Distance: 10.6 miles (47.2 miles total)
Time: 5 hours 13 minutes
Tomorrow: Arrochar to Lochgoilhead (est 10.3 miles)
Funny how a day's walking can turn out. This morning Barnaby and I were joking that with only twelve miles or so to walk, it was barely worth putting our walking boots on. We had a leisurely start to the day and didn't actually set off until almost ten. Some five hours later, when we spotted a short-cut into Arrochar that would take a couple of miles off the day's walk we were eager to take it. Some days the miles just fly past, and the last couple of days had been like that; "What, we've done seven miles already?" Today was the opposite and it seemed to take forever for us to reach the halfway point of six miles, and then we seemed to be stuck on six miles for hours. Why it felt like that I have no idea, because weather-wise it was such a lovely day and in terms of the walking itself the landscape was the best of the three days so far, rising and falling through forests and across hills; you might even say that the landscape was constantly undula... oh, wait, that's not for me to say.
Undulating. The only word to describe today. We started with a steepish climb out of Garelochead followed by a flat couple of miles through active shooting grounds. The red flags (meaning training was happening nearby with live ammunition) were menacing at first, but the more and more flags we saw and the more and more gunshots we heard, the more it all just became part of the landscape. If you are a dedicated reader you will know that we stop for midday and afternoon prayer at 12 and 3. This is normally quite a still peaceful moment. However today it became frenzied as we had stopped by a wee stream in a forest and if you have been to Scotland you would know that that is the perfect climate for MIDGES! The further we got into the prayer the more and more midges joined us. By the Our Father we were surrounded by a swarm of midges. Without saying anything we closed the prayer book and put our rucksacks on (all whilst still praying), we were quite proud of this as we think it was our quickest turn around yet.
Just before B and I share an important announcement, I have to share one of my favourite moments of the day. Looking down at a beautiful view, James remarked, "Is that all one loch?" When I replied that it was, he said, "That's a long loch." It was, of course... Loch Long.
A JOINT STATEMENT OF GREAT IMPORTANCE, FROM BARNABY AND DAD(DY):
This is the first time that James has joined in one of our long walks. We have been absolutely delighted to have him walking with us. Even though he's usually walking about a hundred yards ahead of us as he tunes in to Kendrick Lamar, we just LOVE all being together. When we started this walk we mentioned how happy we were that he was with us and how much we'd love it if he walked with us again. This enthusiasm on our part was not mirrored by James, who repeatedly made it very clear that this was most definitely a one-off event in honour of his Granny. However.... Over the course of today James' attitude towards walking has changed as he has realised that the best way to experience Scotland's beauty is through walking. That is why we are happy to announce that James will be joining us on all walks from this point onwards. We shall now pass onto James to explain more about this...
Guys this is clickbait I am not gonna join in on any more walks and if i were to do another walk i would walk with people that can actually go my pace so I don't have to wait every 20 minutes or so for them to catch up. Also this walk was an 7.5/10 but there was good views also I wasn't the one that said 'that is a long loch' that was dad. Barnaby will back me up on that also I've finished writing now.
THIS WILL BE ALL.
_______________________________________________
The welts on my shoulders have been getting redder each day. The experience of carrying the extra weight of Mum's ashes is creating new walking challenges for me.
I've been thinking a lot about carrying Mum and about the times and ways in which she 'carried' me over the years; from being literally carried as a newborn, as a child, through to being carried by there being someone there who believed in me when it felt like nobody else did, when I didn't much believe in myself. I think too about the ways in which I have 'carried' my boys, the ways in which I seek to lift them up and to let them know how much they are loved. There's also the careful emotional/psychological algebra of trying to figure out when it's time to not carry them, when it's time to let them walk on their own two feet, and to make their own mistakes, and to fall; knowing that it's okay for them to fall, because I'll always seek to be there to reach out a hand and help them back up again.
Mum was always there to reach out a hand to help me back up again when I fell; that's what love does. And the painful red marks on my shoulders that I'm getting from carrying her these last few miles is a small act of thanksgiving; that's what love does.
No comments:
Post a Comment