A Winter Camp on Lugnaquilla

(by Allister Gerrard, fromIMC Newsletter Spring 2012)
“A camp that’s short, sweet and spontaneous sometimes works out for the best; it was one of those times – just good craic!”

Early in March 2009 I decided to hold a winter camp in preparation for a winter climbing trip which had been planned for one week afterwards in Scotland. I had first rounded up a few interested parties and then placed a post on the Irish Mountaineering Club forum. Even with only a few days notice to go I got quite a bit of interest. A couple of people had to pull out and it settled as a party of eight for the camp.

I set out with Aileen Moloney, Martina Duignan, Martina Michels, Tony Groves, Tony Barry and Pádraic Gibbons. Declan Cunningham joined us later on that night. We parked at Aughavannagh at the southern end of Lugnaquilla. We opted for the lower track through the forest. This track exits about half way through the forest, which meant following the river and then crossing it in its full winter flow. The upper track (a right at the first junction) is the quicker and more straightforward route. The upper track exits at the other end of forest and leads to the South Prison.

The day started off mild, even warm. Rain began as we approached open ground heading for our camping spot, a plateau in the South Prison area. We were pitching tents from around 6.15pm and just as it was becoming dark. By the time we got into our tents we were well soaked from three showers. We were glad of the shelter and the opportunity to peel off our wet layers and put on dry clothes. We had planned to bring ice axes, crampons and ropes for a route on the South Prison; however we decided to leave the extra gear behind as there was little snow on the mountain. There were frequent showers that evening, some very heavy, and gale force winds. At 8.30pm we decided to ring Declan while he was en route to join us. We let him know what conditions were like, but he was undeterred. Fortunately things had eased off and visibility had improved by the time Declan started walking up to us at 10pm.

Back at camp a dinner of scrumptious hot chicken with black bean sauce and fresh vegetables was ready. It had been pre-cooked earlier that day by Aileen for the whole group. It was delicious and much appreciated by all. On that winter night, even Gordon Ramsey himself would have been full of compliments. Tony B took out his wee bottle of whiskey which he shared with Pádraic and me. After a while we went to our respective tents to chill out.

Visibility had improved by that time, so I went for a stroll to check out the area around the camp and so that I could advise Declan in case it became necessary. The three girls could be heard giggling away to themselves, squeezed into Martina M’s tent for hours, and knocking back the hot whiskey. On the way back from my stroll I popped my head into Pádraic’s tent and he invited me for tea, so I had some hot whiskey instead. For the record, I never drink hot whiskey in the hills and it was purely to help with the chill and to be sociable! We chatted over a couple of hot drinks about our plans to tackle some Scottish winter climbing routes in a week’s time.

After a while, I left Pádraic’s tent. I had assumed it would take Declan another hour to arrive. Suddenly in the distance, I could see a head torch fast approaching, if I had stayed put and it was Paul O’Connell or John Hayes he surely would have knocked me out flat. Declan arrived at 11.30pm. It was late and he was tired and weary after the day. We bundled him into a tent to relax and Aileen and I swapped stories with him over even more hot whiskeys. After an hour or so, he jumped in with Tony B, who had a spare spot for him and to save Declan pitching a tent so late.

At 7am the next morning the snow was falling thick and fast. I could hear Pádraic’s Jetboil in the distance, getting ready to make the tea (or whiskey, only joking). I put the sausages on; it was like the miracle of the loaves and the fishes sharing them out. Tony G got stuck into the full monty of duck eggs and bacon. Tony B and Declan left at 9.30am with the intention of making it back to the metropolis for 2pm. They headed for Lugnaquilla summit, returning by Slievemaan into Aughavannagh, and they made good time. The rest of us broke camp at 10.30am; for us it was a more sluggish, leisurely start. We headed through the snow up to the saddle to the east of the South Prison. Our plan from there was to take the same route as the party ahead of us. Up on the saddle we were bombarded by hard cutting snow, piercing to the eyes. In the high winds, it was difficult to stand up or even see, and so we decided to head back down. We had enjoyed ourselves and did not feel the need to push it any further that day; there would be time enough for hard going in Scotland! We headed back down, taking the upper track through the forest and we reached the cars before the others. We went to the IMC hut for a quick cuppa and a tidy up before heading back to Dublin. A camp that’s short, sweet and spontaneous sometimes works out for the best; it was one of those times – just good craic!

Pádraic Gibbons, Tony Barry, Aileen Moloney and I went back again in March 2011 for another IMC winter camp on Lugnaquilla. This time we had a frosty summit and a fine sunrise. We headed up from Fentons in the afternoon, just before dark. Tony followed us up in the dark! It certainly was a very pleasant night camping on the summit of Lugnaquilla, something we could not do in 2009 because the weather had been too wild.

Winter Camp 2004

(by Chris Clarke, from IMC Newsletter Spring 2004)
A winter camp in the Mournes.

Mountain Range:	Mourne Mountains
Date:	21/22 February 04
Meet Organiser:	Chris Clarke
Group:	Stephen Peel, Allister Gerrard, Kieran Kelly

There were 3 main elements to the camp: climbing on the Bearnagh Slabs, night navigation, and a 6-hour walk on Sunday to cap it off; if this meet was a sandwich you could not get much more into it.

The weather forecast for the weekend was dry with northeasterly winds; temperatures “BLUDDY FREEZING”.

Having reached the campsite, which was the col between Slieve Meelmore and Slieve Bearnagh, we crossed over the Mourne Wall to take advantage of the shelter from the wind. Rather than pitching the tents we went climbing as time was moving on. Chris and Allister decided on Grand Central, (Grade VD 70m); Stephen and Kieran went for Directissima (Grade Severe 80m). The rock surface was very cold to the touch so gloves were kept at the ready when there was a rest or belay break. The friction on the Bearnagh slab is excellent but not as good as in the hot weather when the shoe rubber is softer; nevertheless we ascended the routes in good style and in good time.

Allister wrote of his first multi pitch route:

Great! I was nervous at first prior to arriving for the weekend fearing the worst of what may lie ahead in terms of difficulty. However, when Chris told me I would be climbing with him and I saw the Bearnagh Slabs, I thought yes, this could be achievable and I was well on for giving it a bash. The first half was relatively straightforward, although I thought I was suffering from what might be frostbite at this point when my toes were going numb. Which turned out to be more from having very tight shoes and thick socks (poor circulation) combined with the bitter northeast wind. The second part of the climb was very challenging and enjoyable; there were some tricky moves to be negotiated high up on the crag. Overall, very enjoyable and made all the more so thanks to Chris’s guidance. I’d recommend the weekend to everyone for next time; you don’t know what you’re missing. Bring on the next one!

After returning from the crag the tents were erected; three one-man tents and a bivy bag would shelter us from the elements. Dinner was next on the agenda; after that was downed we headed into the darkness to do night navigation. It was a clear night; for the stargazers it was perfect.

On Sunday morning there was frost on the tents and for a brief minute or two we had a shower of light hailstones and the cold northerly wind persisted.

All of the gear was packed away into one tent for shelter and security. The plan today was a walk. From the campsite we headed up to Slieve Bearnagh; from there we dropped down to Hare’s Gap where we crossed paths with other walkers who had come up the Trassey track.

From Hare’s Gap we headed for Slievenaglogh then on to Slieve Corragh, and finally the gigantic granite pinnacles on Slieve Commedagh; the date on the pinnacle 1913. The sign notifies that trespassers will be prosecuted. From there we dropped down to the col between Slieve Commedagh and Slieve Donard. The walk back along the Brandy Pad was very pleasant; the weather was good as it had been for the entire weekend. Before long we were back at the campsite and an hour or so later we were at the car park.

We finished off the weekend in the coffee shop beside the car park. The fruit scones, homemade, were scrumptious. The final act was a photo shoot with the kind assistance of the shop assistant.

The History of the Mourne Wall

(Information from www.goireland.com)

The building of the Mourne Wall around the Mourne Catchment provided seasonal but very welcome local employment between the years 1904 and 1922. The wall stands up to 8 feet high and on average it is 3 feet wide. Twenty-two miles in length it connects the summits of no less than 15 mountains, and is a monument to the skill of the men who built it.

In 1933 the successful damming of the Kilkeel River valley was the culmination of 30 years work initiated by Belfast City and District Water Commissioners (responsible by an Act of Parliament to supply water to the city of Belfast) This set in place first the Mourne Wall and then the immense reservoir in a renamed "silent valley". Built to gather waters from a mountain catchment extending over most of the High Mournes, the Silent Valley and Ben Crom reservoirs supply most of Co. Down and a large part of Belfast for domestic and industrial use.

A Winter Camp on Lugnaquilla

Winter Camp 2004

The History of the Mourne Wall