Today was incredible. No matter what you see on TV, nothing captures the Scottish Highlands better than your own eyes. I'll try to be very specific about the day.We left at 7:00am, and made our way through the city in the car I rented. I was nervous, but once things got going, everything was fine. The signs are on the wrong side of the road, I only forgot which side to be on twice for the entire trip (and quickly corrected my error). The roads can be VERY narrow (much like when I first learned to drive on the back roads of Kentucky). As we drove through Falkirk, Sterling, and then countless small towns, the roads
became less and less busy, and before long it felt rather normal to be driving on the wrong side. Turnabouts are my enemy, as I must think about where to turn, which gear to be in, which way to go, what lane to be in, how fast to go, quickly becoming disoriented. The strange way info is presented on the signs didn't help matters much. Road construction, for instance, is announced as "Road works ahead," which is rather disturbing since I'm currently on a road that seems to be working, yet the sign obviously is indicating that the road truly works in the next few miles. Additionally, signs are EVERYWHERE, and I finally grasp one of my favorite Rolling Stones songs at a more intimate level.
We made it. There was a one lane bridge over a river and a one lane road leading up to the trail that could have ended in disaster. The disaster averted, we got out of the car and promptly froze to death. It was about 15 degrees colder than in the city and while we packed warm clothes, we were somewhat unprepared (I wasn't, I brought extra blankets, and my extra jacket, etc). The girls (Nora, Frankie, and Courtney) were not happy with the conditions, and we were all daunted by the magnificent height of Ben Lawer's surroundings. It was so high. Even I was unsure if we could actually get to the top, but with great optimism and coaching, we started on our way.
I can't describe what I saw. I can show you wanting facsimiles that I captured on my camera. For most of the walk, I smiled so wide that my teeth hurt from the cold. I just kept repeating, "incredible, incredible." When the sunlight dappled itself across the mountain side, not only did my heart strike a chord, but I felt as if I had stepped into a Dutchman's landscape painting, simultaneously unreally real and really unreal.It got warmer, our bodies generated heat and the sun came out. As we ascended, the wind picked up. By the time we reached the peak of the first summit of Beinn Ghlas (3669 ft above sea level), the wind was so strong that when I threw an apple core down the side of the mountain, the wind picked it back up and threw it on the other side about 30 feet away from me. I will attach the video shot by Frankie to attest to this. (Link Added Soon)
The wind became too strong as we approached Ben Lawers, nearly blowing us off the side of the ridge, so we decided to turn back as it was so cold and dangerous that the accent ceased to be fun.
Our way down the mountain was rushed by rain and wind, and though this sounds miserable, and it was, it was also very fun. The hike took us about 4 hours, and though we didn't get to the summit of Ben Lawers (1231 meters) we still had climbed 2952+feet and walked around 6 miles. We all felt accomplished. I felt humbled by defeat, but elated by our success.Some of the best Pictures from the hike can be found here.
On our way back to the dorms we stopped in Killin for a coffee. There were many funny signs (and yes, you do pronounce it Killin). See below.
An incredible day, though my face is windburnt. Tomorrow will be easier, post then. Exhausted, goodnight.
Scottish word/slang of the day
peloothered -- From Joyce's _Dubliners_: "It happend that you were peloothered, Tom, said Mr Cunningham gravely"
2 comments:
Justin, these are some great shots and I wanted to say what an incredible experience the whole thing was, AND what a superstar you were at driving!!! I don't know how you did it, but you were great!!! Thanks for a great day and for putting so much thought into the details and pushing me onwards even though this was a huge struggle for me. The apple core video should be up soon!
Dude you're KILLIN me.
harhar.
Great pics - missing you bud. Tons.
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