Carn Gorm Circuit

It had been five long, strange months since Covid-19 put the UK into its first lockdown and we honoured our pledge to pick up where we left off.

In March Liam, Mike and myself had opted to do 2 long winter routes back to back choosing as we did The White Mouth round (as I had Winter experience of this route), followed by The Carn Gorm Circuit (one which the lads had previously done in summer conditions). The White Mouth had other ideas though. Despite completing it, the day left us utterly exhausted coming off the final summit as we did in pitch black conditions and far deeper snow than expected on a grueling walk out. Carn Gorm was unanimously postponed for a few weeks hence. Little did we know that the Covid pandemic sweeping the globe would plunge us into Lockdown and for those sticking to the curfew rules, closing off the hills to the majority of those who didn't live in the local authority areas.

I believed firmly that any adventure on the hills came with an element of risk and that the level of risk may have led to a rescue by emergency services, mountain rescue or similar and for that reason I stuck to lockdown rules, not willing to make myself a liability to first responders when the NHS was already stretched to beyond breaking point. I spent the intervening summer months exploring my local area of Fife with the odd jaunt up East & West Lomond and the Fife Coast but, like most, watched the weekly government updates eagerly anticipating that green light to head back to the Mountains.

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Sitting on the North side of Glen Lyon, the Carn Gorm Cicruit features 4 Munros connected by a broad grassy ridge. Meall nan Aighean, Carn Mairg, Meall Garbh and Carn Gorm are also known as the Glen Lyon Horseshoe

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Despite the early start the humidity was already up and the immediate steep ascent, combined with a week of so of relative inactivity left me huffing and puffing from the first steps. The mist had risen considerably and visibility was pretty poor beyond 100 meters. What was very apparent though was that the sun was blazing somewhere beyond the low cloud, a huge bright yellow orb quivering and fizzing behind a silver satin curtain. The word 'Inversion' began to creep into my mind, knowing full well that with the sun so prevalent, the cloud would not be able to hold its shape and elevation for long.

Inversion was not the only Natural Phenomenon we experienced as our 1st 'Fog Bow' appeared ahead of us - a beautiful feature sometimes known as a White Rainbow and created when very fine water droplets are at the correct angle to sunlight creating a rainbow formed of hues of grey and white. Then he appeared - my first Broken Spectre - an even rarer but wonderful weather phenomenon which casts your shadow against cloud and surrounds it in a light spectrum which looks rather like a Rainbow Halo. This feature is also known as a 'Glory'. Like the Fog Bow it requires the exact level of mist, sunlight and angles to appear. Although it can happen on any misty mountainside its name derives from Brocken, a peak in the German Harz Mountains observed and described by Natural Scientist, Johann Silberschalg in 1780.

The appearance of the Broken Spectre was accompanied by the cloud dropping below our feet and forming the most beautiful inversion conditions. The peaks of the nearby Lawyers Range and other distant tops poking though an infinite blanket of white cloud.

To experience any of these natural phenomenon is a rare and special thing and I was absolutely thrilled to capture all 3 in one image

The remainder of the day was swallowed up with constant delight at walking above the clouds in such glorious conditions. We were almost caught out by the intensity of the heat but fortunately had sunscreen and plenty of water.

We all reflected on that brutal day back in March and voiced to each other more than once that, had we managed to do our second days walking back then, we wouldn't have done Carn Gorm on this particular day. Perhaps Lockdown had left us more reflective and grateful but we were all quite quiet on our walk out. Our brief respite from the tragic events unfolding across the world had come to and end.