A Hike onto the 3000ft peaks of Pen Yr Ole Wen and Carnedd Dafydd.  The weather was sunny and pleasant.  Quite warm in the valley and cooler on the tops.  There were still remnants of the winter snows on the North facing aspects.  The climb up to Pen Yr Ole Wen is steep, our route following a stream from Glan Dena, up to the corrie of Cwm Ffynnon Loer.  From there a shor scramble gains the ridge and the final pull to the summit.  The long distance visibility was appalling, perhaps due to the ash cloud hanging over the Uk from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano that has been erupting in Iceland for the last month.  I don't recall seeing such hazy conditions before on the hills even in the height of summer.  The day didn't altogether to plan though.  on the way across to Carnedd Dafydd, my left knee came out of joint monetarily which was extremal painful and after that, Carnedd Llewellyn was out of the question.  We made our way down grassy slopes back to the car and i managed not to do any more damage.

Carneddau

In preperation for a wild camp I'm planning, and to help bring down the weight of my pack I've invested in a new jacket and a new sleeping mat.  I've gone for a Rab Latok Alpine waterproof jacket, which weighs 450 grams.  My current Lowe Alpine jacket weighs almost twice that so its a welcome saving.  It packs down to about half the size too which means I have more space in the pack.  I also got a Thermarest NeoAir regular which weighs 400 grams.  It packs down very small for a full length mat. 

Armed with a less than ideal weather forecast, we set off for Moel Siabod at arounf 11:00am.  The weather was light rain and blanket cloud cover.  After about 1 hour, i decided to put my overtrousers on as my trousers were begining to feel damp from the drizzle.  The route we were attempting was of the southern aspect of the mountain, climing past the quarry up to Llyn y Foel and then making a final ascent of the mountain via the Daear Ddu ridge.  At the lake of Llyn y Foel, the weather had improved slightly, and the clouds had begun to lift revealing some distant views with atmospheric cloud formations.  Once up on the higher reaches of the ridge, we were inside the cloud base and further photography was not really possible, save for a few shots to capture the atmosphere.  The ridge was a grade 1 scramble, made more difficult by way of the slippery rocks.  It was blustery on the summit and we did not linger, making our way down the well used path towards Plas y Brenin, and the road.

Moel Siabod Photos

On Staurday 20th March I will be heading off to North Wales with the walking group i am a member of, to climb Moel Siabod.  The weather forecast is not very promising to say the least, which isnt actually anything new for that part of the country.  I expect to get wet.  I won an Osprey Talon 33 rucksack last year in a competition with Trail Magazine, and i havent used it yet, so i am going to take that with me and give it a test.

Moel Siabod's summit commands a superb view of the Snowdon massif, a view we are unlikely to see tomorrow, but i will take the camera as i normally do as you never know what the weather will ultimately do on the day.