#conichill

Loch Lomond  from Conic Hill 27.10.19

Quick thoughts: Ecofeminism - patriarchal environmentalism

Built steps into the hillside, both wooden boxes and stone constructed suit a longer stride length and leg length. I have to take two steps on each step and raise knees to hip height or higher to step up.  Also, to step down, i have to sink into a crouch and lower one leg first over the steps.

Felt obvious that step length and height were constructed to a man’s average stride and height. This made me feel infantilised and I had to physically work harder to complete the walk. 

I have put off getting started with this blog for quite some time. I wasn’t sure where to start since I already have a year of undocumented travel under my belt. Should I go back to the beginning, or just try to put everything up at once? I realize that the more I wonder and contemplate when to start, the longer I take to actually post anything... So I give you the experience that propelled me to stop thinking so much, and start sharing!

Conic Hill, Balmaha, Scotland                                                         June 18, 2017

In a spontaneous decision the night before, I furiously googled where I could go to see the true beauty of Scotland that I had always heard about and dreamt to experience myself. Something that would make me feel like I’m living in a GOT or LOTR book (I am reading GOT currently, hence the inspiration). I came across Conic Hill and decided to take the plunge and see where this spontaneous decision took me!

Flash forward one hour on a train from Glasgow to Balloch and another 20 minute bus from Balloch to Balmaha, I arrived at the trailhead... And went the wrong way, of course. No problem, I could use the exercise! After asking for directions from some friendly Scots I got back on track and hiked up to the peak of Conic Hill to see the breathtaking view of Loch Lomond!

On the way up, I said hello to many friendly Scots as they smiled at my flushed face, took more “water breaks” than I’d care to admit, muddied my new Adidas Ultra Boost shoes (I wasn’t expecting to hike when I initially packed...ugh...) and I had one of the best experiences of my life. I swear I sat around in such awe with my mouth hanging open and kept looking at strangers with an expression of “IS THIS REAL?” only to have my view block by people taking selfies and FaceTiming their mom... (Okay, I can’t judge. I FaceTimed briefly also, but only because I was hiking alone!)

I saw Scottish sheep and cows with bangs, and even went off the trail to find a secluded spot with a great view to eat lunch with. I took about 40 panoramic pictures of the same thing and still feel like I wasn’t able to capture the experience the way it felt in the moment. All I can say is that this is a beautiful country, with friendly people and so much to explore (if you don’t mind the clouds and rain).

Today, I am inspired. Inspired to venture out of the cities, stop “staying safe” so much, and check out the natural beauty of the countries I visit. Don’t get me wrong, I love the cobblestone roads and the castles around every corner, but I’m ready to experience the Earth, untouched.

The Delightful Beyond 

I’m standing on the Highland Boundary Fault. To my right are the Scottish Highlands where mountains in the distance disappear into blue mist. To my left are the lowlands where sun breaks through clouds to highlight golden and green fields. In front of me lies my ancestral past. This fault runs from the Isle of Arran in the southwest to Stonehaven in the northeast and is a geological as well as cultural boundary. Here, on the top of Conic Hill, I look down at Loch Lomond and the line of islands marching across it marking the fault line – Inchcailloch, Torrinch, Creinch, and Inchmurrin. If I could take flight and follow the line it would lead me to the Isle of Bute far in the distance where I cannot see. Bute is where my great-grandparents grew up, married, and started their family before leaving Scotland forever for Washington State. I want to follow the line but today I am content to take in the view here on the threshold of the Highlands. Cool wind whips my hair across my face and I have to turn my head to hear anything but its fierce whistle across my ears. As I do so, scattered voices drift across the hilltop. At least two dozen other walkers are up here with me, taking selfies, eating sandwiches and crisps, kicking aside sheep droppings to make a space to rest. My legs tremble with fatigue after the long climb up, which is concerning because I still have to walk down and hikers everywhere know the descent is worse. Plus, once I’m down I’ll have another seven miles to walk before I reach my lodgings for the night. So, I find a droppings-free patch where I sit and think about the literary greats who visited this loch and introduced the world to romanticized views of Scotland – Scott, Coleridge, Burns, and others. Dorothy Wordsworth wrote in 1803 as she visited Loch Lomond that, “Wherever we looked, it was a delightful feeling that there was something beyond.” Exactly. Just beyond that hill, around that bend in the lake, just through that forest, I know there is something delightful waiting for me to see. That promised delight does wonders for my fatigue and, suddenly, I am ready to go. I must see what there is beyond. *From my West Highland Way (Scotland) Collection. June 26, 2019.