Graeme was unable to come up so this was my first solo week. Up very early to cloudy, cool weather. Decided on Geal-charn as a good starter and to tidy up the Drumochter hills. Plenty of space to park by the Balsporran cottages and was off by 8.30. With a start at over 400m this was always going to be an easy day but there is even a path (track) that goes all the way up to the col between this hill and A'Mharconaich. This made it seem just too easy so once past the Balsporran cottages I left this track to climb up the NE ridge. No problems in navigation, partly because it was a clear day and you could see the whole mountain right to the top, but also because the path leading onto the ridge was large. It is quite prominent and at times is like a huge, awful scar going right up the ridge. It looks as if it has been made by 4 x 4s. The way up is very gentle, a nice easy climb all the way up onto the ridge. Passed the line of cairns which the munro book refers to but they did not look as large as I had expected. Mind you I didn't go that close but as they are apparently famed for being a prominent landmark from the road I had expected more. As the ridge flattens you have to move a bit to your right to get to the top of the hill. Slightly surprised me as I had thought it was a straight walk from the ridge to the top. I wondered if it would have been a problem in mist but doubted it as it is just a matter of going up on easy, grassy, rocky slopes. Began to get misty at the top where again there are two cairns. One of them is built like a semi circular shelter and with the mist lifting it appeared to be slightly higher that the other. Nice view of Loch Ericht from here. It also revealed what I had suspected, which was that doing A'Mharconaich with the other Dromochter hills had been a waste of time. It is far better done with Geal-charn to make it at least a semi strenuous day rather than the dawdle to get Geal-charn on its own.
For convenience and laziness I walked down to the col between this hill and A'Mharconaich to join the track leading all the way back to the starting point. Very easy and gentle all the way. Had to watch where I was walking as the path was full of hairy caterpillars, dozens of them. What an easy climb.
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