SBSCREEDY

-GLASGOW-

I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling waiting for my alarm to go off. I did not get the best night of sleep as I felt restless and anxious to start my new adventure. My mind was racing with hundreds of thoughts – Did I have everything? What if I can’t even complete day 1? Where is my toothpaste? Is it raining? Am I in over my head? Why did I decide to do this? A cloud of doubt started to take over me until the clock hit 6:15AM.

At the sound of the alarm, I quickly jumped out of bed, got dressed, brushed my teeth, and went downstairs to the lobby. I took a few minutes to fix myself before putting on my backpack. I adjusted the straps, took a deep breathe, and headed to the door. The sun was starting to rise, I had a thirty minute walk to the Queens Train Station. It was quiet and the streets were nearly empty with only a few cars. I stopped at the plaza to admire the unique architecture of Glasgow one last time. I entered the train station, scanned my ticket and followed the signs downstairs for the train to Milngavie. I entered the carriage to find it completely empty. I took a seat, I felt a bit of relief to take the weight off my back even if for a little break. I carried my bag for maybe a mile, how am I going to be able to carry it for 96 miles? More thoughts of doubt started to form in my mind. After a few minutes, the train started to move. I thought to myself – well, no turning back now.

I stared out the window aimlessly as we ventured further away from the city of Glasgow. I had a lot of thoughts running in my mind until a crew member stopped at my seat to check my ticket. He took a look at my backpack and said “Are you embarking on the West Highland Way?” with a smile on his face. I replied rather shyly, “Yes, I am.” He quickly followed up with a question, “How many days will you have?”. I replied “I have up to 14 days to complete it, I am planning on taking my time.” He smiled, “That is the best way to do it, take your time and truly enjoy it”. He then told me about his WHW story. He said he was on a time crunch of six days so he was walking up to 20 miles per day. He said it was an amazing experience, but he wish he would have had more time to go at his own pace to truly enjoy the journey. He smiled while reminiscing of his journey, as I was listened I had the feeling of hope for the first time. Before I knew it, the train was coming to a halt.

-MILNGAVIE-

I stepped off the train, I took one look around, others were being greeted by their loved ones. I scanned the platform in desperate hope of seeing a familiar face – to give me some words of encouragement. I stood there aimlessly until I accepted the fact that it was just me for this upcoming trek. I mustered up the courage to take a few steps in the right direction. I followed the signs to the city center of Milngavie. It was early in the morning, Douglas Street was empty and quiet. I wandered along the path until I reached the famous obelisk to mark the offical start of the West Highland Way. I took a moment to take in my surroundings.

9.5 miles to go until I would reach my first destination for the night – Drymen. One foot in front of the other. I followed the path out of the town into a wooded area. In no time, I was introduced to the Scottish weather that I had been warned about. One minute, the sun is shining. The next minute, it is raining. The weather is bipolar, you never know what to expect, but you will indeed get wet. It is unpredictable. I shifted things in my backpack so that I would have easier access to a light jacket, raincoat, and rain cover. I continued along the path, luckily it was relatively flat. As I walked, I listened to the rainfall hitting the surrounding trees, the sound was rather relaxing. To my surprise, I did not see many WHW trekkers, I started to wonder if I was even on the right trail. I checked my GPS offline map frequently to make sure I was still going the right way. Aside from my offline map, I will say that the trail is well marked with wooden posts that have the WHW symbol.

One step at a time, I passed by a number of places that appealed to my eye. I reminded myself that I can move slow and steady. I decided to stop at one of the cafes along the path, there were a number of picnic benches where I took a well needed rest. It felt good to take the weight off my back, I was already starting to feel a sore body, especially in my hips. Once I felt refreshed, I said goodbye to the family that was snacking nearby. They wished me luck as I set off again.

For the first day, it rained quite a bit on and off. The countryside was quiet. It was green with pastures of sheep and cows in the distance. I would stop every once in a while to watch the lambs frolic in the grass, the birds soar through the wind, or the cows sit in the pasture. It was in these moments that I found myself at peace. The thoughts of doubt were non existent. I was making progress with each footstep. My mindset changed to focus on one day at a time. As long as I made it to my destination before dark, I would be content. I wanted to take it slow and enjoy the journey.

-Drymen-

As the day went on, I met a few WHW trekkers here and there. We spent the day playing catch up, as we approached Drymen we all went our separate ways to our accommodations for the night. I was walking along a paved road with cows to my right until I saw a house like building with a large grass area in the back. It was Drymen campsite, I felt happy and relieved. I made it to my first destination. I checked in with a man who greeted me with a big smile. He showed me around the grounds, the set up of the camp was standard. A common shelter area with water, toilets, hot showers, charging ports, and wifi. I was one of the first trekkers to arrive to the campsite, so I had first dibs on where to sleep for the night. I choose a standard pitch about halfway from the common area nearby the trees. I took a look around, it was cloudy. I wanted to get settled in before the rain approached. Who knew how much time I had, as the Scottish weather is unpredictable. It was time to unpack the tent, luckily I practiced a few times so I did not look totally clueless. Once the tent was all set up, I set up my sleeping area and organized my things from my backpack. As the camp was near empty, I decided to shower before it would be packed with other trekkers. A hot shower felt so good, it was just what I needed to feel refreshed.

I spent the rest of the day in the common area reading my book and journaling until other trekkers arrived. It felt good to take the weight off my back and let my legs rest. Soon, the campground was bustling with other trekkers who arrived one by one. It was nice to see other people at the beginning of their journeys, who knew if we would cross paths again. Most people carried their own portable stoves, however I did not due to the fact that I truly had no idea how it would fit in my backpack. It was about a mile walk to the center of town. I did not have the energy to make the walk to eat at a pub, so I had a light dinner. As the time passed, I decided to lay down in my tent to rest my aching body. I can’t even describe the feeling of how good it felt to lay down. I was fast asleep bundled up in warm clothing listening to the sound of the rainfall hit the tent.