Normally climbing Croghan Kinsella, 606 metres, involves a steady hike through the forest coupled with a steep climb over the moor to the summit. From the entrance to Carrig Wood a fit person would make the top inside two hours. Add in snow and ice and things change just a little. The mountain had been calling me for the last month, today the 22nd December conditions were perfect so off I went.
Approaching from the west through Carrig Wood snow was lying calf deep on the ground. This pulled at the legs all the way to the top. Taking a steady easy pace following the forest paths I eventually cleared the tree line. The snow was pristine save for deer tracks. Above the trees a goat path climbs steeply following the line of the ridge to the summit plateau. A bitter north east breeze was blowing and boy was it sharp on the face. A snowy landscape lay below me every feature defined in black and white.
The march across to the summit was hard due to drifted snow. Persevering I made the summit mound and decided to traverse around to the east side due to ice formations which made climbing difficult. Following a wire fence I waded through knee deep snow making the top at 12.30pm exactly. In all the hike took 2 hours 15 minutes.
A quick sandwich, cup of tea, and some photos for posterity and I was on my way down. Even though wrapped up the wind chill made it very cold up there. It was worth the climb though as the views on a good day are spectacular but today, WOW. In the distance to the north lay the Sugarloaf, Lugnaquilla and the north prison, defined in great detail by the snow to the north west, with Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs mountains to the south.
By retracing my steps the climb down was not too difficult, however the steep goat track was a little hairy due to the ice and snow. Taking it handy I was soon making my way through the forest, getting back to the house by 14.30 pm. The round trip took a little over four hours which was not too bad given the conditions.
