Warm-up to The Start

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Regrets. Sometimes the only way is to soldier on through. It’s a cold, damp, dark morning and about now is when the first bout of regret always hits. 24 hours and I'll be on my way, cramped into a brightly lit train speeding up the northern mainline. For now though I’m sat comfortable and warm; protected from the harsh outdoors by the double-glazed trappings of an easy life.

Until yesterday it was all excitement, to be back in the mountains, to explore new ground, to work towards a goal for no other reason than to see if I’m capable. One of the main draws of camping and trekking to me is the immediacy of your existence, the way that worries for your future or your past, the greater picture of your life, are all replaced by simple concerns such as cresting the next rise, finding the next warm inn, or getting a tent pitched in pouring rain and sub-zero temperatures. Every setback becomes a curse; every victory lifts the spirit to a place rarely found in everyday life.

This will be my most challenging trek so far, and both serves as its own adventure, and as a warm-up for a much longer trek I’ll be tackling in March. Starting in Carlisle I will catch a bus a little way out of the suburbs and then walk south, crossing both of the lake districts major mountain ranges; taking in Derwentwater, Coniston and Windermere lakes; and pushing though a large forest. Not bad in a week.

Still though, right now all I can think of is the cold, the rain, and the isolation. I know that once there the beauty and peace of those surroundings will truly soothe the soul and that I will return ready to deal once more with the problems and challenges of city life. But as with much of our spoon-fed existence, those little two-dimensional comforts exert a surprising pull on me, a trap to keep me from a connection to something greater. Though as has often been said, all journeys start with a single step, and once it is taken the regrets will fall away.

At least until the first night shivering in my tent!

See you upon my return.

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