Day 7....the end is NEAR!

Day 7, our last day, was to be 14 miles long and the weather forecast was calling for rain about 3p. Thus, we decided to get an early start - leaving the hotel at 8a. I had to get up early and skip breakfast. =(

We hit the trail at 8:12a ready to kick some WHW butt! It's a good thing the guidebook didn't say you'd start immediately into a 350 meter ascent or we probably would have taken a taxi. After some moaning, groaning, and body creaking we did make it to the top and we got to see some beautiful views of Kinlochleven below.

The trail today followed an old military road. It was great to have the wide path but the rocks were the size of footballs which is quite difficult to walk on. The scenery didn't change much along the way today. We mostly walked through one long, open valley with mountains on each side.

The wind blew hard on day 7 and it was cold - probably in the 40s without the wind chill. The threat of rain loomed on us further as we walked and the skies grew darker. You could tell we all wanted to be to Fort William. About 3 miles from the end we started to get some sprinkles on us. Thankfully it never rained - just a light mist in the air.

The last mile of the trail was all paved. We actually had to walk by our hotel - the Nevis Bank Inn - to get to the official end of the West Highland Way. We made it there about 3 in the afternoon. We were all very tired at this point so we got the quick obligatory picture and headed to the pub for a celebratory pint.

On our way back to the hotel my uncle called. He had just checked in and was ready for a drink. We met him at the hotel bar and visited for a while. It's nice to have new blood and somebody to tell our stories to.

We all had dinner at the hotel. It was the first non-pub food we've had in a week and it was delicious! Oh, and the showers at this hotel are amazing. Thank you for small miracles!

My uncle, Eric, and I all decided to have a drink in town after dinner. We met two Germans, a guy from Paris, and a girl from the French West Indies. We had all completed the walk so we shared some good stories. We also got some good recommendations for places to visit in Europe. Hamburg continues to come up high on everybody's list.

I have to say this walk was much harder than I ever expected it to be. I thought it was just going to be a walk but you definitely needed some hiking skills and physical fitness. I had an amazing time and I would recommend it to anybody and everybody who is able. I couldn't have enjoyed my time with Eric, Cathy, and Jeff more. We make great travel companions!

I'm looking forward to the next stage of our journey. Can't wait to see Tina and meet Matthew. This trip is awesome!!