2024 Foray #4: Carrauntoohil revisited

This time it was a family affair, six of us. We left home at 5am, drove to the official carpark, climbed via Brother O'Shea's gully as before. It rained on and off, as before. We had hoped to do the Bones, Lough Cummeenoughter, Beenkeragh, descending via the Hag's Tooth but aborted because of the weather, as before.  

The only difference was this time was we went past the Devil's Ladder and on to Cnoc na Toinne to descend via the "Zig Zag". Oh, and we passed a group some of whom were swimming in Cummeenoughter, the highest lake in Ireland!

My pictures are here.

2023 Foray No.4 Carrauntoohil

 or... Carrauntoohil with JR and M

Our track: 7.08 miles, elevation gain 874m, highest elevation 1041m, average speed 1.82mph.

Invited by JR to join his expedition, we parked in the municipal Carrauntoohil car park and set off, the weather forecast suggesting some cloud, some sun, no rain all of which turned out to be true.  The intent had been to climb via Brother O'Sheas gulley, past Lough Cummeenoughter the highest (and maybe coldest) lake in Ireland to the saddle then left towards Carrauntoohil. We got that far but the summit was windy, cold and in cloud cover. The intent was to retrace back the the saddle then beyond to The Bones and along the ridge to Beenkeragh (the second highest in Ireland) then descend via Hag's Tooth. We waited (whilst luncheoning) for the cloud to disperse but as it showed no signs of doing so we chickened out and reverted to Plan B, the easier descent via the Devil's Ladder. At which point the cloud cleared.

Here are my photos.