West Highland Way - Day 7

Glencoe to Kinlochleven - 11.5 miles

I woke to the sound of heavy downpours and when I looked through my inner tent I noticed some of my pegs came loose from the wind and were either leaning against my tent or attempting to escape into the dark. After quickly fixing them I got changed inside my tent into my full rain gear.... and let me tell you, it takes serious acrobatics to do that in a tent so low I can't even sit up .... and I am 5"6 / 169cm. I did jam everything into my backpack and transferred my bag and my unmade tent to a covered area so I could repack and roll up everything. Having my first breakfast in 4 layers and raingear is sort of a funny and memorable experience, so I just enjoyed the weird experience with a small smile. My first glimpse of the scenery.... or more precisely the lack of it was a bit worrying, considering my big challenge today was called 'The Devil's staircase '. I set off with the fog so thick I could barely see 30 feet ahead of me even with my head torch on the highest setting. And then.... as if by magic and like someone snapped a finger the rain stopped and the view changed dramatically and everything suddenly was in technicolour detail, what a VIEW. The sun popped out and when it shone on the most photographed mountain in Scotland 'Buachaille Etive Mor' the colours simply glowed. I really wanted a selfie but my gear was in the way so after taking my hoodie and hat off I prepared to take one ..... a very playful wind had other ideas of course and was demanding to play instead .... so I kindly obliged; that's how a very frazzled but laughing selfie was taken with a great backdrop, love that picture. When I got to Kingshouse Hotel, where I originally planned to wild camp, I removed half of my layers and set off with some suncream and my thermal hat close at hand. The path that followed was nice and easy, but the views were anything but..... I think I must have taken at least 200 pictures in the time it took to get to my next break spot, and what a spot it was. A stream running down the mountain towards the mountains in the distance where the program Photoshop must have been invented, with all the colours of the universe playing peekaboo. I could see the rain moving across fields and valleys but kindly giving me time to just sit, eat and be (dry and happy). It was almost with a heavy heart that I left this spot behind to tackle the famous devil's staircase ..... after another hour I had my chance. I sort of expected 45 gradient inclines with massive rocks at every turn but what I got was a gentle incline with a good and long zigzag path and WOW kind of views. The wind however was playing tug of war with me from every conceivable angle to the point where staying upright was a challenge .... on occasion I actually laughed out loud at the absurdity of my walk. It took only 10 minutes to put all my gear back on and transfer all my power to the simple task of staying vertical. I passed two lovely ladies several times (too many picture breaks), one from Glasgow the other from South Africa, who were struggling but really enjoying the experience. Once at the top I decided to stop, eat and enjoy .... drizzle be damned. It was here where about 8 of us, Camila and the two ladies included, had a nice socially distant group photo with smiles and cheers for getting to the top. Everyone was aware of the approaching downpour, so they all rushed off after a short break to get to the campsite. I didn't bother. I read, I smiled, I took pictures and I took my sweet time getting ready for the next part. It was a mesmerising experience watching the rain, like a curtain, approaching, however, it didn't make me go any faster, I just started giggling and singing 'Dancing in the Rain'.... and yes splashing in small puddles may have been part of this act. The path was quiet easy with few ups and downs but once I got to the next turning my jaw dropped and my legs froze. A beautiful rainbow was shining in the valley ahead of me; I could see another shower coming but I planted my butt on a nice rock, with my amazing Hobba (foldable seat from Siberia), got an energy bar out and just let myself become part of the moment. It passed as quickly as it arrived and I still didn't move; the rainbow was a sight to behold, it kept disappearing and reappearing in front of my eyes. What a wonderful way to spend time. The rest of the path was mainly downhill with intermittent showers, but it didn't stop me from having another rest once my feet started throbbing. As much as getting to my destination is great and dandy, getting there in pain isn't, so I took my boots and socks off and let my toes have the time of their life. It was here where a family passed me and they mentioned the heavy rain arriving at 3pm. I don't mind the rain at all but trying to set up a tent in wet conditions is not a nice experience, so I decided to head to the campsite asap. I think I must have few angels on my shoulder that can control the weather with a flick of their fingers or a wink. As soon as I arrived at my campsite the rain stopped, and the sun actually came out; this lasted until I finished setting up and sorting my backpack out for the evening activities. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. As there was no time limit on the shower I may have overindulged and left once I managed a prune-like form .... ahhh, life's little pleasures. The rain was chucking it down by the time I finished and I didn't bother having my dinner in a seated position but inside my tent on my tummy, just like a 5-year-old, surprisingly comfortable. The sound of rain hitting my tent was deafening and I loved it; after few sound recordings, I settled down for the night and just listened to this mesmerising sound. A sunny day makes the scenery more photogenic, but rain makes it more dramatic. The day was full of the second and especially with a name like ‘Devil's Staircase’, the pictures needed the gloomy feel and darkness .... it was a different kind of stunning. By now you may have realized that I'm an eternal optimist, there is always a reason to be happy and grateful for, you just need to find it.I woke to the sound of heavy downpours and when I looked through my inner tent I noticed some of my pegs came loose from the wind and were either leaning against my tent or attempting to escape into the dark. After quickly fixing them I got changed inside my tent into my full rain gear.... and let me tell you, it takes serious acrobatics to do that in a tent so low I can't even sit up .... and I am 5"6 / 169cm. I did jam everything into my backpack and transferred my bag and my unmade tent to a covered area so I could repack and roll up everything. Having my first breakfast in 4 layers and raingear is sort of a funny and memorable experience, so I just enjoyed the weird experience with a small smile. My first glimpse of the scenery.... or more precisely the lack of it was a bit worrying, considering my big challenge today was called 'The Devil's staircase '. I set off with the fog so thick I could barely see 30 feet ahead of me even with my head torch on the highest setting. And then.... as if by magic and like someone snapped a finger the rain stopped and the view changed dramatically and everything suddenly was in technicolour detail, what a VIEW. The sun popped out and when it shone on the most photographed mountain in Scotland 'Buachaille Etive Mor' the colours simply glowed. I really wanted a selfie but my gear was in the way so after taking my hoodie and hat off I prepared to take one ..... a very playful wind had other ideas of course and was demanding to play instead .... so I kindly obliged; that's how a very frazzled but laughing selfie was taken with a great backdrop, love that picture. When I got to Kingshouse Hotel, where I originally planned to wild camp, I removed half of my layers and set off with some suncream and my thermal hat close at hand. The path that followed was nice and easy, but the views were anything but..... I think I must have taken at least 200 pictures in the time it took to get to my next break spot, and what a spot it was. A stream running down the mountain towards the mountains in the distance where the program Photoshop must have been invented, with all the colours of the universe playing peekaboo. I could see the rain moving across fields and valleys but kindly giving me time to just sit, eat and be (dry and happy). It was almost with a heavy heart that I left this spot behind to tackle the famous devil's staircase ..... after another hour I had my chance. I sort of expected 45 gradient inclines with massive rocks at every turn but what I got was a gentle incline with a good and long zigzag path and WOW kind of views. The wind however was playing tug of war with me from every conceivable angle to the point where staying upright was a challenge .... on occasion I actually laughed out loud at the absurdity of my walk. It took only 10 minutes to put all my gear back on and transfer all my power to the simple task of staying vertical. I passed two lovely ladies several times (too many picture breaks), one from Glasgow the other from South Africa, who were struggling but really enjoying the experience. Once at the top I decided to stop, eat and enjoy .... drizzle be damned. It was here where about 8 of us, Camila and the two ladies included, had a nice socially distant group photo with smiles and cheers for getting to the top. Everyone was aware of the approaching downpour, so they all rushed off after a short break to get to the campsite. I didn't bother. I read, I smiled, I took pictures and I took my sweet time getting ready for the next part. It was a mesmerising experience watching the rain, like a curtain, approaching, however, it didn't make me go any faster, I just started giggling and singing 'Dancing in the Rain'.... and yes splashing in small puddles may have been part of this act. The path was quiet easy with few ups and downs but once I got to the next turning my jaw dropped and my legs froze. A beautiful rainbow was shining in the valley ahead of me; I could see another shower coming but I planted my butt on a nice rock, with my amazing Hobba (foldable seat from Siberia), got an energy bar out and just let myself become part of the moment. It passed as quickly as it arrived and I still didn't move; the rainbow was a sight to behold, it kept disappearing and reappearing in front of my eyes. What a wonderful way to spend time. The rest of the path was mainly downhill with intermittent showers, but it didn't stop me from having another rest once my feet started throbbing. As much as getting to my destination is great and dandy, getting there in pain isn't, so I took my boots and socks off and let my toes have the time of their life. It was here where a family passed me and they mentioned the heavy rain arriving at 3pm. I don't mind the rain at all but trying to set up a tent in wet conditions is not a nice experience, so I decided to head to the campsite asap. I think I must have few angels on my shoulder that can control the weather with a flick of their fingers or a wink. As soon as I arrived at my campsite the rain stopped, and the sun actually came out; this lasted until I finished setting up and sorting my backpack out for the evening activities. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. As there was no time limit on the shower I may have overindulged and left once I managed a prune-like form .... ahhh, life's little pleasures. The rain was chucking it down by the time I finished and I didn't bother having my dinner in a seated position but inside my tent on my tummy, just like a 5-year-old, surprisingly comfortable. The sound of rain hitting my tent was deafening and I loved it; after few sound recordings, I settled down for the night and just listened to this mesmerising sound. A sunny day makes the scenery more photogenic, but rain makes it more dramatic. The day was full of the second and especially with a name like ‘Devil's Staircase’, the pictures needed the gloomy feel and darkness .... it was a different kind of stunning. By now you may have realized that I'm an eternal optimist, there is always a reason to be happy and grateful for, you just need to find it.