Ben Nevis

When you are backpacking to many different locations, you have a variety of clothing, and usually make due with what you have in various climates and situations. For my hike up Ben Nevis, i was outfitted in my jeans, long sleeved running shirt, Michael Kors windbreaker, and sneakers meant more for fashion than function. I didn't think this to be much of a big deal, however i had seen many warning signs about the dangers and read the insanely long "Be prepared" cheklist. I decided I should at least get a map and a compass. Then I discovered compasses were expensive! Finally I settled on a compass/thermometer keychain for about four bucks. Perfect.

So there I was at the bottom of Ben Nevis, with my aforementioned supplies (plus a sandwich, candybar, water, and camera), ready to take on the mountain. I glanced around me. Everyone else had waterproof gear, walking sticks, hiking boots, and maps in waterproof packets around their necks. But here was my logic. They run this race every year up Ben Nevis. So I figure if someone can run a race up this thing, I can manage to scramble up it with my keychain compass and knock off ascics trainers.

The beginning of the hike was fantastic. There were tons of people, so i was less worried about the quality of my compass and paid more attention to the views. There were waterfalls rushing down the mountain, and you could hear the rushing water as it poured over the rocky surface. At one point I even had to cross over water in the middle of a waterfall (I watched in envy as those with the hardcore hiking boots just walked on through while I jumped from boulder to boulder to keep the socks and shoes dry).

Then, about an hour and a half into the hike, things began to change. The path was now surrounded and consisting of grey boulders and rocks of varying shapes and sizes, unchanging as far as the eye could see. As I looked up I could no longer see what my destination might be. All that was there was the cloud that shrouded the top of the mountain. As I climbed, soon I could not see below me either. Whatever view the peak of Ben Nevis might hold, I would not be seeing it today. As I climbed, the wind picked up. And as the wind blew, the heavy fog around me blew as well. For, even though it did not once rain, I was drenched from head to toe before reaching the peak. Water slid down my nose and clung to my hair. Finally, the terrain leveled out, and I could see nothing but gray. Gray stones, gray fog, and the only trail markers were gray stacks of rocks. At times I was completely alone in the dense fog, then I'd hear a crunching sound. But I'd see nothing. There might be a grunt or so, then a gray shape would slowly form in front of me, as a hiker, redfaced and soaked, passed by wordlessly in the opposite direction. I continued on.

For half an hour it felt as if the peak should be reached, but still all I could see was the next stack of rocks against the grey background. To my left was the edge of mountain, with a sudden and complete drop. In one of the crevices I saw snow. I fiddled for my camera, but my fingers would not obey. I could barely feel them. Alas, but here was some use for my keychain! I checked the temperature. It was below 40 degrees and the wind was howling. I pressed on. Then I saw it. The structures that marked the peak of the hike. A old ruined stone building, a war memorial, and platform one could climb, the highest point. I forced my body to move as I walked over to get the necessary photo that said, yes, I made it to the top. The wind howled around me, and at that point I had only one mission, to get the hell off this mountain.

It was a fantastically euphoric feeling on the way down. Maybe the suffering from both the coldness and the fatigue added to the experience. Like a cross country race that forces you to push yourself to the limits. It sucks and it's hard, but it is so rewarding at the end of the day. As I descended I noticed that the clouds had lowered considereably, and it actually took me several hours to get out from their heavy wetness. When I finally escaped, it felt like I could breath, and I hadn't even known before that I couldn't.

6 hours after i first started the journey, i reached the bottom. My body felt in agony (which was nothing compared to the hell i faced this morning when i tried to move), but the fatigue was fantastic at the same time. It was an accomplishment, and the drastic change from the sunny day to the creepiness of the grey fog at the top made it a unique and amazing experience. I'll never forget how it felt up there, dripping and shaking with cold, but accomplished, and so very alive.

The Highlands!

Hello Friends!
I've had trouble finding internet lately. It's quite expensive! I'm only going to be able to give a brief update, and hopefully when I reach London I'll be able to give some more detail and pictures. I spent my second day in inverness on a random daytrip. It was raining so i decided to veto my hike which would have left me stranded for 8 hours till the next bus to take me back to town. Instead I decided to take a scenic train ride of the highlands. The country here is so beautiful. I spent the entire train ride staring out the window and didn't even notice as time flew by. The hills and mountains stand tall sometimes spotted with heather giving them a purple hue. The clouds hang low often concealing the peak of the mountains. There are lochs everywhere. Then spotting the countryside are sheep. I have never seen so many sheep in my entire life. And one thing I have discovered is that sheep are really cute. Seriously, i always assumed they were ugly, but no, sheep are quite fantastic. Another thing is they have long tails! I never knew this, and when the train goes by a pasture, about half of them will just run like crazy away from the tracks with their tails smacking them in the hindquarters in encouragement. I also love the highland cow. If you do not know what this is, it is the best looking cow ever. he has large horns on each side of his head, and is a shaggy creatures. His hair hangs long completely covering his face. I have no idea how they see anything. I want one.

I spontaneously decided to jump off at Dunrobin castle and it ended up being an enjoyable decision. The castle was not ruins like the others i have visited, but rather was a modern castle (Mer, Em, and B - There was a clock on it!!!). My favorite part was the garden in the back. There were hedges shaped in mazes, several fountains, and all sorts of flowers and greenery. I stayed and watched a falconry show which was pretty cool. I also want a falcon. I may come home with all sorts of wildlife. (You don't mind, right mom? :) )

My next destination was Isle of Skye, which I knew nothing about. I got there and found my hostel was in the tiniest town ever, Kyleakin. Exploring the town consisted of walking 5 minutes in one direction, and then back. But my hostel was fantastic. It really was a 200 year old cottage with three bunk beds crammed into a little room. Downstairs was a kitchen and a living room that reminded me of the tacky cottages that have embroidered pillows blankets and trinkets all over. it was very comfortable and homey, and being as everything closed down early, i found myself curled up on the couch with a good book for the evening.

The next day I went north on Skye to do a hike. In order to get there, I actually took a school bus with all the kiddies of skye. I transfered buses, and ended up meeting two guys on the way to the same destination so the three of us tackled the hike together. It was only about three hours and the views were amazing. The hike centered on these magnificent rock structures that were created by landslides of volcanic rock.

I felt bad that I had to leave Skye so soon, as there are so many beautiful areas I didn't even get to see. The Bus ride from my hostel took me by waterfalls, tall mountains peaking into clouds, and of course, the highland cow. I wanted to see more, but alas my journey is nearing and end and I had to check out this morning.

So I had to make a little change to my itinerary and have now found myself in Fort Williams, Scotland, only about 2 hours south of Skye. I just got here a little while ago and am just beginning to orient myself. My hostel is another nice cottage type hostel, and I may have my own room. There is a kitchen and living room downstairs for the other people in my hostel. I will be able to post again when I get to London. Miss you all! Be in touch soon!

Seeking out Nessie

I have arrived at the home of the Loch Ness monster!!! But I have neglected to post regarding my last full day in Edinburgh, so I will write briefly on that before moving on the Inverness.

I took a day trip to St. Andrews, a small little town about an hour away from Edinburgh by train. St. Andrews is the birthplace of golf, and apparently it caught on so strongly there that the rulers of Scotland tried to outlaw it three times because they worried it was detracting from the defense of the country! Now one cannot travel a block without running into a golf shop or seeing golf paraphernalia from a local shop. I went down and visited the famous Old Course and New Course near the West Beach. Also of not in that area was the great expanse of beach where the famous scene from “Chariots of Fire” was filmed. I was quite tempted to run down the beach oh so dramatically loudly humming the theme song, but it’s far too early in my trip to be thrown in a loony bin. I’ll save that for later.

I also visited another castle. This one was right on the beach, so close in fact that portions of it had long ago fallen into the sea. Can you imagine living in a castle where you looked upon the sea from your bedroom window? The whole time I explored the grounds I heard the sounds of the sea crashing against the cliffs and beach. It was perfect.

I arrived at Inverness two days ago, and yesterday was the perfect touring day. I decided to take a three hour cruise in Loch Ness to start off my day. The morning was sunny and clear, and the views of the surrounding hills were picturesque. It took us an hour and a half to reach Urqhart castle, where we turned around to head back. With the wind at our backs on the return to Inverness, I sat comfortably watching the scenery pass by. We crossed the widest and deepest part of the Loch, and it was there I saw the Loch Ness Monster!!!!

While on the cruise I met a fellow lone traveler from Australia and we ended up spending the rest of the day touring Inverness together. We walked around the Isles of Inverness, several small islands in the river Ness near the city center. Small bridges connect the islands making for the perfect scenic stroll. We hit up a café and used book shop and compared notes on our travels. After dinner we found a pub with authentic Scottish music and enjoyed the atmosphere over pints of beer. It was fantastic to spend the day with someone after a week of pretty much solo travel. It’s nice to be able to share experiences with someone in person. Luckily the rest of my lodgings should allow me to meet more people and hopefully have some more travel days with other travelers.

FOO FIGHTERS!!!!

Have you ever had an experience that made you think that you had been missing something your whole life? Discovering the joys of traveling...being exposed to real emotional art...falling in love? Welcome to how I felt watching the Foo Fighters perform in Edinburgh last night. Oh. My. God. Some people have favorite bands that change over time, but ever since High School the Foo Fighters have been my band. And until last night I had never seen them perform live. Let me set the scene...At first I was in the stadium seating (the venue was a Track...how appropriate!). Responsible me was waiting for NIN to finish and I figured I'd hang in the back for the concert being as last time I went to a concert alone I got kicked in the head and thought I was going to lose consciousness. And this was a crowd of 20,000 people. So I figured, let's be safe. We're in a foreign country, no one knows where I am...let's just chill in the back. So I stood in the back...and was like...I'll get a little closer. Before I knew it I was jammed in the middle of the mob. So much for safety (it was worth it!).


Dave Grohl came out on the stage and opened with an accoustic Everlong. It was fantastic. Then after the chorus, the rest of the band joined in and I found myself jumping around and screaming like a maniac. I went crazy for pretty much the rest of the concert and was so sad when it was over.


I managed to do some other stuff besides worship the Foo Fighters yesterday. I climbed Arthur's Seat, which gave some beautiful views of the city. It was also an intense workout!!! Almost straight uphill!!! I was paranoid that it was going to give my knee and/or shins issues (health status: Knee feeling fine, shin splints in both legs that began in NY are recovering. Will be heading out for second run of UK trip tomorrow. woot.) Luckily I feel fine today. Surprisingly not even sore! This is me at the top (thanks to the Teen who took the picture and did not know how to count to three. haha)...

And this is where I was...

So that's all I'm going to report for now. I took a day trip to St. Andrews today but I'll write on that another day. This post is long enough.

I've managed to cram myself in my favorite little pub with a pint and free wireless. My timing is either really good or really bad because currently there is a soccer...er...football match between England and Germany and the place is pretty crowded. I'm pretty much the only one not living and breathing for each kick. So I leave you all for now. Tomorrow I head op to Inverness and will be attempting to find the Loch Ness monster. If you don't hear from me again just assume Old Nessie got the best of me ;)

Edinburgh!

I arrived in Edinburgh yesterday evening and must say this place is amazing. Currently the Fringe Festival is going on, and there are TONS of plays, concerts, and street preformers EVERYWHERE. Last night I watched a man who earns his living by juggling rusty knives and a flaming torch while riding a 3 meter unicycle. Amazing. While it's cool to have festival going on, it is also insanely crowded here.

Today I went to Craigmiller Castle. (Note: Em and Mer: This was a real castle, meaning it wasn't built within the 20th century and there are no clocks on the side ;) Too bad you aren't here Mer there are tons of Castles here. You'd be in heaven.) The castle was so amazing. I got off the bus which dropped me off and I believe I was one of the first people there. Apparently most people aren't bothered to leave the city center. I was alone most of the time exploring this amazing castle that was built in the 16th Century. The place was like a maze, and i kept ending up in rooms that I thought were a floor above or below me. You could completely explore this whole castle including the prison, wine cellar, drawing rooms, kitchens, towers and bedchambers. It was wonderful.

I came back and took a break in The Elephant House, which for those of you who don't know is where J.K. Rowling wrote much of the Harry Potter novels. I sat in a window overlooking the view of Edinburgh Castle, which was the inspiration for Hogwarts! The Harry Potter nerd in me was going nuts.

I managed to visit two graveyards without really meaning too. One i intentionally made my way over to because of a myth regarding one of the inhabitants. Apparently after a dog, Greyfriar Bobby, was left alone when his master passed away, he would go and lie on his master's grave every day. He did this for fourteen years until he finally passed away himself, and is now buried in the graveyard as well.

I also checked out some views of the city from Calton Hill. So Beautiful.

Currently I am sipping a beer in a Pub across from the Dorm I am staying at (To all those who studied abroad hear, I am in the Sciennes dorms, if you know where those are). I just ordered a crazy looking baked potatoe for dinner, so we'll see what comes out to me. haha.

I am adding pictures to all the blogs I've written already, and including a link to a selection of pictures I've already uploaded. Talk to you soon!!!!

A "Wicked" Good Time...

Last night was amazing. I decided to splurge a little since, well, I'm in London. So I scrambled around the West End trying to find tickets to a musical. I finally got an awesome deal on tickets to Wicked, which I have always wanted to see. I was worried I was going to be off in the boonies somewhere with a giant pole in my way, but I could see perfectly! And the musical was so amazing. I got all choked up, not because it was sad, but because the music was so powerful. If you haven't seen Wicked, you really should. If you are anti-musicals, go see something like Wicked or Les Miserables and then tell me it wasn't awesome.

Today I got up early to go see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, which would have been awesome if it actually had occured today. For some reason or another, it was cancelled, but I still got to mosey about the outside of the Palace and take pictures like a cheesy tourist. By the way, I've become much better at asking people to take my picture now. I'm kinda a picture whore, both inthe sense that I take a million pics and I ask anyone and everyone to take a picture for me. Everyone is super nice about it, which is awesome.

I saw the strangest thing in the Park in front of Buckingham Palace, that has nothing much to do with sightseeing in London, but it deserves mention. I saw a pelican eat a pigeon. I mean, that's weird right? It had the wings sticking out of its mouth as it tried to pulverized it in it's waddle of a beak type thing. it took him about 15-20 minutes just to swallow the damn thing (yes, i stayed and watched the whole thing. Me and an elderly couple from Florida were highly amused). So now I'm curious...is this normal?

I've decided one of the best things to do if you are travelling alone is to go to a museum. it's the perfect solitary activity. You can go as fast as you like, totally skip entire rooms, and linger in the exhibits you like the most without feeling like you are holding back your friends. I spent about 2 and half hours in the British Museum today. It was reallly awesome. I saw the Rosetta stone (which I never really understoor what it was until today), a statue from Easter Island, actual preserved human remains (mummies, exposed), and this amazing carving in stone that stretched across two walls of a battle with the Amazons. These women were amazing!!! Oh I saw so much else but I won't bore you with a laundry list. They did allow photography however...so be prepared to see pictures. :)

Ok, time is running out. Tomorrow, Edinburgh!!!

London, I have arrived.

After a less than perfect beginning, i have arrived in London. Sadly my flight was pretty miserable, and i was so exhausted by the time i got to my hostel i felt ill. I did minimal turing that first evening, focusing most of my energies on finding food (never has a hotdog for £2.5 tasted so wonderful).

For my first day i decided to play the typical tourist. I've had my camera out almost the entire time taking pictures of everything, from every angle. First difficult thing about traveling alone is asking people to take your picture for you. then you are the dork in the picture by yourself. :-P

In the morning i visited the tower of london, and the tower bridge. I always had assumed that london bridge was the touristy main bridge of london, but it's actually the tower bridge that is seen in all the movies and such. London bridge is rather unspectacular, except for its ability to get man from one side of a river to the other.

I've decided that my most likely avenue of injury will be to be run over by a red double decker bus. I'm used to looking before i cross the street, however people drive on the opposite side of the road here. So when I think i should look left, i should be looking right, and its really hard to break that habit. I have a theory that one two many tourists have been hit by a bus, since printed on teh street are signs that tell you to look left or right when crossing the street. Those stupid signs have probably saved my life more than have a dozen times already.

Thanks to the limit on internet cafe computers, my time is almost over. I hope to write again soon on some of my other adventures...and hopefully will be on a few more before long. talk to everyone soon!!!

And so it begins...

I'm heading out today on a 6 o'clock flight from JFK in New York. I'll be arriving in London tomorrow morning. Still isn't sinking in that I'm about to leave the country for four months, but I suppose it will kick in when I get off the plane! Wish me luck and talk to you soon!!!