23. Jun 2025

Kinlochleven - Bridge of Orchy

Photo 1: "Bridge of Orchy"
This was my destination for today. It would take me 30 km and 1224 altimeters to get there... and I needed to arrive by 7.00 pm in order to get dinner at the bunkbed hostel. It is good that I did the extra climb yesterday.

While I was getting my backpack packed, a solo hiker from Estonia, Evi, came by the corner of the mountain where I had stayed the night. She had campen as well a bit further ahead. She was in her early 50's and was slowly making her way from a secular world view to realizing there is a God who created the beauty she was seeing on the path. We talked and prayed. It was a God moment. Tears came to her eyes. She gave me a hug and said that this was the highlight of her trip. Estonians are quite reserved, I learned on my trip to through the Baltics last year. So this was quite a statement. If was not me, but God's presence that touched her heart.

Photo 2: "The Devil's Staircase"
Once I got up to the top of the mountain this morning, I started going down a series of zigzag switchbacks on an old military road know as "The Devil's Staircase". The path is about 2.4 km long and reaches an altitude of 550 meters at the summit, making it the highest point of elevation on the West Highland Way. I could see that people were struggling to make the climb. I began to tell passersby that when the walk the Devil's Staircase with Jesus, it becomes a Stairway to Heaven. I got a lot of laughs and positive reactions to the comment. It also led to a number of meaningful conversations. It took me forever to get down the hill because of all talks I had along the way. The clock was ticking...

Photo 3: "The mountain Buachaille Etive Mòr"
This is the nountain where the opening scene of the James Bond movie "Skyfall" was taken.

Photo 4: "Radek from Poland"
I greet just aboit everyone who passes by me on the path. I was very surprised when I greeted Radek that he adked: "Are you the guy who walked across Poland last year?" I had met a friend of his several days earlier at a hostel. He called Radek and said that this American will be walking in his direction who walked through Poland last year and is now walking from Scotland to Germany. "He knows a few Polish words," his friend said. "If you see him, talk to him. He is really interesting." I said, "That sounds like me!" We went and sat on a rock, and Radek told me his story. He had been raised a Catholic, but it was his parents belief. He started on a journey to find out what he really believed. He went from athiestic thought to agnostism to realising that there must be a God. Now he heard Jesus was knocking on the door of his heart and was not sure how to answer. I explained how he could say yes to Jesus and start his walk with him, and then led him in prayer to make that first step. There were some real long and difficult hikes through Poland last year. Every step was worth it if it helped Radek to make that faith connection to Jesus.

Photo 5: "On the way to the bridge of Orchy"
It was now foot race to make it to the hostel in time for dinner. I arrived exactly at 7.00 pm. I was given a seat at a table with two women from New Zealand and one from Ireland. I was hot, sweaty, thirsty and hungry... and very happy.