Had a good day up Ben Vorlich from the side of Loch Earn at the weekend. A great, straightforward path all the way up making it a perfect one for beginner Munro baggers! It is, however, big enough for all the stages of a proper mountain walk. In my case they are:
In the car on the way – “Weather looks a bit cloudy, maybe I’ll do something easier.”
After getting out of the car – “I can feel a tweak in my calf, maybe I’ll just walk part of the way.”
30 mins after starting – “Everyone else on the path seems to be walking faster than me.”
45 mins after starting – “My lungs are bursting, maybe I need to work on fitness before I do a walk like this.”
An hour after starting – “That top section looks like a bit of a difficult scramble, maybe I will just go to the bottom of it.”
Closer to the top – “My lungs are feeling huge, I could walk all day.”
Nearly at the top – “I feel fit, even though I’m a bit tired.”
Just below the summit – “This top section is fine, just a steep path, don’t know what I was worrying about.”
At the summit – “Made the top! I feel great!”
5 mins later – “Oh, the cloud has come down and it’s raining, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!”
I think it is always good to have in mind that walking up mountains and hills can be hard work – even for super-fit gym bunnies who decide the great outdoors is just an extension of the treadmill or rowing machine.
But that doesn’t mean it is not enjoyable and, gym-bunnies aside, you don’t have to charge up and down to a summit as quickly as possible. If a guide says it takes five hours it doesn’t matter if you take eight because you have lingered over a view, soaked aching feet in a burn, watched a red kite soaring above (and then a hen harrier, and a buzzard), or simply walked slowly to enjoy the sounds of bubbling burns, the wind on moorland grass or the feel of sun on your face.
The length of walk matters if you want to judge whether you have enough stamina but it is not a time you have to keep to, you are not booked on it for a set amount of time.
As I admitted above, I am guilty of putting pressure on myself to complete a walk but it would be better if we took the attitude that we are going on a wander and although the final destination may be a summit, it is the getting there that is the real fun element – so we should take our time. And, if we don’t get to the top, it doesn’t matter (we normally will but if we have gone up with lots of stress about weather, calf muscles, other people we won’t enjoy it as much as we could).
Finally, if you see someone charging up a hill, admire their fitness by all means but think about what they are missing out on by going so fast.
