The West Highland Way

Last Monday, August 3rd, my cousin, Morag and I set out on a 6 day, 95 miles trek starting from Milngavie(near Glasgow) and heading north to Fort Williams. The terrain varied along with the miles everyday as did the weather. Scotland is definitely known for their rainy weather thus the beautiful green hills and valleys and lots of waterfalls, mud, etc.

While over last May, friends of my Aunt Sara (Lynn and Tom) had just finished the West Highland Way and showed photos and raved about it and I was sold.

When I emailed Morag about whether she was interested in doing this trek with me, she replied "yes, but a few things"

1. "You'll be faster then me" (which wasn't true-we were very compatible)
2. "I won't camp and prefer B&B's"
3. "I snore so you'll have to bring earplugs"

I replied that I could deal with all of those things and would she mind organizing it since it's much easier from Scotland then the states to do so. She did a fabulous job; there are companies that will carry your gear...........okay, I know what some of you may think but let me tell you that this was the best deal around. You still carried plenty for the days trek which with the weather and the distances, you need a fair amount. Well, you do have pubs along the way so you can get food, use a real toilet and have a pint......if you dare! I learned the hard way that this isn't such a great idea so I made a pact to wait until the end of the day.....much better plan.

The first couple of days, we had some rain but more drizzly then anything and the weather was quite warm. Days 3, 4, and 5 were relatively rain free and we had some amazing views especially coming into Glencoe where many of the peaks were visible. The miles varied from 12 miles a day to 21 miles. We did a lot of climbing up and down and especially around Loch Lomond and had a lot of rocks to scramble over and streams of water to hop over. We had some great laughs and lots of stories to share and many miles/hours to do so. A common phase that was said is "Nearly there!" Which was often at the beginning of the day. "Is it time for a pint?" "I can't believe I'm hungry...again!" We always maintained a sense of humor even when the trail was "never ending" and we were wary to the bones.

On the last day we left from Kinochleven and had "only" 14 miles to go. Alas, our clear weather didn't hold out for us and it rained much of the day. There was a trail run going on that day called "Devil 'O The Highlands" and it was a 43 mile run along the Way from Tundrum to Fort Williams. I couldn't imagine that distance running over the steep and rocky terrains we encountered but it did make me think about some of the great Colorado trail runs I've done over the years. I don't think I'll be adding this one to my list!

At the end of the trek in Fort Williams is "Ben Nevis" which is the highest peak in the UK at approximately 4,400 ft. Nothing compared to Colorado's peaks but when you consider you start at nearly sea level it's a long way up. There are 289 peaks over 3,000 feet and are referred to as the Monroes. Many people end the 95 miles of the Way to conquer Ben Nevis the following day and if your lucky you can see the top which from what I heard doesn't happen often as it's often it clouds. We didn't get to see it nor did we hike it..........this time! There is a annual race up to the top of the Ben which is in September. That's now on my list for a couple of years from now.

Since I can't figure out how to do a complete slide show on this blog, I'll send you to the picasa website and you can view them all there. Enjoy! We certainly did. I can say this was one of the most fantastic hikes and achievements that I've had the pleasure of doing in my life so far.

the link to the picasa website is:
www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/TheWestHighlandWay