A few thank-yous, "Mount Doom," and my new "grandpa"

Mount Doom


On the way up


"View" from the top


Loch Lommond at Ardlui


Dunollie castle in Oban

I need to thank a few organizations and individuals for my their contributions to my journey thus far:
Thank you to:
- REI, for making such a wonderful quick drying towel
- Chaco, for keeping my feet safe on slippery slopes and for not mattering when they got wet (and oh, did they get wet!)
- Nike, for the Vomero line, because my feet still actually felt good after 5+ hours hiking up rocks
-Aeropostal, because their clothes are cheap enough that I'm not worried about ruining them
-George Fox track & Field, for providing the rest of my clothes
- bread, Nutella (which I never liked before but think is alright now), and apples, for being the mainstay of my diet and relatively cheap
- Lucy, my Osprey backpack, for being such a great travel companion
- Columbia, for the rainjacket I have worn every day since leaving London (but I have to ask, why provide a cinch on the hood if there is nothing to hold it closed? not helpful...)
- internet cafes, for charging what they think is a reasonable price but then the computer works really slowly
- Trish, for insisting that we stay at a nice hotel our first night in Norway, because I got a complimentary waffle upon arrival (Emily, you would have enjoyed it!)
- Ryan, Emily, Kelly, and Cindy, for each leaving me with something I have needed (i.e. food, laundry detergent, sleep sack, towel)
- all of you, for reading this and leaving me comments which are like little "hellos" and "I love yous" across the sea each time I get onine.

That being said, I should let you know that I have arrived safely in Sandefjord, Norway, enjoying the decadency of this hotel and its waffles (and tea, which I can no longer go without for longer than six hours), and eagerly awaiting the arrival of aunt Trish.
My time in Scotland was wonderful and crazy, but there is no way I could do it justice in this post. So, to summarize:
-one of the most beautiful train rides ever has got to be from Glasgow to Oban on the Scottish coast - past loch and rivers, high "munroes" and gazing out toward the isles.
-exploring a ruined castle built in 730 AD, that didn't cost a penny (always a plus)
-lots of rain
-one gorgeous two hour sunset
-a grueling hike up the 4000 foot Ben Nevis (hereafter referred to as "Mount Doom," because of the way the clouds covered the top third the whole day and the fact that, in a fellow hiker's words, it was "mad up there"), that I had anticipated being a rather tall Snow King but was more akin to my experience climbing the Middle Teton - this was NOT a hill! It was a mountain in every sense of the word, complete with snow and no visibility at the top, hail on the way down, the whole way over rocks and only about 200 meters over dirt paths, and the thought that I might not get down at all
-a guy from Alberta walking the whole way down with me, even though we were too tired and frozen and focused to talk - he really was a guardian angel, I think
-being soaked with no place in the area with vacancies, and not wanting to camp because of the wet and cold
-sitting against a tree pondering my future when an elderly gentleman asked me what I was doing; and being offered a free place to stay by said gentleman, along with dinner (dinner and supper, actually), a bath, a dryer for my clothes, breakfast, and a ride to the train station in the morning
-finding out he was a Christian - his response to my thank-yous was "as you do unto the least of these, so you have done unto Me"
-hanging out with Jim and his little terrior Bria, drinking tea, eating two real Scottish meals (turnip and carrot hash? eggs with bacon (ham) and tomatoes? corned beef sandwiches? ice cream with pears? - I couldn't turn any of it down but he seemed to think I needed fattening up) and being provided yet again with an example of Christ's love and mercy, demonstrated through the open heart of one of his followers
-hopping off the train at Ardlui on Loch Lommond, and sitting with my feet in the water on an abandoned dock, catching up on some reading and journaling, and NOT getting rained on for the first time in Scotland
-getting to Glasgow late, and having a man I met on the train walk me to the hostel because he was afraid I wouldn't find it- and I probably wouldn't have, it was a mile away - then kissing me on the cheek when he left (not creepy like it probably sounds - he was Dad's age with a daughter named Michelle who was my age)

So, there's a recap for you! I wish I could say more. I have never been in a storm like that in a place like Mount Doom where its quite possible I might have had trouble getting down (a rescue helicopter went up there for some people about two hours after I came down), and then been rescued in such an amazingly providential way. Yeah for God and all the crazy, amazing ways he works!