The advantage of having a walking companion for Dreish is, of course, that I got to have my photograph taken at the summit cairn!This was my one and only opportunity, though, as my companion was out to get Munros, and that meant he was turning back the way we'd come (as there were no more Munros in the direction I was heading). So I thanked him for the photograph and bade him goodbye, then continued along the ridge.
As I descended the East shoulder of Dreish, I was amazed to see in the far distance a horse being cantered across the ridge line from right to left, and marvelled at the qualities of the rider who would dare ride so hard in terrain such as this. Then the animal stopped dead and turned and stared at me - and I realised in an instant that it wasn't a horse at all, but a stag; and what I had taken for a rider were its antlers.
The new camera had a really rather impressive zoom facility, so I quickly reached for the pouch and pulled it out, hoping to get a photograph. But as I did so, the deer resumed running, and I was unable to deploy the camera and pull it into focus before it was lost from my sight. Such a shame, I thought. A picture such as that would really have been the crowning glory for my first photographic crossing!
For self portraits carry a small tripod (gorilla pod or similar) and you can use a convenient rock or your pack to give a bit of height.
ReplyDeleteI'm not vain enough to want more than the occasional picture of myself, Peter - so I think I'd have difficulty justifying the weight!
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