When I say that I love the outdoors, I get the impression that some people think that I mean going for a walk in the local park or simply stepping outside the house to do things like window shopping or wandering round the street. Perhaps, I need to start clarifying that I love escaping into the countryside and mountains, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to submerge myself in the wilderness.
The sound of the wind, birds chirping away and the loud silence in the mountain gives me a sense of calmness. For someone who is considered an extrovert, it dawned on me this summer while solo wild camping in Skye that I start to feel overwhelmed when I haven’t been out in nature for a while.
Ever since I was a teenager, whenever I felt stressed, I would daydream about packing up my sleeping bag, a rucksack and going wild camping or hiking alone. Now, this has become a key indication for my mental compass to inform me of when I need to take a break from everyday life and rest.
I find peace when I am either wild swimming, camping or hiking up a Munro. Although I love the solitude of time alone in nature, I also find joy in meeting like-minded people and exploring the beautiful Scottish mountains together.
So, when Josh told me about the opportunity to hike Beinn a Bheithir, I knew that I couldn’t pass that opportunity especially when I had the opportunity to be in great company and make new friends. The few months away from hiking was telling on my mental well-being and once again I needed an escape.
Having been out with Black Scottish Adventurers before, I loved how organised the guys were and expected nothing short of an epic adventure. As I had been travelling and not staying active for the past couple of months, I was anxious about whether I would be fit enough to keep up with everyone.
I enjoyed the scrambling part of this hike, I felt like my inner child came our to play. Myself Zee and Josh had time to discuss the lack of representation of Black people, especially Black women in the Scottish outdoors. Zee who was a cross-country runner in South Africa before moving to Scotland 2 years ago spoke about the challenge she faced before finding Black Scottish Adventurers.
This hike tested my endurance and reminded me of why I need to stay active consistently but every pause to soak in the view was the motivation that I needed to complete it. My motto was go slow and steady and the group was encouraging when I got tired especially Josh who jokingly reminded me to take my time but ‘hurry up’😂. I think my new motto will now be go slow and steady but hurry up.
At some point, I wondered if I would ever get to the summits as I was slower than the rest of the group and worried about slowing everyone down because we had a time target due to the shorter daylight. Thanks to Josh’s navigation, despite the sun setting, I felt at ease as we all checked on each other to make sure we were all okay.
Reaching the summits made it all worth it. I really enjoyed this hike, attempting a dance choreography for TikTok was the humour that I needed and a memory that I fondly shared with my family when I got home. I was relieved that we all made it back to the summits despite the temptation to turn back a few times but I was encouraged by Zee and Josh to push on.
I felt a sense of achievement and was thankful that we all acknowledged each others efforts and endurance during the hike. Not only that but I was so proud of everyone in the group because I knew the effort that went into planning and completing the hike and I would definitely do it all again.
I can guarantee that no pictures or video can do the beautiful views from this Munro justice, you just have to be there! I now have more reasons to encourage myself to stay physically active and look forward to helping other people who are curious about the Scottish Outdoors to experience it.
