"Sandy Birrell" wrote in message
news:PwsWn.63302$wi5.26260@hurricane...
The Hare, the Hound and the Tortoise

18-20th June

(pictures here
http://www.ftscotland.co.uk/gallery/...inverlael.html )

It was three years in the planning before we eventually got everything
together and headed for Inverlael and Lochan a` Chnapaich. I picked up
Fred, the Hare, and Suzy, the Hound, in the car park at Carrbridge in warm
sunny weather. The temperature had varied from 21ºC to 19ºC on the drive
up and I wasn't looking forward to walking in the heat. By the time we
reached the car park at Inverlael the sun was still shining but the
temperature was down to 14ºC and felt colder in the Northerly airstream
that was blowing down the glen.

Getting boots on and preparing for the walk takes time so the Hare thought
he would get the Hound to eat one of her meals to save carrying it up the
hill. She wasn't having any of that but was prepared to hoover up the
crumbs and fallen lettuce from his roll, he ended up having to carry it
after all.

The first part of the walk is through forestry, now partly cleared but
replanted, on an unmetalled hard packed forestry road making the going
easy, but I find hard on the feet. This two-mile section was to set the
trend for the rest of the walk. The Hound, oldest at 63 (9x7 human years)
although I think that should be halved as she has four legs, roaming in
front nosing into everything and anything she could find. Next the Hare,
typical Munro bagger, Alpinist, hill walker style with hands stuck in the
trouser pockets, head down and staccato steps eating up the miles, at
nearing 58 the youngest of the party. The rear was taken by the Tortoise,
nearer 60 than 59, with measured steps pacing himself for the anticipated
climb still to come. Half an hour to this point was acceptable; it was all
downhill, sorry, uphill after that.

The great bulk of the mountain we were heading for took up the view on the
horizon with the path winding its way ever higher in the foreground.

The climb from here on was on a well-made stalkers path, eroded slightly
in places but still in good order, you can tell that when it is the only
thing you see for three miles. That isn't strictly true I had enough rest
stops to look around at the view and the back of the Hound and Hare far
above me. They did stop and let me catch up a few times though so that was
considerate of them.

Three and a half hours, and a touch over three miles later, we eventually
reached the loch. I didn't even have the pleasure of collapsing in a heap
at this point as the tent had to be put up and dinner made. The extra long
sleeve t-shirt had to be put on and the lightweight fleece on top of that
too as it was freezing in the strong north wind that was blowing right
into the corrie.

The Hare decided on a reconnaissance of the area and the Hound accompanied
him, the Tortoise mucked about the camp then, when they returned, decided
that it would be warmer in the tent than standing about in the freezing
wind outside.

Next day the temperature hadn't got any warmer and the wind was stronger
if anything. I had woken during the night and my nose and cheeks, all that
was exposed to the air, were freezing so it must have been a cold night.

We had breakfast, then, without too much hope of success in the strong,
cold, gusty wind, we started fishing round the loch. The air temperature
at this point was 12ºC and the water the same. The water was crystal clear
and I could see the bottom clearly with the polaroids. There were patches
of small boulders with areas of mud and short grass like weedy areas that
shone brilliant green in the strong sunshine. There were also deep black
areas that could have been deep holes or just barren rocky or muddy areas.
There were only a few patches of longer weeds that looked like last years
growth with no new growth discernable amongst the fronds. There wasn't a
lot of fly life about although the grass and heather seemed to be full of
Cinnamon Sedge and Stone Fly and every time you picked up the rucksack
there would be half a dozen clinging to it, I even found them inside the
gaiters and boots in the morning as I was putting them on. There was the
odd upwing fly that I didn't get a chance to identify but were possibly
Claret or Sepia Duns. At the edge of the water I saw shrimp, snails and
brown speckled tadpoles, possibly Toad.

Casting was a nightmare as the wind would go from a gentle breeze to a
full on gale even as you were casting. Being a corrie loch it also had the
tendency to change direction without warning in your face one minute, left
or right the next then gusting in from the rear as the cast whistled by. I
gave it my best and fished the whole loch, a bit more in the afternoon
when the wind calmed down and so did the loch, but it wasn't to be, and I
never saw nor touched a fish.

In between fishing we also managed to wander about the area. It is an
amazing place with great mounds of boulders covered with short dry grass
and stunted heather, real Alpine type terrain. In between, if you looked
closely, were the alpine plants, small cushions with the most delicate of
flowers barely above ground level. Difficult to see at first but once
found you seemed to come across them at every turn.

There were also large and small depressions where the rock was black and
bare of any lichens as if it is under water for long periods while it
slowly drains through the rocks to appear farther down the mountain
exploding as a full-grown river.

It was an early night again on the Saturday as the temperature had dropped
to 6ºC by 8:00 pm although the wind had dropped and it didn't feel quite
as cold as it had the night before, either that or we were just getting
used to it.

Next morning, our last, the cloud was right down and visibility was only
thirty yards or so. We had breakfast and packed the tents and sleeping
bags into the rucksacks. The loch was flat calm but, what you could see of
it, was untouched by neither rising flies nor fish. We shouldered our
packs and after a check of the area we walked back down the path to the
car. Two hours and twenty minutes for the five and a half or so miles;
downhill is certainly easier than up.

If you are a walker it is worth the walk, even if you don't fish the loch.
Leave the path in the corrie and wander about the terrain and, if it is
June, look out for the flowers. We didn't lay Fred's ghost to rest, he was
sure he had seen rising fish there many years ago, but the experience of
the area and the alpine plants made up for the lack of fish.

©2010 Alexander Birrell


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Don`t Worry, Be Happy

Sandy
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Are there any fish in the loch - so high - acid rain?

Gordon