The annual bothy tradition of meeting up with Graeme had been pushed back to January for its first time in its history. We had therefore piled on significant weight fattening up over the festive period. We met up at Fassfern and got the heavy packs on. Our plan was to get to the bothy, drop off the packs and then take in Meall a Phubuil before a descent for dinner. As it was, we fair piled along the 5km route to the bothy and caught up on affairs since May, a driech day up on Stronend. In the time since seeing Graeme, his dog Lucy had passed away and we remembered great days with Lucy on the Munros. When we got to the bothy, the fire was still warm and the previous occupants had obviously had a good fire going. We dumped the coal, decanted the beer and spread the mats/bags out. I was impressed with the bothy, a small room with the fire but beautifully located between a Corbett and 3 Grahams. Glen Loy has a lonely feel to it but one that also has a peaceful ambience too.
Our climb was straight up the South face, just off the Land Rover track. We were up on the summit within 45 minutes of leaving the bothy and although cold, there was no snow whatsoever. In fact, I remarked that it was a very 'brown' appearance all round. Gaor Bheinn was trying to poke out through the clag but the behemoth of a hill kept its cap on over both days.
