The Highlands, Part Two: The Cairngorms

The Scottish Highlands are far and away the most mountainous region of the United Kingdom. In the interest of full disclosure, Scottish mountains such as Beinn Nibheis (Ben Nevis, "venomous mountain") and Beinn Mhic Dhuibh (Ben Macdhui, "mountain of the son of Duff"), though the tallest peaks in Great Britain, are rather unimpressive to most Americans, topping out at 4409 ft and 4297 ft, respectively. However, while Scotland may not have the tallest rocks, it has some of the oldest geological formations and deposits in the world, with the Lewisian gneiss estimated to be 3000 million years old. Hah, in your face, McKinley!

"Now, Kathryn, you're not going to give us a geology lesson today, are you?" you ask. Hate to break it to you, guys, but every day's a school day in my neck of the woods, so you bet your sweet bippy I'm talking about rocks today. Just bear with me for a few paragraphs while I geek out.

The Cairngorms were formed in the Silurian period (~420 mya) when two tectonic plates smashed into each other (over the course of several million years), forcing magma up from the center of the earth and creating the granite crags we see today. Shaped by several glaciations and recessions, the Cairngorms now extend through eastern Scotland, including an area called Aberdeenshire.

Near Rhynie, a small village in Aberdeenshire, there lies a treasure trove of fossils from the Early Devonian (~410 mya) preserved in a crystalline quartz deposit called chert. The fossils in this deposit are so well preserved that paleontologists have found the microscopic hyphae of primitive fungi. What's more, many fossils show what may be the earliest known examples of symbiosis between terrestrial plants and fungi. Speaking as a mycologist, I think this is pretty cool in general. However, speaking as a mycologist whose Master's project focuses on the evolutionary history of symbiotic relationships between plants and primitive fungi from the Chytridiomycota, this transcends mere "cool-ness." It is pure, unadulterated AWESOME (were "awesome" a noun, of course).

Okay, I'm done. Feel free to point and laugh. On with the pictures!

In effort to reduce liability, our program did not actually let us climb one of the Cairngorm peaks. (Let's face it, we all know that had we hiked, some clod would have fallen off the side of the bloody mountain and ruined the fun for the rest of us.) Instead, we took a tram up to the summit for some photo-ops.


Kara, J, and Kim as we puttered up the side of the mountain. It's likely that J will never speak to me again for posting this gem of a photo, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Click for high-res goodness. Really, go ahead, it's so worth it.



I suppose it's only fair that I post a similarly stupid photo of myself. Besides, dignity is for the birds. If only I didn't have the wonky eye-drift going on.



The view from the tram. On a purely tangential note, my two favorite words in the German language are achtung ("attention") and schmetterling ("butterfly"); the latter is especially funny when said in a high-pitched, child-like voice and accompanied by "spirit fingers." Oh man, I miss my sister, the little nutter.



Unfortunately (or fortunately, however you see it), the Scottish weather didn't fail us; the low-lying clouds, which usually make for striking pictures from the base of the mountain, completely obscured the view from the summit. If you look to the left of the frame, you can see an indistinct, grey-blue blob. That would be a lochan, which is Scots Gaelic for "small lake." I'm sure you're more familiar with the word loch, which you probably cannot pronounce correctly, unless you're a native Scot or you've had your epiglottis removed with a rusty spoon.



Seventy-five percent of Team Glasgow, Dublin edition: Shae, Kim, and I at the summit.


The UGlasgow Early Start group. Back row, l-r: Kim, Allyson, Casey, J, Meredith, JaeHee, Whitney, and Shae. Front row, l-r: Kara, Jenna, and me (perched atop my invisible stool).

After reaching the summit, J uttered a classic emo line, providing the inspiration for this final MySpace-esque photo.

Readers, I present to you a collaborative piece entitled i'm on top of the world--and yet, i'm all alone.



Limited edition prints of this piece and others in the collection are available in the museum gift shop.