Settling in

The first day of this trip is on the books. It was fairly uneventful. Although I feel like every time I connect through London-Heathrow, I vow that I will never do so again if I can help it. Maybe next time I’ll actually remember. (Security staff on power trips, I swear to God.)

I barely recognize Edinburgh Airport anymore. The tram line to the airport (which has been in progress since I lived here in 2011-2012) is finally complete, which means the exterior of the airport now looks very different and it took me ages to find the airport bus.  But find it I did, and half an hour later I was walking past my old flat on Hillside Street on my way to my Airbnb.  The old John Lewis building on Leith Walk is coming down, but other than that most of my old haunts still look the same. The fields outside Edinburgh and the flanks of Arthur’s Seat are yellow with blooming canola.

Some observations: My toenails need a trim before I start hiking on Saturday.  Nothing like having your feet encased in Salomon boots for 16 hours to show you precisely where all your sharp nail edges are. I’m also going to need to pick up some allergy tablets, because while North Carolina’s hay fever season is ending, Scotland’s is just about to begin.

It’s good to be here.

Cheers, y’all.

Another packing list!

I'm leaving for the airport in about 48 hours, which means it's time to start packing!

I'm working off of my packing list from my last trip, with some alterations.  I'm obviously not bothering with any camping equipment this time, but I am bringing both sunscreen and waterproof overtrousers, both of which I forgot last time and both of which I missed last time.  I usually hike in scrub bottoms and am planning to do so again, since they can take a beating and are reasonably quick-drying if they get wet, but an extra waterproof layer won't go amiss. 

I'm also not taking a towel this time.  I've made a point of taking a towel on every trip I've gone on since the first time I read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but on my last trip it just sat in the bottom of my rucksack and got damp and mildewy, so I'm not going to bother this time.  Sorry, Douglas Adams.

Finally, I invested in a raincover for my rucksack.  I've never used one before, since all the stuff I carry that could be hurt by getting wet is usually already in Ziploc bags.  But it felt right to get one for this trip.

Clothing:
- 4 tops (3 for walking in, 1 nicer one for days off)
- 3 pairs of scrub bottoms
- 1 pair of jeans
- 1 pair of waterproof overtrousers
- 3 sports bras
- 10 pairs of underwear
- 7 pairs of thick socks
- 7 pairs of thin socks, to be layered with the thick socks
- 1 pair of boots
- 1 pair of flip flops
- 1 pair of gaiters
- 1 hoodie
- 1 raincoat

Toiletries and medications:
- Shampoo
- Body wash
- Deodorant
- Lip balm
- Sunscreen
- Hairbrush
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Shaving razor
- Eyeliner
- Contact lenses
- Prescription medication
- OTC pain medication

Navigational gear, etc:
- Maps
- Compass
- Trekking poles
- Headlamp
- Whistle
- Swiss army knife
- Rucksack cover
- Passport
- Cash and cards

Electronics and entertainment:
- iPhone and charger
- Digital camera and charger
- Outlet adapter
- Journal and pen
- Book: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet.  I've been meaning to read it for a while and it looks thick and dense enough to last me eight weeks if I pace myself.

Cheers, y'all.

Get on yer boots!

A lot has happened since I last updated this blog, but the salient points are that I will shortly be moving to Virginia to start PA school (huzzah!), and that I'm undertaking another Long Walk.  

The original idea for this walk was to attempt Scotland end-to-end.  Something I realized during my failed LEJOG attempt two years ago was that hiking in England really isn't my thing.  I prefer Scotland, where the hiking infrastructure is better and where I feel more at home anyway.  But as I began outlining a potential route through Scotland, I found some places calling more loudly to me than others.  In particular, a couple of long-distance trails which I have only partially completed are demanding to be finished.  And a few places I've never been, that have been on my list to visit for years, are insisting that the time is now.  

And so, the plan is to hike Hadrian's Wall, the Rob Roy Way, the Speyside Way, the final stage of the Great Glen Way, and a chunk of the Hebridean Way over eight weeks.  I'm also planning to climb Ben Lomond and possibly Ben Vrackie, and to cap everything off with a short section of the West Highland Way.

I walked about 25 miles of Hadrian's Wall in August 2017, with minimal planning.  (Scroll back earlier in this blog for details.)  I didn't have the planning or wherewithal to get across the Pennines at the time, but I enjoyed the parts I did complete and I left the north of England determined to go back and finish the whole thing at some point.  

I walked 62 miles of the Rob Roy Way, from Drymen to the east end of Loch Tay, in late April 2015.  I was kept from finishing it by a planned 19-mile day from the west end of Loch Tay to Aberfeldy, which proved to be a greater bite than I could chew.  I enjoyed the parts I did before, so I'm planning to do the whole thing over again and finish it this time.

The Great Glen Way was the first long-distance path I ever attempted, in September 2012.  I completed 55 miles, from Fort William to Drumnadrochit.  The final day is an 18-mile walk from Drumnadrochit to Inverness, and my feet were simply not up to it at the time.  I almost attempted the final day during my LEJOG attempt but ultimately chickened out.  This time I am determined that there will be no chickening out!  *shakes fist*  Unlike Hadrian's Wall and the Rob Roy Way, I am NOT planning on walking the Great Glen Way in its entirety on this trip.  The Great Glen Way is a great walk for first-timers (like I was at the time), but is ultimately very boring, and I don't feel the need to do what I've already done again.

The Speyside Way is new to me.  So is the Hebridean Way.  The Hebridean Way is a very new trail, and in many ways is still "unfinished," so I'm only planning to walk the Uist section.  I've also given myself permission to use public transportation for the Hebridean Way, since scarcity of accommodation means that I've had to plan some uncomfortably long walking days.  I'm saving a full-scale attempt at the Hebridean Way for sometime in the future, when it's more "finished."

As for the hills:  I attempted Ben Lomond in May 2012, but had to turn around within sight of the summit because I was running out of time to meet my ride back to Edinburgh.  (As it was, I ended up being an hour late getting off the hill - Jeffrey, if you're reading this, I'm still sorry!)  I'm planning to use public transportation to get to and from the hill, since the only other way to get there without a car is a seven-mile hike from Balmaha along the West Highland Way.  This means that I'm only going to have seven hours to get up and back down the hill.  This might end up being a white-knuckle race to the finish, so stay tuned, y'all.  Ben Vrackie is new to me, but is within walking distance of Pitlochry, where I'm planning to take a rest day between the Rob Roy Way and the Speyside Way.  If I'm too tired then I won't do it, but the option is there.

My mother will be joining me for the final week of this trip, and we'll be walking a 20-mile section of the West Highland Way over three days.  I've done the West Highland Way in its entirety (see the blog entry immediately before this one for details), but this will be my mom's first experience hiking in Scotland, and I'm excited to share it with her.

I leave April 22!  Watch this space for walk diary transcriptions and photos sometime after that.  :)

Cheers, y'all.