The Drive The road to my first real seasonal job, front desk at Apgar Village Lodge and West Glacier Motel in Glacier National Park, Montana. I left my home in Florida, after the Florida Film Fest (I try to volunteer when I am home) had ended. It was April 8th. My first stop was Johnson City, TN, where I planned on spending the night at a friends. It was great to catch up and chill in her hot tub while looking a the full moon above. I got an early start the next morning and made it to my daughter, Kelci's, in Chicago (Lincoln Park) by 4pm. Chicago was still to chilly for my liking. Definitely warmer than when I was there in December, but still not quite spring. I stayed with Kelci for a couple ... read more

On the bus to the ferry, I met a man from Congo. He wanted to start some kind of tourism business in Congo, so he was in Northern Ireland and Scotland trying to drum up financing. He helped me find my hostel in Belfast. I decided since I only had 2 days in Belfast, I would take a tour bus to see Derry and Giant's Causeway. It was a rainy day and the Causeway was very slippery, so I had to be very careful walking on the stones. The murals in Derry from the time of the "Troubles" were quite moving. It wasn't that long ago that Northern Ireland was rife with strife. I really liked Belfast, much more than I expected to, in spite of the miserable weather.... read more

After Walking the Way I took the bus from Ft. William to Glasgow and rented a car to spend the next week in Scotland. After renting the car, I drove to Tyndrum (the route on the Way) to pick up some West Highland Way t-shirts for me, Dani and Thomas (we didn't want to carry them while hiking). It is amazing how short the West Highland Way is when driving. After picking up the t-shirts and talking to some walkers currently walking the Way, I made my way to the Isle of Skye for the next couple of days. The weather was wet. And cold. I was very lucky to have had the great weather the week I walked. The fuel was ridiculously expensive. I initially thought I would drive down to Leeds to visit a ... read more

Kingshouse to Kinlochleven: 9 miles This day turned out to be the only rainy day I would encounter. It was also the most strenuous. We had to ascend the Devil’s Staircase, the highest point along The Way. It was so cold, windy and rainy. None of the walkers spoke much, we all just climbed, rested, passed each other, rested, climbed…. At the top, going around the bend, the wind hit so hard, I was afraid I would be knocked off the edge. Then came the descent into Kinlochleven. Mile, after mile, after mile, downhill. My knee was killing me. I was using my hiking poles for support. It took me forever to make it hobbling down the hill. I was passed by everyone, including an eighty-something man, carrying a full pack. I was pathetic. Finally, I ... read more

Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy: 7 miles Before heading out, I bought a roll of bandaids and some breakfast. My total was $7. The 7 miles from Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy was very level (only taking 3.5 hours to complete), running parallel to some railroad tracks. Because it was level my knee was good (until the descent at the end), but, of course, it’s always something. My big toe (on my right foot), that I stubbed hard on a rock on the second day, was throbbing with every step. I wished I was on one of those trains. I was seriously considering bailing on this hike. I ran into several people that were taking trains from one stop to another, instead of hiking. I was definitely tempted. I even went to the train station and ... read more