Heya! I am back from Edinburgh (Scotland round 2) and I am sore all over... BUT I am already excited to blog about my experience this past weekend!
One significant part of Scotland is the beauty of its nature and the highlands. A part which I did not get to savor when I visited my friends up North before the start of school. This time round, I took full advantage of it and went hiking twice in one weekend on top of touring the city centre of Edinburgh (the capital of Scotland). Now, my quadriceps are pretty much aching like none other. Yet, words can't describe the gratifying feeling for having accomplished those (almost) impossible missions.
If you think it was an easy breezy walk. You are most probably wrong. I mean, considering the fact that I am not a person who goes hiking on a regular basis, (I can't even recall the last time I went on a hike), both were definitely challenges for myself.
Saturday, 10.01 am; The Trossachs
There was no obvious trekking path for the most part of the hike. We basically had to trudge through tall plants...
...and muddy paths to get to the top...
At one point, we even had to scale up rocks on a steep slope...
The weather was not at its best. In fact, we were anticipating a downpour to make it even more of a challenge. Fortunate enough, that did not happen. Well, not exactly. It did drizzle a little on our way down but the two hour hike was definitely worth it all because the view from the top was spectacular!
Oh, I should probably also mention that we went down the same way we got up... I don't really know how I got home in one piece but I actually did slip a couple of times. Scary, I know.
Sunday, 8.31pm; Arthur's Seat
Yet another hiking adventure. This was a much shorter one but a good amount of effort was needed too. I did not properly equip myself for the hike because we were told that it was only going to be a steep uphill walk... only to realize that I was wrong when we arrived at this.
Apparently, we took a more difficult alternative path by mistake. Having no choice, I had to scale up those rocks in shorts and boat shoes. Not a very clever decision but thank God I got through it. After hiking the Trossachs the day before however, we realized this was actually not as painful. Being on top of the world never felt better and that made up for everything.
View of the city of Edinburgh from the top was breathtaking while it lasted as rain clouds started to gather within minutes... Before long, we had to make our descent.
Both hikes required a good amount of focus and attention. Reflecting on the experiences, I have taken away a few learning points which are applicable to life in general. While facing challenges and obstacles, very so often you will find yourself having to face it alone. In this case specifically, no one was able to help each other throughout the entire hiking journey because everyone had to focus for their own safety. For this, I'd say the phrase "the survival of the fittest" describes it best - If you can't keep up, you are left behind. You are basically on your own. On another hand, following others, you also learn from the people in front of you. You take the steps they took and avoid the paths which caused them a nasty fall... On top of that, determination and willpower are essential to complete the entire journey successfully. Giving up was not quite a possible option.
Along the way, I've asked myself: how many times in your life do you get to do challenging hikes like these with a group of people as energetic as you are? My answer is: probably only once. I could never have imagined myself performing feats like these. This was indeed an eye opening experience for myself. In all honesty, I am very proud that I made it to the peak! Twice.
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