Every year starts with a Mountain. Whether it’s Slieve Donard at 5am or a more casual climb up Doan Mountain in the afternoon, it’s a tradition. This year things were a day late. 2nd January 2023 started cold, the paths were a challenge on either side of the Mourne Wall.
The path from Ott carpark to the Mourne wall was mostly in the shade making it a challenge. At the stile the cold weather had even created an inversion of cloud. Thick cloud lined the Irish Sea resulting in stunning but exceptionally bright views. It was bitterly cold and busier than normal. A private plane looped the top of Doan as we approached.
Doan Mountain
I was out with the Fujifilm X-T5 and the 16mm f/1.4 lens. I was underexposing by two stops in attempt to balance the bright sky but retain the contrast of the foreground. We were maybe there a little early for the best of the Doan winter sunsets – See Doan with the Fujifilm X100V or Winter Sun on Doan Mountain or finally a video of Doan Mountain.
Weather Contrast : Slievenaslat
The 2nd January was very different to the proceeding two days. A short hike up Slievenaslat was endured in torrential rain.
Slievenaslat hike was captured with the X-T5 and the 33mm lens. Despite the weather sealing I still kept the camera out of the rain most of the time. There is no doubt a visit to the Mourne Mountains is a great way to start the year.
Links
New Year Hikes
Slieve Donard
Slieve Doan
Mourne Mountains
Doan Mountain Height : 593m, Grid Ref : J302262, Google Maps : 54.168477, -6.005944