Bennachie 030710

Like a lot of people today, I went up Bennachie (Mither Tap). I promised myself (and a couple of people), that I’d do it over the weekend. I got to the peak in just under the hour, and found myself running along some of the downhill stretches. And to think that some people mocked me when I got factor 30 sunblock. A fun morning out.

Most photos taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150. Some with HTC Desire and Camera Pro app. Adobe Lightroom 3 arrived yesterday, so I’ve used that for the first time today. Shiney.

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Left car at 7.15, the entity that is i as a ball of sweat arrived at summit at 8.05. A dog barks from a farm somewhere below me. The steady roar of the traffic miles away. The approaching bank of sea fog. An aircraft flies out from Dyce, as my right far tries to locate the warble of a moorhen. The woods below me are full of birdsong. A ghostly whisp of cloud is carried on the air just below eye level. Someone puffs and pants on the rocks behind me as his Irish-accented pal is presented with the view. Time for me to head back as people talk about flirtatious emails.

36 minutes to get from Summit to car park.

Why did I suddenly feel the urge to head for my local hill for the first time this year? After a long day at work, I thought of a nice cool shower, or a cold drink, or a large pack of crisps and veg out. Then I thought of all three together. A straw in the can, and did anyone make waterproof crisps?

At which point I thought that I needed to break the vicious cycle and fight through the numpty drivers (speeding on all roads, driving along 2' away from the read of vehicles at speed: I just find it all so tiring). Quick tea, and out.

Kit: Montrail Namche, Mountain Hardwear Trek trousers, Airforce X-socks (they don't work for me on long treks), "life is good" non-wicking statement t-shirt, Montane windshirt (with plastic water bottle, camera, mobile phone, Tikka plus headtorch - just in case).

Last visit: good grief, it was in August last year!

Archaeolink

Went to Archaeolink Prehistory Park near Bennachie (which I'm not allowed to climb until I've seen the physio).

The wicker man is ready for burning at the end of Summer. Wonder if they have this track ready? What do you expect with a pose like that?

As you approach the thatched round house, the atmosphere is set.

Some of FJ's friends were storytelling - not only were they very good, but they had some swords for me to look at whilst the ladies talked about the new "Robin Hood" series that started last night. Me? Excepting the Sheriff, I can't stand it. So I gave the weaponry the once over. The left one looked familiar, and I later found the original in a book of mine - it was a replica Viking sword c950AD.

...and they were still talking, so I started playing with the fire.

Bennachie 30.08

Only an hour from car park to summit, despite stopping to prat around with new neutral density filters for camera. I'll see if any worth posting when i get home.

Neutral Density filter. f/5. ISO 800.

Neutral Density filter. f/5. ISO 800.

Neutral Density filter. f/5.6. ISO 200.

Neutral Density filter. f/4. ISO 400.

Tripod. f/14. ISO 800.

Tripod. f/14. ISO 800.

Tripod. f/5.6. ISO 100.

f/3.5. ISO 800.

f/3.5. ISO 800.

f/3.5. ISO 800.

Bennachie 29.06

Bennachie 29.06.07

Photos from the amble up Bennachie. Advice from Mike - "if you don't take a photo of that, you might as well send the camera back" or "go on, set it to automatic, you know you want to". The sunlight was amazing.

Lesson learnt: two men shopping together in Tescos on a Friday night is never a manly thing to do unless the shopping cart is filled with beers, crisps and pizzas.

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First time up Bennachie in at least 4 weeks and who do i meet? Some folk from the OM forum. Mike looked on bemused at the cant we spoke. Tried some shots with new camera, see how they turned out.

Bennachie 28.05

1hr 20 to/from cars. Trip up with Bruce and playful collie. Despite rain and cold wind, the dog had a stick to play with: he was happy. We didn't summit, but stopped for snack in shelter of the hillfort wall. Occasionally the weather would allow a fleeting view of the countryside. Weather improved as we descended. Such is life.

Scaramanga

Lump is sebaceous, cyst under skin, not a nasty one, all the classic symptoms. They can remove it if I want, drain it if it gets bigger, or I can continue being a Bond villain (big chair and cat). Wait a minute, weren't the sebations in Farscape?

Anyway, cloud lifted, "Airplane!" on TV just now. Off up Bennachie shortly, then back to OM. And to those who troll around the Net: go rain on someone else's parade, you aren't wasting my life.

To those who mailed after I left OM, thanks.

Bennachie 22.05

Mither Tap from the Rowantree approach.

Above: Looking at the person on the hill
Below: and looking down from the hill

And behind, the setting sun gives a light show

Bennachie 22.05.07

40 mins from car to summit of Mither Tap. Including taking some pictures, going up over the rock wall and freethinking about the course on blogging i'll be working on.

I tried reading some Kafka and think i counted 7 different layers of depth in one story. We all project many different personas on to the people we interact with. Whether we know them or not, we all impact on each others' lives. On the street, we enter a stranger's life for a fleeting moment, and then we are gone. The person who reads a blog and never comments. The person who died years ago, but helped build a hillfort. Relatives who dragged timber across the island so that they could rebuild their home after being cleared from their land. People who cut me up on the road and then brake sharply as they come to a speed camera - all within a 30mph zone outside a police station. The society that is descending further into farce, and Nature that cares not, because in 50 years, a lot of us pageviews will be dead, and what we leave to the future will be determined by the personas we project: in Real Life and, increasingly, in various forms of media. Printed, painted, sculpted, photographed, recorded in sound and/or video, and our online presence.

Stay frosty, the future is watching you. What sort of memory will you project? Will there be stories to remember you by? May all be well and happy.