Day 4
Today we went from Drymen to Rowardennan (you’re on your own for pronunciation on this one, we think it’s just like it’s spelled) via Conic Hill. The day started out mid-40s and a light rain. With our rain gear on, it really wasn’t too bad. Rain cleared up in about an hour or so, but it stayed really windy for most of the morning. Started pretty easy through some fields, etc but soon we started the climb up Conic Hill. According to my watch, it was about 1,000 feet high and felt every bit of it. We could have summited the peak but chose not too, it was windy and cloudy and I don’t think we missed all that much. The views from the high point on the way were just fine.
Then came a fairly steep descent but here’s the crazy part, folks were in the process of building a stone path up from the bottom. There were literal bags of boulders piled up alongside the path and guys were hauling them out one by one up to where they were put in place by hand. The amount of work put in to that is crazy to think about. They were clearly working hard! Looked like they had about 2/3 completed, so we were able to walk down it the rest of the way. It was still pretty steep and kinda hard on the legs.
At the bottom we had lunch at the Balmaha (sounds like Omaha) visitor center at a nice little picnic table then on we went again. Like many others, I think, we foolishly believed we were at least half way done when in reality we weren’t. The next leg was pretty nice. Through lots of forested regions along Loch Lomond, but we did have to climb several, what we called unnecessary, stairs. Several times the path would veer off and go up some steep ascent, usually with stairs only to hang out at the top for a bit before descending again to the road or the loch. Why? We had no idea but by the end of the day we were done with stairs. That was pretty much the rest of the day just wandering through the woods on our way to The Hotel Rowardennan which we got to a bit later than expected. Such is life.
So far on this trip the only part that has been a bit surprising to me is the fact that for much of the walk so far, we are very civilization-adjacent. By that I mean we are usually walking along or near a road, or perhaps along some people’s houses, or through parks. I think I was expecting more of a wilderness adventure and it has not really been that. I’m wondering if in a couple of days when we leave the Loch Lomond area and start to cross the bogs and such that it will be, or at least seem, more like wilderness. Not complaining, just noting. The walk these two days has been wonderful and I’m looking forward to tomorrow despite reading that tomorrow’s segment is regarded as the most difficult and challenging of the entire walk! I guess we’ll find that out tomorrow.
Until then,
JIm