Day 10 - The Final Trek

Dalkeith House - our home for tonight.

Downtown Fort William.

Where we had dinner tonight. Kim is standing behind the bluish colored rail.

The West coast of Scotland.

Saige, Alaina, Penelope, Sawyer, & Bailyn: Poppy saw these yellow flowers on the forest floor and said, "Those would look so pretty in our grandaughters' hair."

It's dark in there.

Looking back at the mountain we just climbed.

Almost to Fort William.

Headed to the forest again.

Waterfall at our feet and Ben Nevis in the clouds.

View from our lunch spot.

First view of Ben Nevis (Scotland's highest peak).

Reaching the top of another mountain.

Looking back at the village we just left.

These are a bit out of order. This is the village right before we hit the trail.

We've now joined the trail with the 'other hikers' you were asking about.

Saige, this is the only gnome I've seen so far in Scotland. It was in the garden at our B&B yesterday.

We made it! From one side of Scotland to the other, all on foot! The morning brought blue skies peeking through the clouds in the West. It turned out to be another glorious day for hiking. I told Kim if I could be guaranteed weather like we've had (except the one day), I would be good to go another 10 days. He looked at me like I had grown 6 heads. His feet are completely done-in, because the only thing that outnumbers the sheep in Scotland is the rocks. We've walked on at least a trillion of them and believe me when I say that even those that look round, are jagged.

We joined the West Highland Way yesterday which is a well-known and traveled trail along the west of Scotland. The advantages to this trail are: it is clearly sign-posted and it doesn't disappear for several kilometers leaving you to find it again. The disadvantages are: it is very rocky, there are many hikers (we prefer the solitude of the first 7 days), and the many hikers present a bit of a problem when nature calls. Most of them had iPods, their heads down, and were in a hurry to finish the day. I wanted to rip their earbuds out and say, "Listen to the Creator's music. Can you hear the wind whispering through the mountain peaks or the sheep bleating up on the hillside? Look up and acknowledge His handiwork. Life is not a race to the finish line, it is a slow process of preparation for the starting Gate. This world is not our home, we're just passing through on our way to a home that would make one scoff at this beauty.

The epic crossing is not for the faint of heart, or anyone afraid of working up a good sweat. I definitely needed to do more bleachers in preparation. You must be proficient at map and compass reading and following some rather obscure written directions. That being said, it was a most incredible experience!

Actual miles:

Day 1 - 13.3

Day 2 - 12

Day 3 - 17.5

Day 4 - 13.8

Day 5 - 10.8

Day 7 - 16.7

Day 8 - 12.2

Day 9 - 9.3

Day 10 - 15.3

Grand Total - 120,9 Harry Potter fans (Tiffany, Jen & Vincent) stay tuned. We board 'Hogwart's Express' tomorrow!