First ice of the season

I had a feee morning so cycled to Torlundy and headed up Ben Nevis by Tower Ridge. It was a lovely morning and Carn Dearg was living up to its name (Dearg- red) as I walked in past a Glasgow College group out for a walk. It took me just under an hour to the CIC- the new porch is complete and just under a second hour to make it up the Ridge. At the foot of the Douglas boulder I came across a shiny boot sitting on a rock- dropped from above? No room in my light sack so I put it neatly by the path. It was fine and sunny but cold and crisp. Just above the little Tower I found the first verglas, the tat on the block at the Gap was frozen stiff and above there was more of the same and a little proper ice. On the plateau the summit was devoid of anyone else at 10am (first time I've seen that for a while) but the grasses and rocks had a fine coating of rime and there were pipcrakes around the mouth of Tower Gully. A final hour saw me back at the bike at Torlundy having passed maybe 2 dozen people on the way down- the tourist season seems to be over on the Ben for this year, bring on the winter!