If you frequent my blog and/or vlog, then you know that in 2025, I completed the West Highland Way in Scotland. A 96 mile journey over 8 days that was the epitome of a thru-hike experience. The entire trip blew my expectations out of the water. In late 2025, I found myself trying to sort out what I was going to do for my 2026 adventure. I was spiralling through a maze of pathways attempting to decipher something that would be exciting, full of adventure and unique. The problem was, the more I tried to determine what I wanted to do, the less thrilled I felt about it.
The original plan was to take on an adventure out of country and the hope was to go with the Cyn’ part of the DanCyn’ Adventures team. However, Cyn’ had other plans and so the trip ended up turning into what was looking to be a solo adventure. Having done solo many times, I was not put off by this but just had to pivot my thought process. As I have two boys, the option of bringing my husband along likely could have been doable, but then again, we both knew just how rambunctious the boys could be and that can be a lot on a grandparent for a lengthy period of time. Additionally, I knew I wanted this trip to be a backpacking trip and my hubby just doesn’t have the gear to do something like this nor the desire. So, in the end, the solo trip started to take shape.
The internal debate continued, which often can be almost harder than battling out that decision with a counterpart. The freedom of choice can be so exhaustingly vast, that choosing the destination is near impossible. I looked at options like the West Coast Trail (British Columbia), the Great Glen Way (Scotland), the Rob Roy Way (Scotland), and even the northern part of the Appalachian Trail. But nothing seemed to catch my attention. In the end, I chose to re-visit the West Highland Way but change it up a bit. After all, last year had been amazing, so why would that change? Traditional direction of travel (northbound) was going to become untraditional (southbound) and I was going to use that northern starting point to allow for other adventures to come to fruition that I missed out on last time.
The West Highland Way is typically done northbound to allow for the hiker to ease into the challenges of this trail. The elevation on day one from Milgavie to Drymen is next to nil with an introduction to some minor elevation gains on day two when one climbs over Conic Hill, a baby mountain standing at only 361m (1184ft). But knowing how much I disliked the last two days for the terrain as a result of blisters forming and rocky pathways, I decided I wanted to get those two sections out of the way first in hopes that my feet would be a bit more happy than they were last year. So, the flights and first few days of accommodations were booked and I sealed the deal on the repeat trip to complete the West Highland Way for the second time. And that, was there the planning stopped. After all, I had done it before. I knew what to expect. I knew the days would be long and the miles would pass by on their own. Who needed to plan beyond that point? My last successful thru-hike of this trail was planned from end to end – day to day – mile by mile – and I wanted this time to be a bit more free and adventurous to allow for spontaneity.
The main driver to do this trail in “reverse” was the eagerness to climb Ben Nevis. A true mountain, standing at a whopping 1345m (4413ft), the highest peak in Scotland! A feat I wanted to accomplish in my 2025 trek, but I just did not have the time or physical ability to do so. I wanted my 40th birthday trek to start off with a bang! And it started with a bang indeed! Unbelievably, a hiker friend from home was going to be in Scotland finishing her own northbound thru-hike of the WHW on the same day I was set to arrive in Fort William!! And so, the plan to climb this beast together was formed.
The morning we set out could not have been more spectacular! The weather was a picture perfect day to be climbing a mountain. A light breeze that kept us cool as we began the ascent. A sharp steep wall of a climb right out of the gate greeted us as we embarked from the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel parking lot at the base of the mountain. The views as we climbed were extraordinary. Vast spectacles of green in varying shades, peaks from neighbouring mountain ranges and sights that appeared to go on forever into the distance were a never-ending story over the course of the 4 hour it took us to reach the peak.
With each step, the views continued to explode and grab my attention. They were like a child who would not take no for an answer, screaming at me to watch them. As I was with my friend and her two friends (who also happened to be in Scotland at the same time), I had to try to keep pace with them. Every time we would start back up again, they would quickly drop me and have to wait for me to catch up. They were so gracious in waiting and not making me feel rushed in any way. Giving way to allow me to have breaks too! Taking the time to look out over the expansion of nature in front of me, it was like I was truly ‘seeing’ for the first time. The colours of nature were so much more potent compared to when I walked amongst them at ground level. The rainbow of colours had just revealed to me an entire new spectrum of colour that never seemed to exist before.
I prayed over this trip for many months leading up to it asking for it to be special and boy did God deliver for me on this beautiful day. As I continued to look out over the views during our ascent, it felt like I was being completely smothered by a giant hug from the universe and it’s spirits. Mother Nature was not holding back in sharing her beauty with me and welcoming me to her home.
The most unique part of this trek was the unexpected greeting of a snow-field that encompassed the top of the mountain. I never dreamed that I would be wishing I had my microspikes to help prevent me from sliding on my ass all the way back down to an impending death that would force me to meet my maker. But alas, our small group of 4 made it successfully to the summit and we embraced each other in blankets of euphoria as pride and joy washed over us. Never had I ever been so high up that I had to trek across snow to touch the summit cairn. But here I was, standing on top of the world with a friend from home! It was like the year since I had been in this beautiful country had never passed and I was simply picking up where I left off.
We curled up out of the wind at the summit to eat some food and enjoy the views around us. We talked about the wonders of what we were seeing and the company was so genuine that the whole thing felt dreamlike. As I sat there taking in this incredible moment there was a small part of the back of my mind that kept reminding me that after this day was over, the trek would continue alone. A thought that had never really bothered me before. But today, this time, it felt different.
The descent was atrocious in comparison to the climb! I have always hated descending climbs. I would rather climb all day long. The beginning is not so bad. Easy steps that feel less vigorous than the climb and an illusion to the legs that it is “easier”. But then, step by step turns into minute by minute followed by hour by hour, the descension slowly morphs into a terrifying fear that with each subsequent step, my jello legs that are shaking in objection are going to give out and I am going to fall. Albeit, the descent is usually faster by default, and both directions are challenging, I will always have a preference to climb!
After a gruelling 3 hours, sore and tired, we curled up at a table in the Hostel common area to share the pictures and videos that were taken with each other. The other 2 individuals who had joined us, friends of my friend, I realized also lived locally back home. So strange. Here we were in another country and time zone and I was with people who lived within 45 min of my house! Again, that little niggle in the back of my mind was wriggling and knocking at the door. I shoved it aside and brought myself back into the moment. Cherishing the last few minutes I would have with this amazing little group of people. We said our goodbyes and knew our paths would maybe cross again over the next day or so but went our separate ways to continue our own journeys.
This first day in Scotland was like being inside of a painting. A complete dream-world made up by someone else’s imagination. A fairy-tale land with dreams that come true and the closing of the book that brings you back to real life where the dreams never really happened. Settling in for the evening, I found myself pondering these little niggles that were showing up in my mind. Asking myself what they were trying to tell me…..and with the journey truly just beginning….I was about to find out…..
DanCyn' Adventures 