I've been stricken with a particularly annoying cold all week, which even by Friday hadn't abated. The weather for Friday evening and Saturday on top of what we've had all week meant I had to get out. Then, after a week of serious sub-zeros following a decent dump of snow, plus temps and rain on Friday evening crept into the forecast which was a bit of a downer. However when I knocked off from work, and even after the usual faff to get stuff on the bike, the rain still hadn't started so off we go. Of note was that I was on the ICT, given the likelihood of lots of snow in the hills, complete with Schwalbe Al Mighty's and studs.
I stuck to an oft used route getting the feel of the studded tyres on tarmac plus on a few bits of suicider ice. All good and the trails were still frozen solid, by and large, so all was well. Back to the woods off the Dunning road as per Nov '24 except this time it was 1 degree, not 12! It was quite breezy so I headed further in than a year ago to a spot I'd used back in '22 - another wild night. This was a mistake....
Anyway, despite much coughing, I had a fairly pleasant evening listening to light rain (at 1 degree, not sure why it wasn't snow) and zonked out at 11. Sleep was a bit hit and miss due to the sound of water drops falling off trees splatting onto the tarp, as well as coughing fits. I kept getting a splash in the face which was condensation getting knocked off the inside of the tarp by said splats. Grrr. Dawn awoke me, and I snoozed again until the sun appeared - 9.30! Breakfast followed, me being aware that everything under the tarp and in the bivvy bag was rather damp - condensation mainly.
Anyway, despite all of this off I went, feeling a bit rough thanks to the cold but looking forward to some snow time. That said, it wasn't cold - 1 degree still at the bivvy spot but up onto Green Knowe in blazing sunshine it was 8! Getting up here had been hard work - not as bad as my October bivvy ride but still a schlep. The monster snow was fast disappearing and somewhat soggy. This would be my undoing.
Snowy hills, which led me on...
The view north. The Cairngorms got plastered this week and there was even some lift served skiing today. Fingers, toes and eyes crossed this heralds a decent winter!
After bagging a couple more hills, I dropped into Glen Devon and then ground up the long, long climb to Cairnmorris Hill (alt 606). In the valley bottom the trail was still pretty firm but thanks to the inversion, higher up was a different story. Despite the low temps through the week, the frost had come out of the ground and the snow melting drastically - full on porridge. Even with the extreme knobiness of the Al Mighty's (and studs) I was all over the place. I tested the studs on some water ice and they were pretty good, particularly when I dropped the pressures to 3 and 4 PSI. Hopefully no more bust in ribs from icy paths...
It was incredibly hard going - wet snow is actually hellish on a fat bike as the tyres just surf (and slide) into any little rut or hollow. You can be pedaling forward and the front will somehow manage to go backwards. Traction was none existent in places and I managed one off as the bike went completely away from me. Something narrow but extremely spiky would have probably served me better. Oh to have been here on Thursday. I staggered up Tarmangie hill (alt 645) then on to Whitewisp before the long descent to Dollar. I grabbed juice and snacks as I was utterly wasted, then trundled home. All was murk around me as the inversion still hadn't lifted.
So glad to get that one in. My November BAMs are often a bit of a mission but this one takes the biscuit. I'll be doing something much closer to home for December....
