Distance: 21km
Different day, different scenery. I wake up pretty excited. First things first, I tape my feet up. Frankenstein’s monster style. Still sore when I put my shoes on, but hopefully things won’t get worse.
It’s a quick trot into town and suddenly I am at the start of the West Highland Way walk. This is one of Scotland’s premier walks, and there is palpable excitement from a dozen hikers milling around the start. By far more hikers than I’ve seen altogether in almost two weeks of walking. The buzz is nice, and everybody excitedly gets underway.
It’s not long before I meet up with John, a guy about my age who is carrying an absolutely enormous bag. We spend the next couple of hours walking and talking. (He’s partnered up – calm down people!) It is really nice to chat to someone for a while. Our topics range from mythical stories in Australia and Scotland, to the current political climates in both countries.
Eventually, because this is what long distance hiking does, he tells me the reason for his walk on the West Highland Way. He is carrying his fathers ashes along the trail. This is the reason his pack is so big. His father is inside. John tells me that his father had always wanted to walk the trail, and that a break in busy life had meant the opportunity to take him had come along.
It is silent for a while. I say to him that I’m sorry. That I’m trying to imagine what that is like…Carrying a parent in your bag. I tell him I can’t imagine it at all. I can’t even bear to think about it. We both reflect on what it means to live life while you can.
We reach a rest stop and I tell John I’m going to stop and take a break. My feet are still pretty sore, and I’m not in a rush today. We say our goodbyes. I had enjoyed our few hours of discussion immensely. Hopefully I will see a few more people on the trail moving forwards.
Whilst we have been walking, the landscape has opened up. There are mountains all around, and I can see the possibilities of the next few days floating in front of me.
There is a lot of road walking in the lead up to Drymen, where I am staying the night in a hotel. I am really happy to arrive right on check in time, get to my room, shower and relax for a bit. My feet are still a worry, so I head to the pharmacy to buy them out of blister products. It makes me feel a little more confident about the coming days.
A wine or two. Dinner in the bar. Life is good. I leave the West Highland Way now, so I might be back to being on my own again. But it’s so nice to be excited about the walk again!
The dream
This article was first published on The Trek which can be found here