It's always good to kick off January with a Munro. After my fairly poor count last year of 13, I was keen to get going and en route to Struy, this shortish day would be a good chance to grab the Munro beside Loch Quoich. It has to be said the weather was atrocious and I didn't have a good feeling about my prospects of staying dry. Obstinate venison were moved on not far from the parking area that I chose and I found the start of the stalker's path easily. It's a joy to get back on decent paths and I made quick progress up on to the shoulder of Mhaoraich. I had hoped that by getting higher, it might get drier (i.e. snow) but it wasn't until about 850m, that this happened. At which point the wind was furious. Views back over Loch Quoich to conquered hills last year such as Sgurr Mor were surprisingly good although the colour of the sky was not and promised more inclement weather.
Some impressive cornices into the northern coire meant I kept well back. The final climb up a fairly dodgy rock face was eased by previous footprints and it was at this point when the fury of mother nature unleashed snow and hail into my face. The short walk to the ice-clad summit saw me cower behind the cairn and take a welcome cup of tea. It was not a place to linger and I took a bearing SE to avoid crags further down. By the time I returned down off the mountain, I was soaked through. At 4 hours 20, I had walked pretty quickly but it wasn't really a day to contemplate anything except the future tumble drying of clothes. Nonetheless, a smashing Munro with surprisingly decent views considering the weather.
