Ben Lomond, considered as the Southernmost Munro in Scotland, had always been on my bucket list of mountains to climb here in the UK. I haven't been able to hike for the last 4 years ever since I stepped foot here in this country, and that is quite a bummer for me. As someone who had been always on the outdoors ever since, I am gutted to actually stay indoors most of the time. Life happened, circumstances are not in my favour and yet, by a sudden twist of fate, I suddenly am whisked into a mystical mountain that had always fascinated me. And yep, on its foothill lie the famous Loch Lomond. Sounds familiar? Think: Loch Ness Monster mystery.
Now you might ask, what the heck is a Munro? What makes it special? Is this just a Scottish thing or is this an over arching theme in hillwalking and mountaineering? Sources would say that The Munros are the mountains in Scotland over 3000 feet high. Yes, it is high. We are talking about 900-ish Meters above sea level land masses.
A bit of history here, the Munros were officially listed by Sir Hugh Munro (1856 - 1919) in his 'Munros Tables', published in the Journal of the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) in 1891. Sir Hugh divided the summits into 283 seperate mountains (now known as the Munros), whilst 255 further summits over 3000 feet were considered to be only subsidiary 'Tops'. His list caused quite a stir at the time, as it had previously been thought that there were only around 30 mountains of that height. Read more of it HERE.
So why Ben Lomond? As a hiking enthusiast myself, walking up this Munro is an achievement in its own right. I had been #HikingForMentalHealth even before when I was still based in the Philippines, and I had been dreaming about walking up the summit to see jaw-dropping views and clear skies among the clouds and massive land mass surrounding the loch (a.k.a lake). Being able to walk up the Southernmost Munro will give you the adrenaline high and the yearning for more summits in your own pace and time. And when the call for help to raise funds from my brothers and sister in Singles for Christ came in order, I never hesitated to give my support. Each year, we spearhead raising funds for our scholars so that they can achieve something tangible amid struggles both financially and spiritually.
The trek itself up the munro is not a walk in the park. We are met with the vastness that we can't even fathom. We had been walking miles and miles after trailhead even before we even set foot on Ben Lomond itself. It took more than courage and sheer will power to walk up the path to the summit. We even saw how water can flow and break through under the rocks and be evident on the surface, thereby providing nourishment to the foliage and the natural environment. We might have been blessed with favourable weather during the hike, but nonetheless, it wasn't without complications (slips, trips, someone having cramps and pulling their muscles, too much noise from other people, or simply, the sun being too warm enough to roast us to crisp perfection.
Moving up and about to the summit then successfully making it down to the foot hill and trailhead via switchback without any major injury was already considered a feat. I consider this hike as the breakthrough from being MIA in the mountains, and this hike made me feel I am able to actually achieve #GreaterHeights if I just followed my gut feel and get on with it.
Did I regretted walking for hours only to stay 30 mins in the summit? NOPE. Did I ever regretted being able to experience shortness of breath just to be in awe of the landscape? Defo NOT. Will I ever do it again? YES!
