Ca Cannich

The great thing about UHI Exam Board is the chance in the afternoon to stretch the legs and take in the local hills. My last attempt to get to Cannich had been in February during a cold snap and I couldn't even drive out of Cannich due to the icy conditions. No such problems this time around but a late arrival at the car park beside the dam at 1400 meant I would struggle to do anymore than 2 of the Munros, since I'd still have a long drive back to Glasgow. It had been a while since I had been out and the breeze meant that I was exempt from midge lunch. I fair flew up the slopes of Carn nan Gobhar's southern satellite, Mullach na Maoile. Steep but it afforded a quick ascent and once on to the gentle rise before the Munro proper, the sweeping corries of Sgurr na Lapaich lay before me. It was a fabulous looking hill and I cursed my absence of mind in forgetting my camera, although the iPhone was a back-up of sorts. I hit the summit in 1 hour 50, which was decent going. However, it was just after 1600 so it would be the two for today and that suited me as the corrie rim of Sgurr nan Clachan Geala looked great. I descended to the eerily silent bealach, with its huge boulders and sat and had some food beside eagle poo. How comforting. The ascent on the 2nd hill was steep but a good path wound its way into the cloud and the large cairn and trig point were easily located. I would imagine this to be a fantastic viewpoint on a clear day but this hill was too high for the clouds. I took a compass reading and headed due South past a rather odd fireplace! At 1100m? It was beautifully constructed but at this height, it seemed very out of place. This was also beside another large solid square cairn structure. As I descended towards the Allt taige, I thought I saw a man hunched on a rock until a golden eagle majestically lifted off into the air. The first time I had seen one up close. I dashed down to its perch to see if I could feel its heat and found a lovely huge feather, easily measuring a foot - present for Emma. Not long after this, I found a fantastic specimen of a deer antler - almost 2.5 feet. Present for me. I know eagles have voracious appetites but surely it didna eat thon deer? All that remained was the trek back to the car and at 1930, I reached the VW. It was a long drive back to Glasgow but it was worth it.