On Sunday 14th May, Boots and Beards embarked on a trip to Meall an Fhudhair. Not grasping the full length of this walk; in my opinion this turned out to be the most challenging and most enjoyable walk to date.
The anticipation of undertaking not a well known walk only added to my excitement. The adventure which lay ahead of us was a circuit of steep hill climbing and boggy grounds throughout wide spaces. To add to the beauty of this adventure; it was rewarding that a healthy turnout of participants with different levels of fitness and walking abilities contributed to the warmth and bonding experience to share my experience with.
The weather was certainly changeable with warm bursts of sunshine and rain, but nevertheless this is part of the challenge which we have to endure when being invited to the outdoors!
This walk was truly a great pick and it has certainly left behind the most memorable experience and created an indelible mark in all my walking adventures in the Boots and Beards Calendar. This definitely shines out from all the rest.
The walk challenged me on all levels of stamina; but the desire to achieve self-discovery and the passion and pursuit to gain fulfilment was rewarded wholeheartedly from the scenery and landscape which I hadn't encountered before. The sheer untouched beauty of the hills seemed undiscovered; and the unravelling picturesque surroundings gave me a sense of deep contemplation to admire the sprawling Corbetts which evoked true captivating awe. I was deeply mesmerised and fascinated not only by the splendour of the wide open space, but the fact that there were no other people around apart from us. This only enhanced the experience to marvel and absorb the inspiring peaks of the Corbett's once at the summit. It was sublime serenity echoed by the simple sounds of nature which in turn made me feel locked into the vast wilderness giving an impression of complete suspense and discovery.
While some people may have thought we were unprepared, I can only emphasise how intriguing the walk turned out to be as we clambered uphill and treaded downhill back to our start point. By using our basic knowledge and GPS navigation; this I felt gave us an extra element of adventure, since there was no designated path. We walked together as a team and this brought about a sense of achievement to create our own route profile.
On the whole: a truly enjoyable walk and the ability for us to combat the rocky and boggy plains to clamber our way upwards to the summit; and to tread our way downwards carefully with the lovely sounds of a water stream as it flowed down the Corbett.
It definitely felt rewarding and satisfying to conquer and combat the unrelenting obstacles that a steep Corbett could pose to us.
Go Boots and Beards!
Excellent Choice Kash👍.
- Atif Ahmed
