One Fine Day on Conic Hill

Sometimes the best hills are the wee hills.

Sometimes the best weather is bad weather.

Sometimes the best company is the underdog.

And sometimes, just sometimes, the combination of all of the above leads to one fine day.

Well, one wet and windy day I took a bunch of guys on a trip to the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond, meaning to walk part of the John Muir way between Balloch and Croftamie. The route between Balloch and Croftamie is a pretty mundane stretch of the Way, consisting of winding tarmac back-roads along what is Route 7 of the national Cycle Network. Today's weather consisted of frequent very heavy showers and a touch of wind thrown into the mix for good measure. It didn't seem like a good day to be outdoors and during the journey north we discussed altering our plans. By the time we reached Dumbarton we had decided that a short hill walk was a better option than trudging along a monotonous road for four and a half hours. The decision was made to head for Balmaha and climb Conic Hill, which would take no more than an hour to the top, even when age and fitness were factored in.

The bunch of guys I brought along were a collection of unemployed men from the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, ranging in age from 18 - 60, all of them more than keen to get outdoors (even in today's lousy weather I had a full minibus!) and all of them in good spirits. Despite the nasty weather, none of them complained.

We rolled into the car park at Balmaha, got everyone kitted out and fired up the stoves for a brew, before heading into the woodland and onto the West Highland Way. The weather, at this point, was fairly benign and as we climbed through the mature woodland we stopped frequently to ensure the group stayed together. Morale was high, even if fitness and inclination were less so, and as we emerged laughing onto the open hillside and began to negotiate a steep set of steps, the heavens opened. The ensuing deluge resulted in some very wet and bedraggled walkers, two of whom had disregarded advice and left behind the waterproof trousers they'd been issued with back at the car park.

Counting the growth rings : 220

However, before long the rain subsided and the guys really started to enjoy themselves. And as we reached a particularly prominent vantage point, the clouds parted, the sun came out and the views across the southern end of Loch Lomond were nothing short of magnificent. Everyone, including the more experienced members of the party, were suitably impressed.

"How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains" John Muir

On the descent, just as we were ambling through the mature woodland again, one of the guys said to me "It's great this, innit?" "Yeah," I replied, "This is Scotland. This is your country!"

It's days like these that make all my work worthwhile. Struggling through wind and rain, heads down, digging in, before the big yellow ball in the sky decides to burst through the grey canopy of misery to reveal creation in all its glory - bang! There's light at the end of the tunnel. Bang! The way ahead becomes clear. Bang! Life ain't quite so bad after all. Its all been worthwhile and everything combined has been leading to this one beautiful moment of clarity and freshness.

Now, the challenge is: to create something similar in all of our lives. Let's make it count! Let's keep going when the going is tough and circumstances combine to make the pathway ahead difficult and unclear. Let's not give up and let's strive to climb out of the dark tunnel and into the light