8 Weeks later
After getting rear ended waiting to turn at a junction by a young newly qualified driver and a two year wait for a 3rd operation on my wrist, I was marooned for 8 weeks. Not allowed to drive for 8 weeks either, a tad frustrating one could say. After the operation with my Titanium plates screwed into my wrist to hold it together I was pretty weak for a week or so. The general anaesthetic knocked me for 6, it's about an hour = 1 week to recover, per hour you're under I have found. Others may vary. You have to get yourself into a routine or you'd go mad sitting around at home.
Mine was wait till every one left, pull on the giant condom over my arm and jump into a nice hot bath for a soak in the morning. Getting out of the bath was a wee bit challenging in the early days with only my left hand working as I am right handed. A bite to eat while watching tv and wait for the postie to call for a quick chat. Then back to the old tv or just a potter about - the days could be quite long till someone came home.
Me stuck on the sofa.
Anyway on the 7th week of being frustrated I was taken away for the weekend to a hotel in Birnam by Blair Atholl. A wee treat so to speak, except still could not drive and had to wear a wrist support as the plaster was long gone.
Had a tour about Perthshire on the first day doing the tourist things. Wildlife park at Comrie was quite good with the goffers tunnelling and popping out all over the place.
Day 2 a damn fine cooked breakfast in the hotel to start off with and then a trip to the Hermitage near Dunkeld. Due to having an early start there was no one about on the short walk up from the car park.
After looking about the Hermitage headed north up the A9 for my first Munro for a while. This would be my 20th Munro of 2010, that year I would climb another 4 Munros and a Corbett later in the year. A wee bit keener then than I have been in 2013/14&15 just 8 Munros and 7 this year2015 and I had climbed Ben Hope before. Also the Munro's weren't so far away as they are now, as I've climbed all the near hand ones now.
Meall Chuaich would be my 108th Munro and the last one on the East side off the A9 left to climb.
After a pit stop at a roadside café we made our way to the starting point, which as usual was the hardest bit to find - there is a lay-by on the south bound side opposite a small plantation of trees just North of Dalwinnine about 1.5 km, found the lay-by and got geared up.
Set off through a gate and according to the map there was a track to the north and a track to the south. After a close study of the map I plumped for north later to find out I should have gone to Specsavers !
The south track did look better with it's well made metal road but the burn was shown on the map with a path running along it on the south side. I just looked at memory map and that path wasn't there any more. So I made my way along the muddy path heading east and came on a board that had been shot to hell for target practice, that's why there were bones lying about the place. On ward east and the path took off across the burn to the north to a gate in a very high fence but I could see the metal road to the south across about 100m of heather and up a wee bank, opted for south through the heather.
So if you have had a big operation on your wrist which is still strapped up what would be the worst thing that could happen? My right foot went down into this narrow trench which was hard to see in the heather and about two feet deep and clatter, a face plant into the ground battering my poor wrist in the process. Also the 1 litre bottle of water I had in the side pocket of my rucksack went rattling down into the trench never to be seen again. May have used a few expletives as a wave of pain shot through my poor wrist. Picked my self up, my foot a wee bit wet but the boots kept the water out of me socks phue!. Big question now was will I have enough water? By good luck I worked a 2 bottle system. A small bottle in the bottom pocket of my rucksack and a 2ltr bottle in my rucksack. Came to the conclusion that I could make it after all it would only be one hill.
Got going again treading more carefully at any dark looking patches in the ground and made a b line for the metal road. Hard going through the long heater and a short steep climb on to the road.
Made it and a hard metal road lay ahead following the water to the power station at Cuaich.
Feeling ok now I walked on a bit fitter now made good progress to the power station at Cuaich.
It's a good track in, so if you wanted to take a bike there would be no prob.
Cuaich Power Station.
After here the road is not so good but still a good metal road with around 2 km till you get to Loch Cuaich and the stalkers hut. Good place to leave a bike and walk from here.
Meall Cuuaich ahead. The road after the power station.
Onward along the track with Meall Chuaich getting bigger all the time,
when I arrived at the shooters hut I stopped for a cupper and a snak.
If you came on a bike this would be a good place to leave it.
After my rest stop and a few pain killers I set of along the track to start the climb,
Over the bridge and straight ahead up through the heather, a fair walk in to get to the start.
Passing Loch Cuaich on the way. As you climb up and look back seeing the track stretching for what seems like miles, hmmm wish I could ride a bike still. Going to be a long walk out.
The walk out twisting in the distance.
Noting for it but to go up, not to hard going with the short grass and a steady climb. ( Who are you kidding I was knackered, first walk for 10 weeks and a big opp too.) :-) Had to use the tried and tested plod mode, just keep putting one foot in front of an other and eventually you get to the top.
The path was not that steep, quite stony but a steady climb. I could see the top from here, getting excited I would soon be there just keep ploding onward. It was a nice day not to cold, sun shining.
26/9/2010 the first snow of the winter had fallen on the high Cairngorms the night before.
