CHAPTER XVIII 



MIDSUMMER AT THE WELLS OF DEE 



IT has been estimated that in the latitude of the Cairngorm 

 Mountains the snow line is not above 5,000 feet. Thus 

 it is that at the source of the River Dee, on the plateau 

 of Braeriach, at a height of just 4,000 feet above sea level, 

 the season of summer is at the best but a fleeting and pre- 

 carious one, and snow and frost may prevail here for days 

 on end in every month of the year. 



It was on a dull morning without, even on the high 

 ridges, the faintest breath of wind, that a companion and I 

 made our way from Loch Einich up the steep face of Coire 

 Dhondail. Near the head of the corrie were many hinds feed- 

 ing, and we passed within a yard or two of a hen ptarmigan, 

 with exceptionally beautiful plumage, mothering her covey 

 of chicks. Reaching the top of the corrie, our way led along 

 the banks of the hill-burn known as Allt Choire Dhondail, to 

 where the stream rises near the watershed at a height of just 

 under 4,000 feet. From here to the Wells of Dee is not more 

 than five minutes' walk eastward, a gentle rise bringing one 

 to the watershed between the Dee and Spey, here 4,025 feet 

 above sea level. 



By now the sky had cleared, and the sun shone brilliantly, 

 so that hill upon hill could be seen stretching away to the 

 western horizon. Only on Ben Nevis were clouds resting, 

 but even to the westward of this hill did the view extend 

 — to the high hills that rise above Kingairloch. To a 

 lover of the flowers of the high hills the level ground 

 near the Wells of Dee was of peculiar charm. The 

 cushion pink (Silene acaulis) was everywhere in flower. In 



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