The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-03 00:00:00

Ascent of Lochnagar.

On the 20th inst. a most successful ascent of
this lofty mountain was made by a party of
strangers at present residing at Braemar. Every
preparation was duly made for this interesting ex-
cursion, and the services of John Downie, the ex-
perienced guide to the mountain, were duly secured-
The party, consisting of thirteen persons, left the
Fife Arms at a quarter before 10 a.m., in two
drags and on horseback, and reached Loch Calla,ter,
about five miles off, at eleven o'clock. It is here
that the more serious preparations for the ascent
have to be made, and accordingly the guide, with
ponies for the ladies and such of the gentleman as
required additional understandings, now met the
party. The first part of the ascent, owing to the
heat of the weather and roughness of the foot-path/
was rather fatiguing, but so soon as a more ele-
vated position was attained, and the first shoulder
of the mountain ascended, the freshness of the
breeze inspired new life into the party. The day,
which, at starting, seemed not very favourable for
a view from the mountain, now began to look still
more unpromising, as thick mists seemed to
envelope the topmost peak of the hills, but the
hopes of the party were not damped by these
untoward symptoms. On the contrary, several in-
teresting sights, such as flights of ptarmigan,
coveys of grouse, with occasional glimpses of fine,
scenery as the mists rose, sustained the pleasure 01
the ascent. After surmounting the third shoulder
of the mountain, the lofty peaks of " dark Loch'
nagar" were now before the party, but enveloped 111
mist. With one short halt to give strength for the
last climb, the party, led by a young lady 14 years
old, at last reached the first summit, after three
hours spent in the ascent. There the horses wera,
picketed, and ample justice done to a substantial
lunch. The mist, which during that repast sof'
rounded everything, at last rose like a curtain, an
a view presented itself which would require the Pen.
Christopher North to describe, and the pencil
Horatio Maculloch to portray. Far to the West
rose the lofty peaks of Argyle and Inverness; t°
the east lay stretched out the vale of Dee, dotted
with fine woods and residences. A little more to
the south were seen the lofty peaks of the Clovse
Hills altogether exhibiting a panorama el
mountain scenery of the finest description. The
appearance of the deep and dark conies on the
eastern side of the mountain, I,oooft. deep, COn;
taining large patches of eternal snow, with the
dark and deep loch at the base, from which the
mountain takes its name, elicited exclamations °i
wonderment and awe from the ladies of the pal'
which were duly endorsed by the gentlemen. Afire
spending some time in making preparations for t
descent, the party returned to Loch Callater ,
safety, without having met with the slightest aclo
dent. Here, at half-past five, the carriages met wiv
party, and by half-past six o'clock all had safe ~,J
reached the Fife Arms, highly delighted with the:o
ascent, which,, both as regards the fineness ofti.a
day and the excellence of the view, may be regarae
.
as one of the best of the season. As to the dif6etli
ties attendant on such an expedition, it may
stated that one of the party, a resident of Aberclee',
shire, had previously made three unsuccessful a'
tempts to reach the summit, and traces of an 0:111 0
,
unsatisfactory ascent by three Aberdonians,
after reaching the summit, saw nothing but the., $
selves, were found in a doggerel poem, written °''to
scrap of paper, which they had left as a legalirn
whosoever might discover it, in a cleft of the e 3
at the highest peak of the mountain. It would
most ungallant to the ladies of the party to omit to t°
aS
say that one of the great pleasures of the ascent
.13
owing to the bravery with which they encountered
he fatigues of the day.—Aberdeen Journal.

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