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Cairn Toul, the Coire Dhondail path and the stride extender.


After heavy rain recently the water out of this stream ripped into the track surface and as I passed by some restorative work was on going.

The area of the Roberts Ridge climb at the Northern end of the Sgoran ridges.
The final part of the route ending with an a cheval to link the Robert's ridge with the short section to the summit of Sgoran dubh Beag.
The path up into Coire Dhondail showing as a diagonal and the twin waterslides showing...image taken in a past age circa 1975.

A fine wee four season tent at the start of the path up into the coire....the owner was not up and about when I passed.

The path to the prior plateau area showing up left of the twin waterslides.
Over the years a bit of rubble has slid into the path.
The very useful cairn indicating the start of the path down into the Coire.  Sgor Gaoith and Sgoran dubh Mor and some of the ridges on the East side of the Hills. I seem to recall two cairns here when I last passed this way 30 years ago. 
Sgor an Lochan Uaine with Cairn Toul behind.
What is left of the winter snows in the Garbh Choire.
The falls of Dee.

Lochan Uaine with some of the Lairig Ghru  showing.
A view from the top of Cairn Toul towards The Angel's Peak.
On my way up to Cairn Toul I met two young folks who were chirping about this being their first hill. They had walked in from Glenmore, camped near the Corrour bothy. We talked about them getting back to Aviemore for 2100 hrs for a bus to get them to Inverness. A couple of routes were talked about
Later I saw them a bit adrift of the indicator cairn for the Dhondail path...I tried shouting and arm waving with no response so I waited just below the start of the path and expected an appearance on the Coire rim which did come a little later...path and a waving me spotted ....we were all good for descent. We had a good wee chat while descending the path.
As I sat there I recalled our own school visit in 1960 for a stay in Corrour and then, without all the kit, a round of the Toul and Braeriach coires.  After another stay in the bothy and both Macdui and Cairngorm before returning to Glenmore.

The two lads on the path just below the steepening.
The lads took off at a pace hoping to be in time for a haddock supper before joining the bus to Inverness.
I had a little half snooze on the warm vegetation wondering if the Dhondail path was taken all those years ago by the Glasgow University gents who were caught up in a New Year storm in 1928.
They certainly reached the valley floor only to perish on the track on the way out Rothiemurchus. 
From Hugh Barrie's poem.
'Find me a windswept Boulder for a Bier'

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