Day 6 - Glen Mazeran to Aviemore

Last night while reviewing the maps, we decided we would try and push all the way to Aviemore, which would add an extra 9 km to today’s hike. This would keep us off what we knew would be a windy ridge for the night, and would reduce the distance required to head down the Lairig Ghru the next day.
We woke to sunshine and agreed the plan was a good one, and we would give it our best effort. We knew it was going to be a big day of walking with two big climbs, and one off-trail section, that would take us out of the Monadhliath mountains and put us on the doorstep of the Cairngorm mountains.

Mid-Day Picture

Small Stream Crossing

Things were going well until we were nearing  the top of our first climb which would lead right into the off-trail bit. The mood changed significantly and things went a little sideways. I think it is safe to say that we both mentally divorced the other one for a good two hours.🤣 After things calmed down, and probably because there was nobody else around to chat with (we only saw one person all day), we both mentally got back together and everything is now fine again. ❤️ Phew!!! This is as much of a mental challenge as it is a physical one, so we are not completely surprised that things can get a little tense. Once back on speaking terms we did a little debrief on what things have been contributing to this being a tougher challenge than the others: start point selected (very remote), start date (no other Challengers around to comiserate with - thank you WestJet!!😡), the terrain has been more rugged than past crossings (makes for sore feet and bodies), the tick infestation of Days 2 through 5 (today is our first tick-free day since then 🤞🏻). Despite all of this we have been truly blessed to have walked through some one-of-a-kind scenery, and have not forgotten the fact that we wanted to do this. The last part of our walk today provided one of those unbelievable moments that we hope for and always remember when doing these trips. As we crested the final climb of the day between Geal-charn Mor and Geal-charn Beag, we were treated to an absolutely gorgeous sight - the Cairngorm mountains were stunning, with a small sun spotlight highlighting the entrance to Lairig Ghru where we are headed tomorrow. I can’t describe it well enough here, other than to say I will never forget that moment.

Cairngorm Mountains - Words Or Picture Can’t Do It Justice

We have had a very nice evening. After showering up we headed back downtown to the Cairngorm Hotel for a drink (Mandy - Strongbow on tap, JM - Bellhavens Best on tap) and dinner (Mandy - Cajun chicken, JM - fish pie). On the way back to our B&B we stopped at Tesco for a mini-tub of ice cream. We are now catching up on the blog, and messages, and will be heading to bed soon. Please note our next update will be in four evenings as we will be out of service until then.

Progress update: we passed the 50% complete mark today on a distance covered basis!!! 🎉🤪😴. Favourite part so far: Mandy - B&Bs, JM - view of the Cairngorms today. Least favourite part so far: Mandy - bog, peat, heather bashing, JM - the 15 or so ticks pulled off my body so far 🤮.

Health update:
Mandy - Half dead 😂, blisters not really improving
JM - Blisters steady with a possible third one developing

Day 6 Route - 31.25 km, 885 m ascent