This month has been quite a mixed month weather wise, from roaring hot and very sunny to then very soggy and quite windy. I've decided to do this on a monthly basis, just so it doesn't become too path workie, in case you're not into that. As that means that this could be a very long blog I decided to only take after photos, but I think it actually doesn't work as well so sorry for this blog but next time I will add the before and afters.
So, the first week in July I had come back from a holiday visiting family down south and we were at a new location. This time we were at the CairnGorm Estate managed by Natural Retreats. The weather was absolutely scorching that week. So, so hot and we had to take extra water as there was no shade anywhere to give us a break from the sun.
The work was those highlighted by one of the Estate's ranger as work they wanted done and were along the Ben Macdui path from the Ski car park. They included putting in a waterbar (to remove the water off the path),
Step rises,
Stone pitching,
And more step rises to help hold the surfacing on the path and making the path more usable.
What a difference in the weather the second week in July, all fog and some (but thankfully not many) midges, but it was quite heavy and muggy.
Firstly we finished off doubling the waterbar and adding a step riser which we had started the week before.
We also blocked a braid that had been forming further along the path and removed the block that had caused the braid to form in the first place (you'll never know it was ever there).
The last work done was doubling up some other waterbars and adding step rises, still on the Ben Macdui path and
On the Sneachda where we actually worked above the fog.
The weather was pretty similar in the third week, but we were working higher up on the Miadin. Thankfully there was a bit more of a breeze which made it much less midgie.
Damage done to one water bar had widened the path, meaning that the waterbar had to be extended.
Erosion done to the path also meant that it was necessary to add in a large waterbar and a double waterbar.
This was quite an amazing week as we got to watch a female ptarmigan and nine chicks having a dust bath just meters away from where we were walking. Apart from Friday of course, where it drizzled the whole day, was very midgie and muddy, and where I forgot to take a photo of the work we had done - doubling up a waterbar and adding a step riser.
The weather for the last week was much sunnier, but a lot windier as you would expect for this Estate.
We added a double waterbar on the Miadin Creag and blocked and landscaped a very long braid on the east side of the path (sorry no picture of this). This day long landscaping of the braid was surprisingly more tiring then all the stone work I have done so far, probably due to the amount of walking involved.
We then went back into the Mar Lodge Estate to add some step rises to a particular warn are of the Ben Macdui path from this direction, with edging to help hold everything in place.
This area was particularly beautiful as it gave a new view of CairnGorm and had much more quartz stone then I have seen so far which made the whole area look shiny.
Friday we were back in the Sneachda adding more step rises to help with surfacing erosion on this section.
We are now half way through the path maintenance season and I am really beginning to feel that my body getting used to the work, becoming strong enough in the right ways to carry out my work safely. Hopefully this will only increase. Despite the sometimes bad weather and midges I have really enjoyed this work and getting to spend all my work time in such beautiful scenery. It still, somehow, doesn't seem quite real.
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