A Cape Wrath Tale: The travelling stone - Part 4

The next day started early with clouds lingering below in the valley and the sun hiding away behind the mountain tops. A black cloud of midges haunted my beloved carrier couple while camp was broken up with a speed worth an Olympic sport. Although breakfast was postponed to a stop along the way, it turned into a memorable one. Breakfast cereal and tea were consumed while pacing back and forth to avoid collision with yet another army of midges. Then it was time to filter water and wash the dishes. Finishing up, everything was stowed away in a hurry that comes naturally when being bitten all over by the most frustrating little insects. As luck would have it, in their hurry they forgot something. Their mugs were still standing proud along the water. I tried to warn them! I tried to make them listen! But alas, it is hard to get a message across as a little white stone. They continued their journey without being aware of the recent events. The sun guiding their way, they reached Kinlochewe just after noon. Early enough to have lunch at the campsite. For once it was a peaceful lunch, with a little breeze to keep the midges at bay. It was an easy afternoon. A typical Sunday if you will. While I lay about, enjoying the peace and quiet, they strolled around, took a shower and went for dinner in a proper restaurant. How I wish I could have joined them! Afterwards they could not stop talking about how delicious the food had been! Adding on to the glitches of this otherwise seemingly perfect day, my carrier lady discovered that a seam at the heel of her hiking boot had torn right open. This had to be fixed! Luckily, they would be in Ullapool in two hiking days to get this solved.

After a sunny day, followed a rainy night. Even the floor of the tent front porch, where I lay, became a little boggy. Thankfully, the camping had the most amazing drying room! While they went out for breakfast and supplies, everything got some time to dry. Around noon we hit the road again. Only a few kilometres to go up to Lochan Fada where we would spend the night. Sadly, the dry spell from the morning did not last. While moving towards the lochan, the rain caught up with us. Not just a drizzle, not just a short downfall. No, a relentless monsoon-like downpour. It was so cold and windy that even I wasn’t feeling nice and snug, even though I was still safely tucked away in a little bag in the side pocket of her backpack. Funny weather. Cold, incredibly wet and yet, while water was still attacking us from above, patches of blue sky appeared. Reaching the shores of the lochan, the sky shortly closed its water gates, but it was too late. The area around the lochan had turned into a labyrinth of little, fast flowing waterways. Reaching the pebble beach where they had planned to camp, looked like a daunting task. Did they really want to risk getting stranded on the beach when the rain started falling down again? There was a place where they could pitch their tent, but it was adjacent to a waterway that had already crossed its banks. It didn’t seem like the smartest way to go. Another tough decision was made. We would continue for 20 more kilometres to Shenavall bothy. It was already early afternoon. It would be a long day, but that’s life on the road. Sometimes, the unexpected leads to undesired decisions for the best.

While continuing uphill, I heard my carrier lady becoming sadder with every step she took. She loved this place! She had dreamt of camping here since they had passed by three years ago. She had dreamt of drinking tea at the side of the lochan and of opening up her tent in the morning to look over the rippling water and the vast mountain surroundings. Not this time. No. Instead it was an uphill battle with torrential rain and blasting winds. Tears running down her cheeks were washed away. We kept going. While the sky cleared, we made our way across pathless, boggy terrain following heaps of stones placed along the way by caring hikers who had passed before us. Through a surprisingly deep little river and into the valley towards another river crossing. Along Loch an Nid towards a short section of 4×4 and a clear path for the last four kilometres of the day. The clouds were hanging low and night was falling. My carrier lady somehow found another burst of energy and started to shoot along the path. Waving her walking poles alongside her, she kind of looked like a madwoman. She wanted to get there before the next shower started pouring down. Alas, she did not succeed. For the third time that day the skies opened up. Rain poured down as if to remove all human traces from this remote place and give it back to nature in all its beauty. Once again completely soaked, they reached the bothy. What a place! For a bothy it’s an enormous building. Yet, between the rugged peaks surrounding it, it’s a mere little speck. What a day! So much wilderness it makes you want to hold your breath, simply not to disturb the splendour. Sometimes it is hard to believe that so much beauty still exists, despite the efforts of so many to destroy it. Maybe it is as Richard E. Byrd wrote in his book ‘Alone’:

“After gazing at the sky for some time, I came to the conclusion that such beauty had been reserved for remote and dangerous places, and that nature has good reasons for demanding special sacrifices from those who dare to contemplate it”.

Fisherfield Forest, Beinn Dearg Mhor and Loch Na Sealga, Scotland

Being a day ahead of schedule, they decided to take a rest day at this magnificent place. After having breakfast, my carrier lady came upstairs to snuggle back into her sleeping bag next to me. She had slept really bad and thought this to be the perfect opportunity to catch up on some sleep. It was peaceful to watch over her while she closed her eyes and lay her head on her companion’s pillow while cuddling her jumper. Silently she lay there for an hour or two. She woke up with a smile on her face and happily decided that today would be a pyjama day. For those not yet familiar with hiking life, rather than real pyjamas, this meant a merino woollen legging and a long sleeved merino top instead of hiking trousers and a not-completely-clean t-shirt. Leaving me behind, she made her way downstairs with her feet in thick woollen socks and sandals. Not the most sexy combination, but it definitely matched her twinkling eyes. I heard some chit chat from below, a little laughter and then the front door opened and closed. Silence. Were they going to leave me behind? I was thoroughly hoping that this wasn’t the case. I had really started to enjoy their company. Apart from the wind whistling through the roof, it remained silent for a long time. The moment I really started to worry, I suddenly heard their voices echoing from outside. In hindsight I shouldn’t have been worried, but rather full of joy. From the fragments of conversation that caught my ear, it became clear that they had gotten engaged along the river in the valley. When they left the bothy, my carrier lady had expected it to be for a mere little walk to enjoy the sunshine that had broken through the clouds. It was while taking photos with one of her favourite mountains in the background (Beinn Dearg Mor) that he went down on one knee and took the rings out of his pocket. It had been an incredibly tough year for my carrier lady. She had been faced with an endless recovery from an ankle injury alongside finishing her PhD, but suddenly, with this simple question, the doors opened to a new chapter of her life. With a big smile on her face and a tear rolling down her cheek, she said yes without a doubt in her mind. The location and the weather couldn’t have been any better. The rings couldn’t have been more beautiful. For her this was the perfect version of love. A love with only vast wilderness as its witness.

As a celebration, they ate the little snacks they had acquired in Kinlochewe and had a warm lunch. A little bag of salty crisps, rehydrated Chilli Con Carne and an amazing ‘Ben Nevis cake’ with a cup of tea. The perfect meal in a perfect setting. The rest of the day passed by gently. A little reading, another cup of tea, some more chit chat and a visitor coming by followed by people arriving at the bothy to spend the night. It was a cosy and relaxing evening followed by a good night’s sleep.