Die with memories, not dreams. Go for a walk.

KintailAfter leaving Camban mountain bothy, we walked the final few miles of the Affric Kintail Way. We were confronted with this wonderful scenery on our way to Morvich. I heard someone once say that "Life happens whilst you're planning something else" and this is very true. You are sitting hoping for something to come about so that your life will be better and whilst you wait for your 'chance', the clock ticks. Time is life's currency and it makes paper money look irrelevant. Waiting for the lottery win or the big break to make things change might one day happen, but regular walking is where the stories can begin now and they are the stories that you never bothered to imagine. 

Back of BeyoindLooking over to Sgurr na Ciche from Luinne Bheinn in Knoydart Sitting at home you are entertained by the various media sources and you are fed countless stories and nightmares, you consume them and they fill your head with other peoples adventures. Simply by walking, I now have my own stories of adventure, the overwhelming majority of them are good, some not so, but they are mine. 

I have spoken to many people who when they found out that I was a regular walker have asked me to take them to our local hills. They are scared to go on their own, I was once too. We are like birds in a cage, scared to leave the cage with endless good reasons why we should stay inside it. The most dangerous thing about walking is the journey in the car to the starting point, just like the car journey to work every day that no one ever gives a second thought. Better to have lived a little... Start off with simple walks and work up from there, that's what I did.

Lonesome Tree I have walked in nature now for many years and being in nature is therapeutic. The exercise is therapeutic, during the course of a long walk your mind clears of all the faff of everyday life and for a while at least, you feel free. There is another effect from regular carefree walks in nature that I never expected - nature reaches out and touches you. You may laugh at this statement, but I don't care. The Japanese word Yugen best describes this experience, explained simply, Yugen is "an awareness of the universe that triggers an emotional response too deep for words". Forget teachers, wise men and fancy ideologies, nature is where the action is.

Tweedledum and TweedledeeTweedledum and Tweedledee - Two trees in Torwood, Falkirk Scotland My blog is a testament to my enjoyment of the outdoors. I enjoyed some of my stories so much that I have wanted to write them down. I have experienced being buzzed by bats in a forest at dusk, I have been in a surreal total whiteout in the clouds, I have walked through swirling mini-tornados of ice crystals in the winter and I have peered out of my frosty tent on a cold clear night and been awestruck at the depth and distances of the universe above. It is a privilege to see these things and if you’re not getting out, you’re missing out.

The Isle of SkyeThe Isle of Skye from the The Storr