Hiking the Highlands

After touring the Isle of Skye we headed to the Scottish Highlands, which were indeed high (relatively, at least!) While looking for a cell phone tower so we could make reservations for a hotel that night (please see earlier post re: tent blowing down) we stumbled upon a gondola. Justin being a transportation-loving fellow, we decided to go up. So we took a gondola up to a ridge overlooking Ben Nevis (Scotland's--and the UK's--highest peak). From there, Becca and I played in the stream and took a little hike out along the ridge. Eric saw the final ascent looming above him and had to go up. Justin went along. Let's just say the hike was confirmation he has inherited the hiking genes that run strong on all sides of the family (and especially Eric's side.) He just doesn't get winded. It's like his lungs expand into huge balloons or something. Anyway, they went up the mountain, mostly without a trail, to the very top. It was a happy Father's Day for Eric!

Here's the gondola.

Here is a view from the ridge where the gondola left us. You can see Rebecca playing happily along the little stream (well, actually, upon closer inspection you can't see the stream here, but it was there and that's where we spent a good hour playing), and then you can see the mountain beckoning to Eric.
Apparently, it was saying, "Come, climb up me, even though there is no path, you have very little water, and you are running out of dry and clean clothes for your trip. Climb me anyway, you will only fall in water and mud a few times, and it's Father's Day so your wife can't be mad even if you run out of clothes, get hypothermia, and endanger her firstborn son." :)

Rebecca and I loved this misty cloud rolling up the mountain. It felt like a monster coming to get us!

And from here on out the pictures are from Eric's phone, on his ascent with Justin. Please note the large patch of snow. No, we didn't have warm clothes with us, because I didn't know the boys would be climbing past the snow line...

All joking aside, I was so very proud of Justin for making it up such a steep, long ascent. None of these pictures really show how steep and high it was! Apparently, he didn't complain once, and he lost his footing less than Eric did. My little train-loving mountain goat. Becca is an awesome hiker, too, so as she gets a bit older we will have some fun family hikes in our future I'm sure. And I will be trudging along behind with no hope of keeping up.

After the hike we headed to the beautiful village of Killin situated on a breathtaking waterfall that I didn't get a picture of. I did snap a few pics from the car, though. The Highlands were really pretty!