The gauntlet with Sriracha hot sauce

A gym membership, long walks and a positive attitude did nothing to prepare us for day 3 of our walking holiday on the West Highland Way.
14 miles walked, hiked and scrambled. The book on the WHW when describing the walk between Rowardennan and Inverarnan as “demanding even for strong walkers” and “by far” the hardest if done in its entirety. If Boxer had edited the book those words would be highlighted, bolded and a appropriate emoji added.
The tread included drop offs in narrow chutes on damp dirt with large rocks. To be fair there were parts of the day that had us feeling like it was a stroll on trail in the Columbia River gorge….pines and moss covered rocks. We had occasion to see a mountain biker or two who took alternate routes so as to avoid having to deal with what was mentioned earlier.
The trail included slugs (black not brown,) heather with its magenta blooms just getting ready to explode and nice views above the shores of Loch Lomond. All and all there was a sense of accomplishment and adventure when we completed the day.
Upon arriving at the Rose Cottage we were greeted by our hosts Stephen and Sher ( Sherryn) who dryed our shoes and washed our soiled clothes.
We capped off day with pint (and good meal) at the Drovers Inn.,,.built centuries ago and not updated since.

Addendum: We had a nice respite at the Inversnaid Hotel around noon. We were able to dry out a bit and have a snack. Upon leaving we encountered a visual I would have never thought possible. The sign read "Invasive species removal - Rhododendrons"...on the hill above us were the skeletal remains of one of my favorite woody shrubs.
Note: with a little research I have found that it is one species- Rhododendron ponticum that is the culprit, together with its fertility and tolerance for shade it has choked out native flora.Baca selengkapnya