Good Vibes

After another great night's sleep, I woke up expecting more rain. I peeked out the window to see the drizzle. There was no rush to get out the door. The information in my itinerary said there were only nine miles to walk before reaching my destination.

Breakfast was in the building adjacent to the hotel. The same gentleman who served dinner the night before was now there at 7:30 in the morning taking care of breakfast for the guests. The menu was limited, but completely adequate. One striking thing was the complete lack of any type of fruit. Not a big deal – I simply reached into my supply of dried fruit to make up for it.

Karen and Philip are from Calgary. I've seen them several times along the trail, and we shared the same hotel on a few occasions. I visited them at their table after finishing my meal.  Philip works for petrochemical companies and we had some very illuminating discussions about the industry. 

They have traveled extensively, and Karen even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. She detailed how their base camp was at 16,000 feet. On the day they actually reached the summit, they were not allowed to loiter. The guides made certain they were below the "dead zone"  altitude before the day ended.

Philip gave me a quick update on the weather forecast and it was encouraging. Showers were supposed to abate around 10:00 in the morning. It was time to get packed and out the door.

The trail started within 100 yards of my hotel. There was a slight climb for the first 20 minutes or so, and in the first mile I had removed, replaced, and removed my rain gear again. It turns out that was the worst weather I would see for the walk.

Much of the trail was on an old military route. It snaked through the valley next to a road, a river, and a railway. Two things were surprising. The first was that there were no trains the entire time I was walking on the trail. The second was the direction the river was flowing. I had assumed I would be climbing up into the highlands, and the water should be running toward me. Instead, the river flowed north along with me. There must be a lake up ahead somewhere. I know the rest of the route is not downhill.

A little further down the trail, I overtook a couple from Denmark that I have seen most every day.  Therese and Martin have been married about four years, and they seem to be comfortable with PDAs (public displays of affection). I took a picture and then suggested they might hug. They took it to the next level.

Therese took a day off because her knee was acting up. She has a quiet determination and was back on the trail the next day. Martin and I discussed some of the odd dreams we were having in the absence of other distractions. Mine were of some old friends, and in Martin’s dream he was playing the organ. That's not surprising, since he is a musician.

The path was not physically challenging today. It was a very pleasant stroll through the valley. The temperature was just right and I fell into a comfortable pace while taking in all the beauty surrounding me

While on the trail, I ran into Andy and Judy from the island of Jersey in Britain. He is a constable there and she is a teacher's assistant. Andy explained that the role of constable, in his district, is not like a police officer.  He works in the government offices and helps solve any number of issues in the community. We spoke about the value of community involvement and the state of education where we lived.

We knew we were getting close to civilization when a cell phone tower came into view. Shortly thereafter we were walking under a tunnel, and then passed the local train station. In less than five minutes we were surprised to find ourselves at the Bridge of Orchy.

It seemed way too soon. My nine-mile walk turned out to be less than seven. There we were in front of the hotel we would be occupying for the night. It was just after noon, and check in wasn't until 2:00 p.m.  

Andy and Judy went inside for lunch. I settled in at a picnic table outside and was joined moments later by Phillip and Karen. They were nice enough to buy me a pint of local ale.  Shortly thereafter, Martin and Therese arrived. We all enjoyed positive conversation and I tried not to talk too much.

It was a great energy that got even better when Jerome and Winton showed up (and bought me another pint). They started on the trail a day before me and it was serendipitous that our paths crossed at the Bridge of Orchy.  The hotel was a natural gathering point since there was little else around.  The nearest store of any kind was about five miles away.

Winton and Jerome shared what they had experienced on the trail and the lessons they learned.  Both were ravaged by midges, a gnat-like biting insect.  Winton's lower legs showed how hungry and aggressive the midges can be. There is an actual Internet site that tracks midge activity in Scotland.  Winton and Jerome were in a 2/5 area.  The journey takes us through a 5/5 zone.  Luckily, the midges are not very active until dusk.  I should be in my hotel room well before then, with the windows locked.

Winton and Jerome also told us about a number of people they saw who were injured or quitting the journey.  While the West Highland Way does transit some parks, it is in no way an actual "walk in the park." The research I’ve done indicates that about 100,000 people a year begin the trek, but only about 36,000 complete it. There is no official registry so numbers are only approximations.

For a short day, this is a long post.  The scenery, the weather, and the company were all excellent today – a day that checked all the boxes for why I sign up to do these hikes.