Day 83 of the End to End in 2019 was my first on the Three Lochs Way, a path we’d not used before but for which we had a helpful guide book. We’d made the decision to use the Three Lochs Way back at the planning stage of the walk. Not only was it new to us and had a nice guide book but for this part of the route we could both walk together using Arrochar and Garelochhead stations. What could go wrong.
The station bit was fine as was the one stop on the train to Garelochhead station. We found the path up from near the station to the American road, as this part of the route was called. Indeed it was a good route. Sound under foot and surrounded by great views and lots of interesting plants and insects. Deer had been this way fairly often by their hoof prints in the mud.
There were several places worth remembering. First the Gurkha Bato was a track laid by a group of Gurkhas to make the route easier a few years ago. It included the first bridge. A notice told us that it was not in good condition and advised us to wade across further up stream. We were not inclined to follow this foot wetting advice so we took the decision to risk the bridge. It did not let us down.
Further on the second bridge was more study and dedicated to the memory of Warrant Officer Dave Markland who managed the development of the Gurkha Bato but who was KIA in Afghanistan in 2010. We ate our lunch by this second bridge.
Then there followed quite a lot of steamy uphill sections through the forestry workings. It was getting hot and taking us quite a long time. Where the road to Douglas Glenn crossed the route we made the decision to go down the road and along to Arrochar that way as this would be easier and quicker. We were rewarded with some lovely views and reflections of Loch Long and some ice cream at the Mansfield Studio and shop on the outskirts of Arrochar.
Not all decision making is rewarded with ice cream. I was reflecting on my walk yesterday, how we don’t know what all the knock on effects of our actions will necessarily be. We make a decision as a community and it may exclude one person. We may decide that price is worth paying: what choices have we got? May be we don’t know what else to do. Hurt is caused and a person leaves the community. Maybe we don’t know how to change that?
As someone who has left a community carrying a lot of hurt, I can say that such things leave very deep wounds and stay long in the memory of the excluded one. How they leave the excluders I don’t know. Does it leave them better equipped to make more loving and inclusive decisions in the future? I live with hope.
From the remembered bible, Psalm 40:
God set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand, so I could sing God a new song.
I sing to God, my rock:
sometimes I sing a lament, about hurt, betrayal and injustice;
sometimes I sing with yearning for justice and a new kindom;
sometimes I sing with joy as peace breaks out and new relationships grow;
sometimes I am silent waiting for the song to begin.
I sing to God, my rock,
and God sings with me, a soulful harmony of understanding and acceptance,
and sometimes together we enjoy the deep silence of the hope filled universe.
JAL: 06.07.2020 in Longdendale.