Early departure

 

Already in the morning - at 5 a.m.! - my biorhythm became noticeable and the shovel was used for the first time (if you know what I mean). But that's enough. In any case, we soon folded up our tent. I was feeling a bit sick this morning, which is why we took it slow at first. I hadn't expected that the coal tablets would be used on the third day. But I don't know whether it was just because of them that I was feeling great again over time and that I was fit enough for the day's march. I just threw it in as a prophylaxis. Better than nothing.

The next 300m were pretty familiar to us from yesterday. We entered the Camping Management Zone full of fear, unsuspecting how much we would curse it in the evening. The forest was really pretty. Sometimes a bit like in Grimm's fairy tales. The weather was also good with us because the sun was shining and the sky was blue in places.

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Conic Hill

 

Finally it was time to climb Conic Hill! I had already read in the travel guide and on various blogs that the climb should be a little more difficult than the trampling through the Lowlands. And it's true. The climb was exhausting (but probably also because our muscles were really stressed for the first time), but it was definitely worth it! The view was breathtaking and you could pretty much see the whole of Loch Lomond. Only the many backpackers annoyed us a little. By that I mean again the numerous day tourists, who of course trod up the mountain in good weather, took a few selfies for the Insta chronicle and then ran back down to tell everywhere how terribly exhausting the hike today was.

 

(** Side note: Sorry, I just love being very cynical and sarcastic :D Of course, everyone can travel to the WHW or parts of it as they like and I do not judge that. As a long-distance hiker you will certainly understand my thoughts somehow and maybe also know the looks that are thrown at you - especially as a woman - when you climb up the mountain with a 15 kg backpack on your back. "Oh God, poor girl" etc. always shines to stand in the eyes or "Why is she doing this?" Because it's cool. Everyone's own;) And now I'm going to blaspheme the rest of the blog about the backpackless ones as I like. **)

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In any case, we briefly removed the backpacks, looked for a place that wasn't too mushy and took a very short photo and breather. Then it went on.

What is of course not mentioned on numerous blogs is that the descent is much more strenuous than the ascent. Most of the time, you think that running up the mountain is super exhausting, but in reality it's the descent that gives your knees the final kick. In my opinion, that's always the case and not just with 15 kg on the back. At the latest here you will send a silent and secret prayer of thanks to the inventor of the walking poles.

While the backpackers skipped past us with the ease of a gazelle, we struggled a bit despite sticks, among other things to protect our knees, but also because of the sometimes very rocky descent, which is partly crossed by small streams.

It drizzled slightly on the way down, but that at least somewhat obscured the greasy hair.

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Arrival in Balmaha

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We then walked towards Balmaha through a fabulous forest, probably the most beautiful on the whole route. I had never seen such thick pines. And I've really been to forests two or three times in my life. The magic would have been bigger if there were fewer idiots on the road. A mother made a video of her daughter walking and spinning off the path through the forest ... what for? There it would be again, my complaint about the day tourists.

In Balmaha we went to the toilet, shopping and then eating something. Back in civilization we had to think back to the common etiquette. After we put our shoes back on, we continued. Finally, we still had a long way to go. Even if it initially felt like we had already done half.

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The ups and downs of Loch Lomond

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Lousy cue, but in the naivety of our youth we actually thought that there wouldn't be much going up and down, but after about 600 m we were instructed otherwise. Oh yes, there he came, the envy of the backpackers. They danced past us again. From now on it went steadily along Loch Lomond. On the way we saw some picturesque bays that literally invited us to camp - but no, wrongly thought. Still camping management zone.

Some time passed and we arrived at Arrochybeg Bay (nobody knows how to pronounce THAT again). There was a man stuck in the swim ring and I had the impression that he would soon blur the line between fun splashing and helpless fidgeting. In addition, a woman in a spaghetti strap top and leggings went swimming, at least if you can call it like that what she made. Whatever this clothing should protect them from. Certainly not before a bladder or kidney infection.

No matter, we went to the toilet again and then went back to the way.

Then slowly but surely our feet started to hurt. But we still had a little way to go to Buffalo, er Rowardennan. The permanent campsites and picturesque bays didn't make it any easier for us. At Cashell my eyes burned like the hellfire of Satan personally (I was still wearing my contact lenses) and we (unfortunately) had to take a little break to switch to glasses.

From now on the path was really long, even if it was incredibly beautiful at Loch Lomond.

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No end in sight

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Approx. 3 km before Rowardennan we took off our shoes again and massaged our stinky feet so that we could do the last few kilometers well. Arriving in Rowardennan, the illusion that right behind the "village" (there are actually only accommodations and no real village) you can camp wild again as a bottomless disappointment. Anne and I fell into a deep black hole. Another 2 km were ahead of us. And then also uphill and not on flat roads ...

We actually didn't feel like it anymore. At the end of Rowardennan we found a B&B and rang the doorbell out of sheer despair. Because the gate was open, we just entered. We hoped that maybe we could camp there in the garden for a small fee to save ourselves the next 2 km. The woman who welcomed us in the courtyard was a bit harsh and explained to us that there was no possibility of an overnight stay and asked us to please close the door from the outside and protect it from other uninvited guests. We felt cheated, somehow it looked pretty empty there. But bad luck, then not. We just had to run the 2 km. With moaning and moaning that worked too.

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But an end

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When I saw the sign saying "You are now leaving the camping management zone" I heard a loud "Yippieh!" floating out of my mouth and about 5 meters behind the sign there was the first suitable place. Not what I thought of camping on Loch Lomond and right besides the way, but it was ok. And we really didn't have to keep hiking. So we set up our warehouse, sprayed ourselves with smidge, which we had bought in the supermarket in Balmaha, and off we went. While we were adjusting our things, two backpackers came by and asked (at 7.30pm, mind you) if we were going to Inversnaid ... do we look like this? We had more than 20 km in our bones, were exhausted and incredibly hungry. You could already see the bones protruding through our t-shirts, we were so starved. And Inversnaid was 10 miles away? "Enjoy the night hike," I thought cynically and unpacked the stove. We ate and then it was time to sleep.