Slow but pretty

I can report a fine day on Stuc a'Chroin, with Alan (old walking friend). There was still a lot of the copious amounts of snow that fell last week lying around, which made things very pretty, and slow. Lovely and clear too, with a semicircle of snowy peaks to look at (we're on the edge of the Highlands, remember). There was practise in traversing steep snow, which I've not done for a while, and the complex and rugged ridge gave us a lot of fun. The freezing level was at about summit level, so all snow was soft and getting softer, and therein lay a problem. The walk-out should have been a brisk trot down Glen Ample and no messing. But you can't trot on a path covered by a foot of wet cement. You labour slowly, with aching legs and curse when you posthole (which is a lot). Alan was suffering more than me, through having children and not walking much recently.

There's always something, isn't there? My last walk was fuck-off cold and icy, so this time it was crampons and thermals, but we really needed sunglasses and Ambre Solaire. And new legs.