Thoughts on Blaven

I'm cheating, this is a post from my personal blog but I thought it would fit in nicely here since it's inspired by Blaven, Skye's iconic mountain, cared for by the JMT and also the idea that nature can enrich you in physical and spiritual ways, something which John Muir believed in passionately.

I'll be out and about on the Blaven path this Summer as part of JMT Skye's Wild Land Awareness programme, looking forward to getting started and spending some time on one of my favourite mountains.

a change of perspective

I found an interesting post today on the difference between being ‘creative’ and being ‘productive’. This made me think about being outdoors and the kind of activities that I enjoy. Planning is an intrinsic part of this, as is training and acquiring the right gear. Goals are set and distances are measured. I could tell you how far I could cycle in a day or how long it would take me to climb a mountain factoring in the ‘walk in’.

Like so many others I came to Scotland with an urge to knock off hills and tick them off in my copy of Cameron MacNeish’s ’Munros’, getting excited about anything over 914m. I type this realising that it’s been over a year since I sumitted a munro. So what made me change tack so quickly and so completely? Have I lost my nerve or simply lost my appetite for the challenge? A combination of things. Most significantly, the way I experience being in the hills has changed. I’ve found, recently, that I get far more joy from simply ‘being’ in places.

I spent a glorious June afternoon sitting entirely by myself in the vast bowl of Coire Uaigneich on Blaven. For about 2 hours I did nothing other than eat my lunch and take in the views, lying back in the heather. I felt no need to go for the summit, which was clear of cloud and majestic against the blue sky. This sounds daft, but it was as if the mountain was speaking in my head, ‘Sit down and open your eyes…I’ve got so many things to show you.’

When I had enough of ‘being’, I packed up and descended, full up with the essence and beauty of the mountain. For sure, I could have pulled myself up the craggy gullies and slabs and filled up my mind with black rock, grazed hands and aching thighs but I didn’t. I was no longer interested in ticking off a list.

Creative or productive? I’d like to think I’ve evolved a creative relationship with the mountains, which a lot of the time, involves doing nothing asides from thinking. I admire anyone with the energy and committment to be a ‘productive’ mountaineer but it’s no longer a priority for me. I might never traverse the Cuillin Ridge but I’m ok with that, so long as I can find a good place en route to sit back and watch the clouds.