Day 13 - Brechin to Scurdie Ness Lighthouse, Montrose

We made it!! After thirteen days of hiking, countless mountains crossed, buckets full of sideways rain, a few dozen blister pads and bandaids, lots of laughs, and a few tears, we walked into Montrose today at about 1:00 in the afternoon. Hooray!!!

We had a good breakfast at our B&B to start us off. The weather was great today, almost a bit hot towards the end. We walked lots of country backroads towards our destination, including through Kinnaird Park, which we were able to sneak into. We didn't know at the time that it was the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Fife. Everybody seemed OK with it though. One maintenance guy on the far side gave us some last minute directions and told us the code for the security gate on our way out. Not bad!

Once we got to Scurdie Ness Lighthouse we had a 4 km walk back to the hotel. What???? We saw a few Challengers heading to the lighthouse on our way back in.

About half way back we stopped for an awesome lunch and a bit of a rest. After checking into the hotel we walked over to TGO Command Centre to check in and get our goodie bags. We are now cleaning up and getting ready for the celebratory dinner.

Would we do it again?
JM: Probably
Amanda: Too soon to tell
Note: Since we have gotten home and had a chance to recuperate both of our answers to this question are now both "Without a doubt!"

What did we learn?
JM: Walking off trail in Scotland is no small task.
Amanda: Scottish people are hard core when it comes to loving their country and walking.

Favourite part of crossing?
JM: Jock's Road to Glen Clova
Amanda: Meeting all of the great people

Toughest moment?
JM: Looking for a river crossing on Glen Feshie day.
Amanda: Corrieyairack pass in hurricane conditions.

What are we looking forward to most when we get home (other than family and friends)

JM: My slippers.
Amanda: Kitties.

I think overall we had a great time here, despite some long days, and challenging moments. For sure the highlight is having met so many friendly and kind people, both Challengers, as well as others. I truly enjoy the Scottish culture and the warmth of its people. If you have ever thought that you'd like to visit Scotland, I would highly recommend you do.

That's about it, I guess. We are headed to Edinburgh tomorrow to do some relaxing and sightseeing, and then home on Sunday. Thanks to everybody who followed the blog. I really hope you have enjoyed reading about our trip as much as I have enjoyed writing about it. See you all very soon!!

Message pour la classe de Mme Babin-Frank

Bonjour les enfants. Nous sommes en train de faire une grande randonnée à travers de l'Écosse. Ce soir on est à Glen Lethnot. C'est l'onzième jour de treize jours.

Il y a des drôles choses içi en Écosse. Premièrent il y a beaucoup de moutons et petits agneaux içi. Si tu marches vers les agneaux, ils cherchent leurs mamans pour avoir du lait parce qu'ils sont effrayés. Si ils réussient à avoir du lait leurs petits queues commencent à remuer très rapidement. C'est diffiçile de ne pas rire!

Un autre chose drôle en Écosse c'est que quand tu marche dans les montagnes et il y a du pluie, la pluie ne tombe pas du en-haut. La pluie vienne du côté, et te frappe dans le visage. C'est très dur à rester sur la route. J'ai jamais été dans une place comme ça!!

Apart des choses drôles, il y a beaucoup de paysage très belle, et les personnes sont très gentilles. Si tu auras l'opportunité de visiter l'Écosse, je pense que tu l'aimerais beaucoup!!

On a une longue journée de marche demain alors je doit aller faire dodo. Bonsoir, les enfants. Soyez sage pour madame, et bonne nuit!!

Day 12 - Glen Lethnot to Brechin

After getting to bed early last night (about 7:30) we were able to get on the road early this morning (walking by 7:10). It was very windy last night with bits of heavy rain. Fortunately, sometime before 6:00 the sun started shining on our tent. It was a nice way to wake up and pack it up for the last time. It was also a good omen for the day - this was one of two or three days that we didn't have to get rain coats and pack covers out.

We were mostly on road today, but it may as well have been trail since we saw nobody else walking. There were a few farmers zooming back and forth but other than that we had the place to ourselves. It was very picturesque as we left Glen Lethnot behind, passed our last few mountains, and transitioned to rolling hills, and mostly agricultural land. We had a good time for fifteen minutes walking past one hillside where a farmer and his herding dog were moving sheep to another field. The dog was just loving his work.

We also enjoyed watching the small field rabbits racing all over the place. They are extremely fast and never seem to run out of energy. We did hit one stretch of road where they weren't fast enough though, as we saw dozens of flattened carcasses over a few kilometres of road. I think that is more a function of numbers than of agility. It was almost like gophers on Alberta backroads!
After a decent climb up to Brown Caterthun, and White Caterthun we stopped for lunch and enjoyed the view over to Montrose Basin where our walk will end tomorrow.

We pushed on and made it to our B&B in Brechin by about 1:00. After a little rest we cleaned up and went for a little walk to find a pop. We came back to the B&B for some more resting and are just getting ready to go for dinner now.
Tomorrow will be a relatively easy walk to Scurdie Ness where our trip ends. As mentioned in an earlier post it will be bittersweet. We'll be sad the walk is over but looking forward to not always having our house, kitchen, bathroom, and clothes on our backs!
That's it for today. Thanks for reading.

Day 11 - Glen Clova to Glen Lethnot

Another big day today. We got a good start, Amanda, Peter, and I, leaving our campsite by 8:00. It was about a 5 km walk down the glen to the Clova Hotel. We stopped in for breakfast and a quick rest before our big climb for the day. We met a few Challengers inside who had stayed at the hotel or bunkhouse last night, just finishing up their own breakfast.

We climbed up the north side of Glen Clova, past Loch Brandy, and on top of Green Hill. The views were spectacular. The Jock's Road/Glen Clova part of the walk has been one of my favourite parts of the walk. It has been so beautiful.
Once we were up top, probably the third time we've taken a high route, the sideways rain and gusty wind started up for the third time. We must be lucky! After about an hour and a half walking the hill tops we had to say goodbye to our Canadian friend, Peter, as well as the Cairngorms National Park. He was walking on, and we were exiting into Glen Lethnot. It was a real pleasure walking with Peter, and I really hope he gives us a call for coffee next time he's near Okotoks.

Our exit should represent the last bit of off-trail we'll have to do. Amanda is not so sad about that. We dropped into the glen and it was smooth sailing from there. We managed to walk an extra couple of kilometres which should help us out tomorrow.
We are now in our tent after quickly finding a spot and setting up in the rain. It's only 6:30, but I think we will be headed to bed soon. It's really amazing how a good night's sleep can help you recuperate, when you think there's no way you can do it all over again tomorrow. Amanda's feet have been causing her issues most of the way so far (blisters, sores) but she has managed to get them in her boots every morning and keep going. Only two more days and then we can both get a little rest, and let our bodies heal.
This is our last night in the tent if everything goes according to plan. Tomorrow we will be in Brechin, and then Wednesday at the finish in Montrose. Thanks for everybody's positive vibes. They are helping push us to the finish line! That's it for today. Goodnight everybody!

Day 10 - Braemar to Glen Clova

We are camping at the bottom of Glen Clova, about 5 km ahead of where we planned to finish tonight.
We started the day with a nice breakfast at our hotel, and reluctantly got on the road around 8:40. Our first stop was to be at Lochcallater Lodge, a small private Bothy at the head of Loch Callater. It is run by ex-TGOers, who open it up during the Challenge, and offer tea and biscuits to any walkers passing by. This is a tradition we were encouraged by everybody to partake in, and so of course we did.

 While there we met up with Peter who we had briefly met the previous day in Braemar. Peter is from Caroline/Sundre area so we had lots to talk about!

After tea and a visit we all set out and ended up walking together for the rest of the day. We headed for Jock's road, which is actually an old trail, which would take us all the way to Glen Clova. Here is the story behind Jock's road. Back in the 1800's some time, a guy who had just returned from Australia bought the estate which Jock's road is on. He tried to prevent people from using his land to walk on, but this other guy, Jock, refused to comply. He continued to use the road and is credited for being the pioneer of the Land Access Act which still guarantees walking rights-of-way all over Scotland. We only wish Canada had the same Act in place - there are so many beautiful places we can't access for fear of being charged with trespassing.
Back to our day. Jock's road goes over a mountain pass. As we approached the top the weather turned - terrible wind gusts, sideways rain, etc. We made a quick decision and adjusted our route to follow Jock's road all the way into Glen Clova instead of going our planned route in order to get out of the terrible conditions. As I mentioned in the beginning this worked very well for us as we are back on our original route, 5 km ahead of where we would have finished tonight.

As we entered Glen Clova near the end of our walk we saw a ranger station and went in to ask if there were any good spots to camp. The ranger was very helpful in showing us where to go, and also offered to make us tea before we carried on. We must have looked tired and cold. This was so nice after what we had just been through. We all enjoyed some heat and had a nice conversation learning about the area, and what the rangers were responsible for.
We are now in our tent under some big pine trees, with Peter as our neighbour. The rain stopped as we set up and made dinner - cheese bun, and pasta primavera for Amanda and I. The rain has started up again but we are sheltered from the wind so it should be a fairly comfortable sleep. The plan for tomorrow is to pack up and head for the Clova Hotel for breakfast, about 5 km away. We will then have a big climb out of the Glen. About mid-day we will say goodbye to Peter as we head different directions.
We feel really good about today's walk. Three more days to go! That's all for today. Thanks for reading everybody. Goodnight!!

Day 9 - Geldie Burn to Braemar - And Farewell to the Bothy Crew

We stuck to our plan this morning and were away by 7:10. This always ends up making for a good day as it allows an early finish. Our walk today took us up the River Dee.

We had half trail and half road walking, and some beautiful scenery. There was a bit of a drizzle, but nothing too miserable.

We walked up to Braemar around 11:45 and were able to check in right away. This was very exciting for us because we would have tonnes of time to dry gear, wash clothes, shower, nap, get supplies, and eat. Once we had our chores done we had a rest watching a little TV, while dozing in and out (JM).
Tonight we had a bittersweet dinner with the Bothy Crew: Paul, Howard, and Nigel (we found him!!!). These guys have been great friends to us over the past number of days. We have had some great conversations, lots of laughs, and there will absolutely be an open door for them if they ever make it over to our side of the world!

We said a few more potential goodbyes on the way out of the pub, realizing at the same time how many people we've met in a relatively short time. As we were leaving the lobby we heard another friend shout out, "Hey, it's Team Canada!!!". This was Minna from Finland who we have been playing leapfrog with for the past couple of days. We were happy to see her as she has been fighting an infected blister, and had managed to get to a doctor today to get some treatment.
We only have four days of walking left. I think we are at the point now that it will be both a disappointment, and a bit of a relief. We have had a great time meeting some amazing people, seeing beautiful scenery, and challenging ourselves. At the same time we are definitely tired, and our feet are sore. In other words we don't really want it to end but a little part of us does.
Thanks for reading everybody. Next post will be in three days. Good night!

Day 8 - Ruigh Aiteachain to Geldie Burn

I forgot to mention that we passed our half-way point yesterday. Hooray! I guess with the emotion of our challenging day I forgot.
Today we listened to our bodies and went with our low level alternative. It was a good decision as even the low level proved to be a fair amount of work. We broke camp at a relaxed pace this morning and were on the trail by about 9:00. Our route took us back down Glen Feshie, over some Scottish moors, along Geldie Burn to our campsite for the night beside an abandoned building. Barry was our companion for most of the day as we played leapfrog with a few other TGOers. When we got to our target stop we were reunited with Paul and Howard who were still waiting for Nigel to catch up. As of 8:00 there is still no sign of him. No need to worry as this is the normal way these guys do their hiking.

Barry showed up about 30 minutes later and is our neighbour again tonight. We had a happy surprise at about 7:00 when our roomie from Cougie, Patrick, showed up. He had just finished a huge 41 km day! If we are half as fit as him at his age we will be very happy. It has been truly amazing to see the people who are trying to complete this Challenge. There is a large contingent of retirees who are teaching us a lesson here. It is quite inspirational to see people in their 60s and 70s walking 300 km in under two weeks, over rugged terrain, and in some pretty harsh weather conditions. These people have set a good example by how well they have taken care of themselves, and how adventurous they are. And they have done all of this while maintaining their kindness and sense of humour. We have been lucky to see this with our own eyes.

One funny thing that happened this evening was as we were setting up three of the people camping near us went into the woods and came out with garbage bags. Turns out they had stashed some tins with food and drinks a few weeks ago in preparation for tonight. While we were all eating rice packs and noodle bowls they had crackers and pâté, puddings, basmati rice with chilli and shredded cheese, ciders, beers, scotch, breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. It was brilliant on their part, and we all congratulated them. This social part of the Challenge has been very enjoyable for us. It wasn't something we expected, but it has helped us tremendously along the way.
We are looking forward to tomorrow as we are checking into a B&B for the night. The last few nights have been very cold and a warm, dry sleep will be very welcome.
Hands are cold and we are trying to get going early tomorrow so that's it for today. Thanks for reading. Good night!!

Day 7 - Glentruim to Ruigh Aiteachain (The day we waited for Nigel)

What can I say about today? It was definitely one of ups and downs. We tested ourselves, but did manage to get where we had planned by the end of the day. A sunny evening, big meal, and a few conversations around the campsite seems to have made things better.
We were a little slow getting out of camp this morning, hitting the road just before 9:00. The first part of the hike was quite enjoyable, even though we had to do a little unexpected route finding. Our planned off-route went well with firm ground and little bog.

The next section was where we ran into trouble. We needed to cross River Tromie, and had two bridge options. The first option ended up being washed out. We decided to head down river for the second option, despite the trail we needed being 20 m away on the other side. We should have forded. An hour and a mountain of exertion later we still weren't at the second bridge. We decided to ford at that point. Pretty frustrated we continued on. A few minutes later we passed the point where we would have crossed the bridge and found out from some other hikers that it was out also, so we had been wasting our time anyways. Aggggggg!! After that point we were not in a good frame of mind and it made the walking very tough.
Thankfully the hiking gods took mercy on us and sent James, another Challenger. We followed him over a mountain that saved us a couple of kilometres and he dragged us the last nine thanks to some good conversation.

Tonight we have regrouped at our camping spot. Two of the three Bothy crew are here - Amanda and them waited for Nigel until about 9:00 but he must have stopped short. Barry, also from Melgarve Bothy Night, gave us some prime real estate right next to his tent to pitch our own. We ended up cooking and eating at the same time and had a very nice time chatting and joking around.
We are debating our route tomorrow and might decide to stick low in order to recover and keep our sanity. It's getting chilly and I am tired so that's it for tonight. Thanks everybody!

Day 6 - Melgarve Bothy to Glentruim

The Bothy last night provided us with a multitude of strange noises. It was definitely not a place for light sleepers as there was a symphony of snoring. Finally around 6:00 this morning I heard somebody sigh and say, "What's the bloody point?" Once that guy started moving the rest of the Bothy started waking up and there was no use in resisting. We had a decent night's rest so we also got up and got ready for an early start - actually for me, it was Amanda lifting my covers and saying, "You up??" After a quick tea and coffee we said our goodbyes and were on the trail by 7:30, our earliest start yet.

We had 26 km to cover today, but most of it by back roads. The weather turned out amazing after yesterday's storm of the century - breezy, 20ish, with frequent sunny breaks. We spent the day walking with people we've crossed paths with here at the Challenge. Mike for the first 6 or 7 km, Richard and Rosie for the next 5 or 6 km, on our own for 2 or 3 km, and then a new friend, Brenda from Nottingham, for the last 9 or 10 km. We had some great conversations, learned a lot about the UK, walking in Scotland, family histories, and the Challenge itself.
About 8 km from the end we came across a place with a sign "Tea, Coffee, and Other Yummy Stuff." We didn't need to discuss it for long to decide to go in. We all had an egg salad bun, Mandy and I had Cokes, Brenda had a pot of tea, and I got some carrot cake in celebration of Sam's birthday. (Happy 12th, buddy!! Mom and Dad love you!!).

We got back out on the road and a few kilometres later a gentleman who was mowing his lawn ran down to intercept us. He asked us what we were doing and then invited us in to have tea and cookies with him and his wife. It was very kind, and we were making such good time that we couldn't refuse. They were originally from Bath but had bought and built the place here last fall. They now run a B&B from it. We really enjoyed their hospitality and then got back on the road.

About an hour later we walked to the Invernahavon Caravan Site at 3:00. A great day of easy walking capped off by an easy evening with showers, laundry, and foot maintenance. We're in the tent now at 8:30 and it has just started to rain which is fine because we are all tucked in. Tomorrow we have a fairly long walk planned, with a fair amount of off-trail. We're hoping to make an early start but we'll see what the weather is like first thing.
Thanks for reading the posts, and for all of the comments - it really helps!
Next update will be Saturday night from Braemar. We are heading through the heart of the Cairngorms now which is very remote, and should provide some good views and challenging walks.
Goodnight everybody. Thanks for reading!

People We've Met So Far

We've met some amazing people so far and I wanted to capture all of them while it was all still fresh.

Rosie (4 crossings) and Richard (6 crossings) from Oxfordshire - Rosie wants to open a gin distillery, Richard is an IT consultant. LOVE sleeping in. Richard is a saint...

Patrick from Wales (12 crossings) - retired military lieutenant-colonel. Walks like a 30-year old but is probably into his 70's. Why take the 24 km route when you can do it in 33 km?

Mike from England (First crossing) - recently retired school teacher, recently moved to Scottish Highlands with his wife. Walks like a machine, doesn't take the easy road.

Pete and Rich (brothers, first crossing) - ultralight kit, party all night and kick our ass all day. Left middle brother at home.

Melgarve Bothy Crew (all multiple crossings): Paul (soon-to-be retired high-falootin' executive and only guy on the crossing to carry a white collared button-down shirt - because he can pull it off) Howard (retired executive, loves German rocket fuel), and Nigel (self-confessed problem snorer, only guy cool enough to rock a fleece pullover during the storm of the century) all good buddies, and all crossing together.

Frank - does a perfect Ozzy Osborne impression, fought him when they were schoolboys.

Richard from Derbyshire - loves animals, books, dehydrates his own gluten-free trail food.

Kevin and Gordon (brother-in-laws, Kevin shagging Gordon's sister) - Gordon won our round of celebrity encounters as he once met Prince Charles.

Barry - Super-kind, retired to sleep early. Subsequently met Barry at Ruigh Aiteachain where he gave us some choice real estate to pitch our tent.

Andrew (his son is a dirty bastard) and his dog Meg - drove and hiked to meet Paul, Howard, and
Nigel and cook them a steak dinner, and was also provider of fire for the Bothy.

Sabine from Germany - We crossed paths several times throughout the Challenge.  Always friendly, always helpful, and always taking amazing routes to get to the same place we were heading!

Brenda from Nottingham (4 crossings) - kept us company on day 6 with her very interesting stories. Thanks for making a long road walk go so quickly, Brenda!

James who dragged us the last 9 km on day 7. We might still be walking if he hadn't shown up!

Martin, Moira, and Joyce - Took the crossing to a whole new level by hiding a feast in the trees a few weeks early to be enjoyed on Day 8.  For sure the only Challengers to enjoy a meal of that caliber along with cider/beer/scotch, while in the middle of nowhere.  Well done, you guys!!

Minna from Finland.  Many people know how challenging Minna's crossing was yet she was always smiling and happy when we crossed paths.  On our way out of the Invercauld Arms in Braemar we heard "Team Canada!!!" from across the lobby - it was Minna getting our attention.

Peter from Caroline/Sundre area (an hour and half from where we live).  We shared a great two days with him along Jock's road and Glen Clova.  Hope to meet up for coffee in the future!

Jake, Jill, and Victoria also from Canada.  Only crew we met to have carried a beer cooler (with beer in it!) for the entire crossing.  Typical Canadians, eh?

Day 5 - Fort Augustus to Melgarve Bothy

We didn't find Nessie, but what an unbelievable day today!

We had a great sleep last night at the Kettle House B&B. Breakfast this morning was eggy toast, plus all the fixings. It was a delicious way for us to fuel up for our largest total ascent day of the trip.
We had to go over the Corrieairyack Pass which in itself is about a 650 m climb. This would have been tough regardless, but the sideways rain and the relentless wind gusts made it very challenging. There was really nothing to do but put your head down and keep walking. Getting warm would have been impossible, and stopping for food would have been pointless. We had to dig down for this part of the walk - it was a very challenging couple of hours. Once we got down the other side the wind let up, and the rain eventually stopped. It was a relief about 6 km later when we saw Melgarve Bothy, with smoke coming out of the chimney.

Our first Bothy experience has been really cool. There are about a dozen people sleeping here tonight. We have had many funny and interesting conversations. One group of three friends made arrangements with another friend to meet here. The fourth friend is not on the Challenge so he brought steaks, potatoes, black pudding, cigars and whiskey for all of them. It was so fun watching them prepare their feast using the fire place and camp stoves. We played a game of "What celebrity have you met in your life." Mine was Gene Simmons, Mandy's was Huey Lewis. Prince Charles was the overall winner. We were educated on Brexit, cricket, Scotland, the Challenge, and a few other topics that probably are better left unmentioned. It's clear that there is a lasting friendship formed between repeating Challengers, and it was neat to see that. All in all it was a great night to take our mind off sore feet!

Tomorrow we have a long walk with relatively small ascent, which will see us end up at Invernahavon campground. We should get showers and maybe a cold pop. That's it for tonight. We're off for a warm and dry sleep. Thanks for reading!

Day 4 - Cougie to Fort Augustus

We started the day with our first Scottish breakfast - it's just the right way to start the day. We had to say goodbye to our roomie Patrick at this point as he was taking a different route to Fort Augustus. Ian and Sasha gave us some good last minute advice and sent us on our way around 8:30.

First off was a steep climb up to Bealach Fēith na Gamhna. From here we walked off trail for about 3 km along Allt na Muic. This is where Ian's good advice came in - he told us to stay right on the banks of the river where there would be hard dear paths. This made a world of difference and probably saved us at least an hour and near certain exhaustion had we just taken a straight line through the bog and heather that we love so much.

Next there was about 5 km of back road which was a nice change of pace.

The home stretch to Fort Augustus was a tough climb over the hill to Inchnacardoch Forest and down into Fort Augustus.

We met two brothers, Pete and Rich, from England about 6 km from the end. They were kind enough to slow down enough for us to just keep up, which helped us finish sooner than we would have. We had a fun conversation and ended up joining them at the Lock Inn for a pint on the way into town. We then grabbed groceries, dinner, and headed to our B&B where we are now resting. Fort Augustus is a very cute little Scottish town on the south end of Loch Ness. In case anybody was wondering we did see Nessie.

It has been a luxurious night with hot showers, clean laundry, and a cupcake each left in our room.

Grandma might not want to read the next part..... I found two ticks around my waist at shower time. It was kind of gross but glad I found them before they were engorged. (Kirsten, Mandy said we should put them into a Ziploc to bring home, but there is no way I am carrying those two little critters the rest of the way across Scotland!). We did a quick check for each other and that seems to be it - hopefully for the rest of the trip also!!!!

Tomorrow will be our most ascent in one day, 990 m over the Corrieyairack Pass. We'll be in a tent again tomorrow night and will have limited service for a couple of days. Keep sending it out to the universe for good weather, and no ticks!! Thanks everybody!

Day 3 - Alltbeithe to Cougie

After a night of on and off rain storms we had to pack up wet this morning. We slept in a bit due to our long day yesterday and didn't get walking until about 9:30.

Today's walk was mostly all on track as they call it here, or trail as we call it back home. For the most part it was nice out, but we switched in and out of rain coats and rain kilts about a dozen times. We met another challenger today, Patrick from Wales, who we played leapfrog with. For a man in his 70's he is unbelievably fit. This will be his 12th crossing. We are very glad we met him as he ended up saving us a pretty significant bushwhack that would have cost us a couple of hours. We all ended up at the same place, a Highland horse trekking outfit that also puts up hikers on their way through. We thought we would be in a tent here but they have a small bunkhouse that fits up to seven people. Tonight there are just the three of us. We got here around four and sat around with a very toasty wood stove, just relaxing. What a treat to be warm and have a chair to sit in! I took advantage to dry out some of our gear from this morning.

We cleaned up and headed over to the house for dinner at 6:30. Sasha made a delicious supper, and her and Ian kept us very entertained. We learned about the sport of Shinty (Sasha is a goalie), and the art of turning steel barrels into rockets (one of Ian's many talents). After lots of laughs we came back up to our shack for an early bedtime (it's about 8:50). It was really cool talking to Ian and Sasha. Their place here is amazing. They live without electricity, or cell service and they and their boys are very happy - the boys were out fixing a bike and playing the whole time. We had an amazing evening tonight. Instead of cold and wet we are warm, dry, full, and entertained.
Tomorrow should be about 24 km with about 3 km off-trail. Our bodies are holding up OK (a few blisters today, and generally sore muscles), but we are really looking forward to showers, beds, and a good bar meal tomorrow night! We also intend on seeing Nessie, as Fort Augustus is on the southern tip of Loch Ness. Watch for it on the news Tuesday morning!
That's it for now. We'll be caught up on the blog tomorrow. We have been checking, but have had no service since Friday afternoon. Good night everybody!!

Day 2 - Somewhere Between Loch Innis nan Seangan and Loch na m-Onaich to Alltbeithe

Still married.
We had about 9 km to make up today plus the 16 km we planned on doing. No small feat, but Amanda pushed me the last few kilometres, and we were able to do it.
It was a pretty unbelievable day of hiking. After a little rain last night we were able to break camp by 8:45 without a drop falling on us. The weather got better all morning and into the early afternoon.
We met our first TGOCers shortly after starting - Richard and Rosie from England. They were just breaking camp when we walked by. After we introduced ourselves Richard said, "Oh! You are the two Canucks!!" Maybe we're famous on this challenge, and we didn't even know it!

We had a tough climb up to the Falls of Glomach after lunch. These falls are supposedly the second highest in the U.K., and the most spectacular. The climb up was sketchy in parts and required us to do a little scrambling with a very steep mountainside on our left. After a lot of sweating we made it up and decided to go for a quick dip in the river above the falls. It was a great energy boost despite lasting less than a couple of minutes.
We crossed paths with a group of about ten young hikers at one point. After a bit of talking we found out they were Swiss. Without missing a beat Amanda said, "My boyfriend's from there." They all seemed a little confused. Then she said "Roger Federer", and everybody burst out laughing. It was pretty hilarious!
At this point the weather turned and we were in our waterproofs for most of the rest of the day. We had a fair amount of off-trail walking today, through the part-lumpy, part-squishy, mostly-mucky grass and earth. You really don't know which way your foot is going to land and turn when you put it down. After several hours of this, muscle fatigue sets in and you have to pay very close attention.

We set up camp around 8:00 tonight on a beautiful piece of flat, somewhat dry grass, with mountain valley views in all directions. We had two packs of rice for dinner with tea and coffee. Our very good friend TT is our hero today because she convinced us to buy crème brûlée from MEC as a treat. Gourmet chefs would likely cringe, but definitely one of the best things we've ever had for dessert. Thanks TT!!!

That's it for today. We are about to turn in for what feels like could be a chilly evening. Thanks again for reading. Good night everybody!

Marriage Experiment Day 1 - Plockton to Glen Elchaig

We ran into our first Snafu this morning when we got to the train station. When we went to pick up our pre-booked tickets it said that they had already been picked up. We went to the ticket window they looked it up and said that they couldn't do anything. Agggggg!! So with no other choice we bought two more tickets at £110 each (I paid £32 each a couple of months ago). If you do the math and conversion that was a lot of money before we even got on the train. They did say we could contact ScotRail and they might be able to give a refund. Fingers crossed!
After our blood pressure came down, the rest of the train experience was spectacular. On the way to Inverness we passed through Pitlochry - me, Ben, and Jojo's old stomping grounds. It brought back some really great memories and got me even more excited for the experience we were about to begin. The Inverness to Plockton leg was so beautiful. We could see over to Skye. There were lots of seniors on the train just out for a sightseeing ride. We talked to one friendly guy from England who had bought a 15-trip railcard to tour around Scotland. He was interested in our trip, and advised us to beware of the midgies! I think we both dozed off once or twice as it was a sunny and relaxing ride.
We signed out for the walk at the Plockton Hotel and had some lunch there.

 It was about 2:30 and we were hoping to cover 26 km today - a tall order. Unfortunately we did not budget for the off-trail portion of the hike.

 The bog and heather made things very challenging. In Amanda's words, "it was like I was stuck on a level of CandyCrush where each step was like walking on two foot thick marshmallow pillows floating on water, without any boosters". In other words it was exhausting. Clearly the exertion has made us delirious. The scenery was amazing nevertheless, and the weather cooperated. A little breeze would have been very nice but I am not complaining. At about 8:45, still 8 km from our goal we decided to stop for the night - good decision.
We had mac and cheese for dinner, with tea and coffee, and are now relaxing in the tent. Amanda is reading while I am writing this entry.

We are still married after Day 1 so I guess the experiment is going very well! Looking forward to tomorrow, hoping that we are not too sore or tired.
That's it for now. Thanks for reading everybody!! Goodnight!

Made it to Glasgow

We made it to Glasgow this afternoon, pretty much on time after 12 hours of travelling. Once we arrived we found an outdoor store to pick up some fuel for our stove, and then we checked into the hotel. We didn't waste much time finding a place to have fish, chips, and mushy peas. On the way back from dinner we stopped at a grocery store to get some last minute supplies. I'm looking forward to the McVitties Dark Chocolate Hobnob's already!!
We are just enjoying some last moments of luxury before we get on the trail tomorrow. Mandy is in bed reading, and I just finished a bag of Walkers cheese and onion crisps while watching the news.
The plan tomorrow is to catch the train to Plockton, our starting point, at 7:00 a.m. We should arrive at around 1:30 p.m. and start walking by 2:30. I'm not sure if we'll have service or not as we should be in a fairly remote location by tomorrow night. At the outside we will have service by Monday, when we are scheduled to arrive in Fort Augustus and we'll update then for sure.
That's it for now. It's hard to believe we will start walking across Scotland tomorrow, but I am very excited. Send us all the positive hiking vibes you can over the next few days, we might need it!

On Our Way!

We are at the airport waiting for our flight now. Our very best hiking buddies gave us the most unbelievable send-off ever. If it rains for the whole trip and there are a billion midges this trip will still be a success because of the surprise we got.

Ken had agreed to drive us to the airport. This is how he showed up:

Not only that, he made up this poem and delivered it in full Scottish accent:

Ken, we will never forget this. Thanks so much for being such a thoughtful and creative person!!!!!

Test Post From Phone

Only two more days until we leave.

Things left to do:
- Find our electrical outlet adapter
- Check all of our gear one more time
- Pack our packs
- Prep grandma and the kids for the next couple of weeks
- Charge Mandy's iPod (in case she gets tired of listening to me)
- Find a pair of earplugs (in case I get tired of listening to her)

I'd say we are in pretty good shape! Next post should be from Glasgow on Thursday night if everything goes according to plan. That's all for now.

This map shows our planned crossing between Plockton and Montrose:

TGOC 2017 - JM and Mandy's Route

T-Minus 2 Weeks

In a little over two weeks Mandy and I will be heading out on our big walk across Scotland as part of The Great Outdoors Challenge 2017. TGOC is an annual event sponsored by "The Great Outdoors", a British hiking and camping magazine. The event is described on the website as follows:

"The TGO Challenge is a self-supported Scottish Coast to Coast backpacking adventure. In essence it is about experiencing the remote parts of Scotland you can only reach by foot. Wild camping is a large part of the experience. Nothing beats opening your tent door to reveal a different stunning view each morning – although we can’t absolutely guarantee the view won’t be behind a cloud . . . . . !"

The routes are self-crafted by the participants using one of 13 pre-determined start points on the West coast, and one of 21 end points on the East coast. Amanda and I will be starting in Plockton, a small holiday village on the mainland right across from the Isle of Skye. Thirteen days, 280 km, and 9,000 m of ascent after we start, we hope to arrive at the Scurdie Ness lighthouse in Montrose. Along the way we will camp in our tent nine times, and stay in B&Bs three times. This event is not a race, and is not meant to be competitive in nature. It is about experiencing the Scottish landscape, camaraderie with other participants, and challenging yourself.

A lot of planning has gone into this trip so far. The first thing we had to take care of was choosing our route. This was a lot of work. The route had to be vetted by TGOC organizers. They provided a lot of excellent feedback that will have saved Amanda and I a lot of heartache and misery. After about four iterations we finally had our route approved. The next part was taking care of logistics: planes, trains, hotels, B&Bs, food, child care, etc. Over the past few months we have also been preparing our gear. Based on our research we need to be ready for all types of weather - hot, cold, dry, wet, sunny, cloudy, windy. As a result we have had to add a few clothing items to our collection. For the most part I think we are ready. I am hopeful to get a couple of long hikes in, in the next couple of weeks so we are not completely shocked in the first few days!

Marking up our maps in the basement.

I am really looking forward to going back to Scotland. My first two trips there were amazing as I am sure I have shared with everybody I know, and I am very excited for Amanda to see it herself. I am also excited to be outside for a couple of weeks, rain or shine, on our own schedule, doing what we love to do.

My intention is to write an entry each night while we are there, and post them whenever we happen to have a signal. This should be every 3-4 days at the outside. That's all for now. Thanks for reading our blog, everybody!