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| Where it all begins. 12 Midday - 12 midday. Saturday 13th August to Sunday 14th August 2016 |
The drive up was great, done in two longish stints. We arrived in good spirits and set up camp.
It rained.
Then it got windy and the awning blew off the van.
I was woken by a man knocking on the door at about 7 o'clock holding one rope and the awning was like a kite flying off into the distance. All my things, carefully ordered and prepared strewn accross the floor getting wetter and wetter by the minute. Who knows how long they had been like that?
It was okay in the end, I tied the awning to the van and emptied it of everything essential. The winds are forecst to die down over the coming days. Starting today I hope.
I have somewhat obsessed about the weather. Even though there is little I can do about it apart from make the best of what's on offer. It was starting to get me down a bit. Last minute nerves, doubts, reasons not to set off. A general feeling of being unsettled.
It's the same feeling I get before all of these long events but that doesn't seem to make it any easier to deal with. I know full well that tomorrow morning I will be ready to go, I have done the training, I am prepared and I do not go into the unknown.
At perhaps my lowest ebb I got a call from Ian, who I have been talking to about setting off together but assumed he was going to wait until later in the day because of the winds. He says he is now committed to going at midday with me. This lifts me no end. Even though this adds to things for me to think about suddenly I am bouyed and talking about the summits and the lines to take enthusiastically.
Even the wind has dropped to only very strong and the rain now is more of a drizzle than actual rain. That's practically a fine summer's day in Fort WIliam it seems, especially so this year. I have my tracker and can see myself as a blue arrow, I wonder about Sally watching the arrow move around the mountains and what she will see. Will it be moving on schedule? How long will I have to stop for? What unexpected events will happen that will have to be overcome? Or will it smoothly fly round, gliding effortlessly over the mountain tops - floating, if you will, on the wispy mountain clouds?
Hmmm
Well that's it for the countdown, tomorrow morning will be spent getting dressed (no really, it takes a bit of time for me to get everything just right to set off!) and final sorting of bags for people to pick up, drop off, take up mountains and leave in the van. No more countdown, no more training, no more worrying - just me, the mountains and some like minded people going for a long day out. I can't think of anyting I'd rather do.
The tracker link is https://share.delorme.com/ramsays130816
A report will follow come what may, one final post to bring it all to a close, to complete this journey we have been on together. Until then, farewell.
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