It was a misty morning when we got up. My whole body hurt when I get up and start moving around. I think that my body may never submit to the daily strenuous exercise that I subject it to. It’s hard to get the gears moving but eventually the muscles loosen up. We have 9 miles to cover – a good distance; not too close, not too far. Esther and I went to breakfast in town and then we head back to gear up to hit the trail for the day.

It rains and mists on and off. My hips get achy and my feet start complaining early today. It’s not the greatest day, but I manage. The hills are green and tall; the clouds low and gray and wrapping around the hills. It’s pretty quiet, but we’re hiking not too far from the main road traveling towards Glencoe Mountain Resort so it’s not totally peaceful.

Because everything hurts, I consider booking another luggage transfer. Mom told me to do what I must to enjoy the trip. We took a break on a bridge over a railroad and got to see a couple trains go by before continuing.

We stopped at the Bridge of Orchy hotel for another break and a snack. We met two hikers there: a younger middle-aged woman and her dad who was 80. They were hiking the West Highland Way together while the dad was still able to. We chatted with them a bit while we sat there. Then we continued on towards Inveroran; about 3 more miles from Bridge of Orchy. We saw some kayakers playing in the river while we were leaving the Bridge of Orchy hotel so we stopped for a few minutes to watch them.

We had to go up and over a hill to get to Inveroran. It was windy and chilly at the top; I loved it. I love being up in the hills, feeling the wind and the elements. Down the hill and into the sweet little Inveroran Hotel with the most gracious hosts, Nadia and her husband – I can’t think of his name. She runs the hotel and he runs the kitchen.

We found our room, settled in, and then went down to chill in the common area. We sat in the dining room for dinner. Esther and I had the beetroot tart with pastry and micro-greens. It was so delicious!

After dinner, we settled in the sitting room and met some hikers from Canada and a group of guys – best pals from their university days. It all started when a few of them were playing a game of trying to name a song, the song’s author, and the year from some lyrics. We ended up talking about family, politics, and geopolitical issues.

Bed time. it wasn’t a good night. We had the window open and I don’t know if it was hives or midges but I got eaten alive. When I could sleep, I’d wake myself up with a loud snort due to the sinus infection.

We survived day 7: 9.5 miles door to door.

Inveroran to Glencoe Mtn. Resort.

We get up and have breakfast and then get ready to head out. It wasn’t raining when we headed out but as the day progressed, it started to rain. I hike a bit slower today; not feeling so well. I was so tired. Had a little coffee at breakfast which made me have to pee really, really bad. So I ended up taking a wee by the trail. It was a rainy and pretty breezy day once we got up a bit higher in elevation. A break was needed and so we sat down for a little bit but with the wind, it was easy to get chilled. Some Austrians that were hiking along the way near us took a break as well and we ended up chatting.

I know because of my sinus infection, it usually gets worse before it gets better and so I know I need to keep myself warm and as dry as possible. Once I reach a certain point, I know I need to keep going so I don’t get too cold. I know we’re not too far away from Glencoe Mountain Resort, so we keep going. I also have to pee really bad again so we keep going and finally get to our destination for the day.

I’m completely exhausted and cold. The Mountain Resort has a really nice main building with a cafe. Esther and I get checked into our microlodge and then I go back to the resort cafe. I consider taking a bus the next day to try to recouperate – but it’s the second to the last day and I hate the thought. I don’t want to miss a section! I want to hike the whole thing! I look at the bus schedule.. The cafe guys says that if I want to take a bus I should book a ticket in advance. I called mom and video chatted for a bit. I don’t want to make any decisions while I’m totally exhausted, so I decided to go get in my sleeping bag and try to take a nap. Thankfully I was able to sleep for a bit. Then it was shower time, dinner time, and bedtime.

We survived day 8 – 8.6 miles door to door.