Started at 9.30am and thought I would only take 4 hours. Haha. It had been raining heavily before and the ground was so wet and boggy that I found it tough going all the way up and all the way back. It seemed to be such a straight forward walk but the weather and terrain tried to suck the energy out of me. Sunny one minute and deadly dark the next. It was such a moody walk that I found myself going through almost every emotion known on the way.
The sun would shine a little and I would look back at the heights I had climbed and laugh with joy. Then the clouds would move in and I would be cursing the ground as it sucked at my feet and slowed me down.
The mud on the ground was a history lesson of the last 72 hours with footprints, paw prints and evidence of the many passing through. Deer had been through just before me but I never did catch sight of them.
There was a helicopter braving the bad weather and flying frequent trips back and forth from Inverarnan tom the pylons where workers were grafting away on the pylons.
As I got past the Lochans and achieved some height I began to marvel that the helicopter could fly back and fore but the wind would tip me over if I wasn't careful. I could hear it travel back and fore but not see it as it was far further back on the trail but sounded deep under the wind with its heavy beat, beat, beat.
I was soon cursing the hill with it strength sapping false peaks that made me whinge and whine. I was glad I was on my own as I was beginning to get tired with myself feeling hard done by that I hadn't yet reached the top.
I reached the peak at 1pm and turned back from the heavy wind to lower ground to eat a quick snack and a drink before the rain started driving down and through my bones.
It took me a further three hours to get back to Inverarnan. The ground was more boggy and wet than on the way up and my walk became a slow slog to the bottom.
It did however, all stop for five minutes as the sun came out and the way cleared with sunbeams shining down from the heavens. I came back in touch with why I was up there and began to feel a bit better and more positive about walking life and the universe again.
My back, knees and feet were all singing to me in a chorus of pain and I ended up slowing down to a careful shuffle until finally I came to the campsite and back to the Drovers Inn for a cup of Hot chocolate.