and camp by Llyn Gwynant. If the hills are too icy to venture high, then spend time in a canoe, with low-land walks for the rest of the time. Their website says the valley floors are free of snow. I could venture up to the snowline with my main camera. That should mean that it’s easy to get up to the Watkins stone, great photos can be found up there.
Night temperatures shouldn’t be too far below freezing, but forecasts warn of ice and the need for crampons. I should do a course at Plas-y-brenin to be safe.
19°C, light rain
grassy approach with the quarry on the hillside in the distance
I drove away from Snowdonia with a heavy heart this afternoon. A polar opposite to the feeling I took with me last Friday. It felt almost routine, and would perhaps, be not such a big deal. Saturday I climbed Rhinog Fawr along a similar route to previous times. The route included some excursions off the track, and the final ascent was over rougher scrambling ground.
Sunday was supposed to be a lower level walk over to the next valley (Cwm Nantcol) in search of a sight seen last year partly hidden in the bracken. After coming down from Rhinog Fach, I passed a strange sight near some over-grown quarry workings. The land was claiming back buildings and tip constructions which had become part of the soil. The land had coated them in moss, malm grass, heather and bracken. However, part hidden in the lush vegetation was a staircase. A staircase out in the wilds that plunged down into the darkness. What a sight! No time to take any pictures- I felt some stress caused by time pressure and the fear of loosing daylight. The image strongly burnt into my mind, though I regret its location was not strong fixed enough in my mind’s map.
There were interesting sights to be sure. But even with 2½ hours of searching, I could not find that staircase. It can’t have gone, a solid structure like that, made of slate isn’t going to collapse into the soil. A trip back seems like the best idea now. I will have to approach it from the same direction as last year’s hike: may as well climb the mountain (G. Fach) too before descending by the same route. Maybe that’s the secret. Continue reading
19-21C, days of rain then sun, milky at times.
Micycle 