Among the Midges
The hotel last night was clean and comfortable, and the staff was excellent. It turns out there are about 25 employees, most of them from other parts of Europe. Because the hotel is so remote, they are housed in staff accommodations just across the road. It seems like they live similarly to employees on cruise ships.
Breakfast was good and for a small charge I even managed to get a cappuccino. Then it was time to suit up with netting, and spray on the DEET, before stepping out the door to face the midges. They are thickest around stands of trees and water. That was the environment I walked through for most of the day.
I learned interesting facts about the pests. They are unable to fly in any wind over five mph. That's great information, but it didn't help today. For the most part, the air was very still. Every time I thought I was in a midge-free zone and removed the netting around my face, I was quickly corrected.
There are days walking the trail when it feels like you're on a local bus. You move along and run into someone. They join you for a portion and then take a break. Further up the road other people join in or drop off. It's always a pleasure to see familiar faces.
Climbing the first hill, I caught up to Phillip and Karen. I asked her a bit more about the climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. She said if you make the trip, don't eat the coleslaw. She didn't and others did. They paid the price later.
I stopped at a small shop to get my credential stamped and they continued on. I ran into Winton and Jerome again, shortly after passing Inveroran. Further along the road I saw Beth breaking down her camp. Winton and Jerome caught up with us and we walked the next hour or so together.
I first met Beth when I was walking with JB and Kristen along Loch Lomond. She asked us to stop as she climbed over some jagged rocks back up to the trail. She had taken a tumble and injured herself a little. It was nice to see her happy and healthy, continuing along the West Highland Way.
We all chatted about a number of things and learned that Beth had served in the British army, gotten a degree in psychology, had an 11-year-old daughter, and is currently working as a phlebotomist. It only made sense to nickname her "Midge" after the insect that draws blood.
The going was fairly easy since we followed the path of the old military road. There were some jagged stone outcroppings and then some paved surfaces. It wasn't too difficult to avoid the mud and puddles that occasionally cropped up along the path.
Around lunch time we approached a bridge and ran into Therese and Martin taking their lunch break. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and we all appeared to be surviving the midges. The campers who suffered the worst, Jerome and Winton, still had a bunch of bites. Beth actually had some that blistered.
Jerome, Winton, and Beth stopped at the bridge to refill their water bottles. Many campers carry water bottles with filters or chlorine tablets to make certain that the water is potable. I left them there and continued on my own. I wasn't in a rush, but when you hit a stride, you don't want to interrupt it and have to restart.
A mile or so later I ran into the Australian couple, Danny and Allison. Danny had suffered a slight infection and took a day off. Determined to continue, he and his wife were back on the trail after that one day. We chatted briefly and I kept moving. I thought being a moving target might make me tougher for the midges to catch.
There were some areas where it was almost bug free. Then, 100 yards later, you could see them flitting through the air. People who camped reported that the outer layer of their tent was lined with them when they woke this morning.
There were so many opportunities to simply stop and look around. The scenery was even more breathtaking today than prior days, if that’s possible.
My final destination for the day was the Glencoe ski resort. I knew I was getting close when I could see the towers for the chair lifts off in the distance. The van that would eventually take me to my lodgings for the night was not scheduled to arrive until 3:00 p.m. I got to the facility at 1:00. That meant I had time to grab a hot lunch and settle into the table and relax.
The resort was very busy. The chair lift was moving and people would ride to the top to hike, or using a simple apparatus they would hook up mountain bikes and take them to the peak to ride down. One of the riders told me the length of the descent was 15 to 30 minutes depending on the route.
The van actually pulled up at 2:30 p.m.. I approached the gentleman who was driving and he said there would be a total of five passengers. I was pretty sure I recognized who the others were: three women traveling together and one man traveling alone. I rounded them up, we packed up the van, and I was at my hotel by 3:00.
To stay on the trail, the preferred accommodation is the King's House. They were full, so I was being transported to the Clachaig Inn. It turned out to be a pretty good deal. The ride down the valley was away from the West Highland Way and offered me the opportunity to see some incredible scenery that I otherwise would have missed.
Hikers were up and down the hills on both sides. It appeared the biggest challenge was to find a place to park their cars. A Tetris master would be frustrated trying to fit into the limited spots available.
Because the topography is a result of an ancient caldera, the ground is very unstable. That means no additional parking can be constructed without worrying about impact on the environment or the stability of a structure.
An interesting sign was on prominent display at the reception desk. I knew that “hawkers” meant sales people. The Campbells reference required a quick history lesson about the Massacre of Glencoe.
My room wasn't quite ready yet, so I went to the bar and got about halfway through a pint of local beer. The check-in staff were very nice. Later on, they had to help me figure out how to turn on my shower. A pull-down cord activates the electric heater in the shower itself. In my travels, usually that pull-down string is an emergency signal. I was not going to try it and see.
Once all of that got figured out, I was able to get into my normal routine. Clothes were washed, I showered, and then took a brief nap before grabbing dinner. Because this is a holiday resort, the restaurants get packed, so I was advised to be in the dining room by 6:00 p.m.
There are only two days left on the hike. Tomorrow includes a climb up the Devil's Staircase. The name is a little intimidating. So far I've heard two stories about how it earned that moniker. I will share those in tomorrow's blog. Maybe I'll even have a third story by then.
It's approaching 8:00 p.m. and the sun is starting to set. Looking out the window in my room, I can already see masses of midges assembling. There is no air conditioning here and no fan in the room. It might be a stuffy night, but I am not opening the window.
Because I have no cell signal or internet in my room, it is now time to dash to the main building and post this installment to my blog. I will know by tomorrow morning how successfully I dodged the midges.