adventures in bogland

i did a very silly thing on my day off last week, which invovled me getting very wet and tired.

i've been wanting to go to Lochbuie all season, having read about the ivy-strewn castle and the ancient stone circle located there, and being captivated by the scenic valley leading to it with its three consecutive lochs.

i left Camas at 1:30 and hitchhiked all the way, first to Bunessan, then Pennyghael, then to the top of the trailhead, arriving there at 3:45.  mistake number one: getting out of the truck there, rather than letting it take me to the Lochbuie road turnoff...  It was an insane decision, which i didn't realize until it was too late.

i had enjoyed a warm sunny walk up until that point, but about 10  minutes after i started hiking, it began to rain -- so not only was i getting wet from the top down, i was also getting wet from the group up... As the hike was along a lake, i had been expecting the path to be boggy, but it was very rough going, with uneven tufts of grass and small channels.  I couldn't say how many times I almost twisted an ankle by slipping and tripping along a path that turned out to be more bog than trail.  There were at least 7 creeks/waterfalls to ford, full of water from the previous day's rainfall, making it quite difficult to find adequate crossing points.  Eventually the rain stopped and the trail evened out, turning into a rocky creek-bed instead of a bog...  I stopped at least 3 times along the way to empty out my wellies and wring out my socks!

The last part of the hike was beautiful - the sun came out and dried out my clothes, the river turned into a waterfall, and you could see the view down to Lochbuie.  The stone circle and Moy castle (covered in scaffolding) were a disappointing reward for such a rough journey, but the shoreline was simply stunning.
 
It was past 7 by the time I started heading back, and it was at this point that I became fully aware of the predicament I'd gotten myself into.  I had only seen two people down at the Loch, and there were very few houses, meaning my chances of getting a lift back up the road to Craignure were practically nil.  I had walked one mile up the road, and just passed the marker stating "Craignure - 13 miles" when a lovely elderly couple drove by on their way to a function in town for the evening.  They let me off at the Craignure road junction, and only 5 minutes later I got another lift from a woman heading home to Bunessan -- wow did I feel lucky!
Now, Bunessan is only 2.5 miles from Camas, but it was 9pm when I got there, hungry and tired - too weak to feel brave, and not desperate enough to be bold.  So instead of seeking out the people I knew to help me get those last couple miles down the road, I just kept walking.  and walking.  and walking.

It was dark, and none of the 5 cars that passed me stopped to ask where I was going or what my situation was.  So I kept walking and jogging, with a few pauses to sit and recuperate, east some nuts, and wonder why I hadn't gone to find someone to drive me or a phone to call Camas...  my consolation was the light provided by a beautiful moon, and that my legs hadn't given out on me, even though just about everything else had...

I finally made it to the top of the track at 10:15pm, and began making my flashlight-less way back to Camas.  I was 5 minutes away when I saw the bouncing beam of a flashlight ahead of me, and Rosie and Adam were soon within sight, having come on a rescue mission to find me!  It didn't matter that I was almost back - it was still an an overwhelming feeling of relief and joy and being cared for, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude.  they even saved me some dinner, but after a small snack, i fell asleep quite promptly!  whew.