“Discomfort is the opportunity.. that brings the choice to either move ahead or turn back ..”
― Jaya Bhateja
My next adventure is edging ever closer and the excitement rises by the hour.
Currently I am in the middle of preparing for the West Highland Way.
I can't wait to get out on another trip with good friends and all the shenanigans that are sure to ensue.
We are quite a large group this time round, with 6 people all hiking together, which will come with its own kind of challenges I’m sure.
For those who aren’t familiar, the West Highland Way is a long distance hike in Scotland, spanning over 154 km / 96 miles through the Scottish highlands, as the name suggests.
The trail (apparently) starts off quite easy and then gets more challenging the further you get into the highlands.
I’m gonna be honest with you - I am NOT prepared! At least not physically. I went on one hike so far this year and was out of breath pretty much immediately. I have approximately 3 weeks to build up my endurance so I don’t totally embarrass myself. One ray of hope is that I went on the Tour du Mont Blanc last year with pretty much no training and did surprisingly well, so it’ll be fine - probably.
One area in which I am pretty well prepared is in terms of gear. I have my tent, my pack, my quilt and even purchased a bug net to ward off pesky midges which can potentially get bad on the trail this time of year, depending on the weather conditions.
So what’s my plan for preparing myself?
The answer is simple - hike, hike, hike!
I’m planning to do one hike a week no matter the weather conditions, seeing as Scotland isn’t necessarily known for eternal sunshine either.
Am I looking forward to walking through the rain for hours? Nope…
Am I gonna do it anyway? You bet I will… I think the best way to prepare mentally for a long hike like this, is to do things that are uncomfortable.
Cause, guess what? You will be uncomfortable.
Even if it’s just a short backpacking trip the discomfort will be right there with you.
It is uncomfortable to hike in the rain for hours, and even if the weather is good, it’s kinda uncomfortable to just hike for hours on end with a heavy backpack.
As amazing as the views are, as lovely as the people are around you, as much as you feel accomplished and indestructible when you’re finished walking and are setting up camp, after a while it’s uncomfortable to sleep in a tent. It might be colder than expected, or the wind might be super noisy, or you might’ve set up on an uneven patch of ground and have rocks and roots digging into your back all night.
Whenever I talk about my plans to do the PCT, I always talk about how amazing it’s gonna be and how beautiful the scenery will be and then, in the same excited tone of voice I’ll talk about how miserable I’ll be. How everything will hurt and how rough the trail will get.
I do not labor under the delusion that I’m going to have a fantastic time all the way through. I am very aware that I’m going to have to stuff my feet into soaking wet or even frozen shoes, that I’m gonna ache all over and that there’ll be plenty of days where I curse the trail and my decision to do it. I even know that I’m going to get bored, which for me at least, will definitely be the hardest bit.
Every time I tell someone about the PCT in that way they look at me like I’ve gone completely insane!
Why would anyone put themselves through something like this? And why, for fucks sake, does someone talk about their own misery in such an excited manner?
The answer is easy - I know it will be the hardest thing I’ll have ever done. I know I will grow and I also know that this growth won't feel great all the time.
But I am absolutely convinced that it will be worth every minute of it.
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