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Scotland the Brave

Lochnagar

Just a quick note to let you know that I successfully finished my 180+ mile TGO Challenge hike across Scotland this morning on the east coast in Montrose. This was a fantastic experience and I am eager to return and do it again.

I'll write up a detailed trip report when I get back to the states in a few days, but we had fantastic weather for the crossing with just a few days of intermittent rain east of the Great Glen. I sucessfully summitted the beautiful mountain of Lochnagar, climbing through snow and foot deep snowmelt, and then descending past stunning waterfalls to the awesome in Glen Muick, home of the queen's private estate.

Other trip highlights included hiking through Glen Affric, Glen Feshie, past the River Eidart, through the Linn of Dee and Glen Lee. I took lots of photos along the way that I'll share with you of these fantastic sights.

Finally, I wanted to thank all of you who made donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on behalf of my trip. Together we raised over $2,000 dollars that will go to cancer research and patient education.

See you anon

20 comments

  1. Congratulations! I can't wait to see the photos. Sounds like a perfect trip.

  2. Awesome! Glad it went well.

  3. Yay! congratulations! Your blog has totally inspired me to start hiking again.

  4. Congrats! What an awesome trek. Can't wait to see the trip report.

  5. congratulations anon! have a safe trip home. btw have been loving the "lightweight backpacking" series as of late.

  6. Missed getting day by day updates on your progress so I'm glad to be in touch again and looking forward to tales of the hills. Glad it was all you hoped for. Congratulations.

  7. Congrats Philip! I lived in the UK for seven years, and was a subscriber to TGO magazine for the entire time. I still have doing the TGO Challenge with my brother on my life list – I would go through Fort William up Ben Nevis (which I've climbed four times) and continue onward to the east coast.

    "Well done!" Philip!!

  8. Splendid, very well done! I hope there is a glass or two of single malt awaiting you – you've certainly earned it!

  9. Awesome Phil, Congrats. I can't wait to see your photos.

  10. Pleased to read you made it across as well. I never saw you after the night before the start in the hotel.

    Well Done :-)

  11. Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing the photos!

  12. The one day I check this blog in many months happens to be this one… perfect timing! Great to hear it went well, and I can't wait to read the detailed report sometime. Happy trails!

  13. Well done that Man. Do it all again next year.

  14. *clap*clap*clap*

    So glad for your good weather.

  15. Martin – I spent several hours in the Park bar with Mike Knipe yesterday, but we missed your company. Hopefully next year.

  16. Helen – this walk is right up your ally. You'd love it.

  17. Well, after DaniLou leads me down the JMT, and Spanish lessons from Len in the Pyrenees, I was thinking about a walk from the Falls of Clyde, up the West Highland Way, onto the Great Glen Way to Inverness, and round the Skye Trail.

    ~ Since you gave me the idea, I've been discussing adventures in Scotland with actual Scots. The scenery is sublime, and the folk appear to be civil.

  18. Glad to have met you on the Challenge (cafe at Edzell). Having explored some of your site, would have like to have talked more. Next time maybe. I think I'm about to make the permanent leap from Goretex boots to Inov-8s. The blisters in boots were spoiling what was a great hike.

  19. I'm with you, especially for 3 season Scotland hiking. I made it across in Terros with zero blisters. I rarely get them in my leather Asolos anyway, but still with all the stream crossing the comfort of having a shoe that dries is a few hours was pretty profound. But the biggest difference for me is that most bridges ceased to be important. For example, I forded the Feshie and the Esk multiple times to check things out on the other side without the need for a bridge crossing. That seems pretty significant to me and will have implications for my hiking back in New Hampshire and Vermont.

  20. Ken – the Challenge was on my life list too. It is more than a hike. I'm a changed man.

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