Why do I keep doing this to myself?

Last June, on the Loch Lomond Macmillan Mighty Hike I sat down numerous times, cried & refused to move. I don’t know how my brothers managed to not kill me. I don’t know how I managed to not die.

The Mighty Hike had seemed like a great idea.
We’d raise some cash for the charity that funded our Mum’s beloved “Cancer Club” (more on that later), we’d have some quality sibling time, and we’d pay tribute to the late, great Wallace Reekie; our Dad/Stepdad who passed away in 2003 leaving us with the everlasting refrain of “I walked the West Highland Way, you know” ringing comedically in our ears. You can read the original story here: 

http://www.justgiving.com/KirstyMunroWHW?utm_id=27

What could go wrong?

It was a beautiful but arduous route and as my brother Alistair had pre-warned us, it was “The Worst Bit Of The West Highland Way”; a 26 mile stretch round the banks of Loch Lomond from Drymen to Tarbet with a boat trip across the northernmost tip of the Loch taking us to the last leg.

On the day, though, I struggled physically and mentally. It was not the wee stroll I had imagined! Maybe Wallace hadn’t exaggerated the magnitude of his great feat after all? Alistair left Robbie (my youngest brother) & I to walk at a (kind of) comfortable pace while he smashed out his own amazing time.

Sadly Robbie & I missed the final checkpoint at Inversnaid ferry terminal and weren’t allowed to walk the final 8 miles for safety reasons. Please see the aforementioned “sitting crying and refusing to move” as explanation as to how we missed the checkpoint deadline....

Regardless of the outcome, though, thanks to the generosity of our friends & family we raised £2,300 for Macmillan Cancer Care. 

Last summer, particularly in June, Macmillan was offering vital care & support to our Mum who was living with Stage 4 breast cancer. As we were walking for Macmillan, our Mum was in the Macmillan Victoria Hospice in Kirkcaldy. She stayed there a number of times towards the end of her illness and visited them regularly on a Friday in her better times to spend the day partaking in arts, crafts, massage, physio, nail painting & socialising with other women in the same situation. She jokingly called this her “Cancer Club” & it was the highlight of her week.

By the end of August last year, just weeks after our hike, our Mum passed away.

So going back to my original question; why do I keep doing this to myself?

Well, there’s a few reasons.

1) Macmillan. I can’t thank them enough for the support they offer to families like mine who were/are living with cancer and to the individuals themselves who get so much joy from places like Victoria Hospice and its “Cancer Club”. Right up until her last days this hospice brought our Mum happiness & friends when it could easily have been the darkest time of her life. 

2) In memory of my Mum. And cos I can hear Wallace laughing at me (bastard)

3) Revenge. At the moment the score stands at Mighty Hike: 1, Kirsty: 0. And that simply won’t do.

The route has changed this year, to the Rob Roy path from Callander to Killin. Numerous complaints were filed last year about the extremity of the Loch Lomond WHW route (and they weren’t ALL from me!)

At the moment it looks like I’ll be walking alone. If I can persuade my brothers to join me again it would be a rather lovely miracle 💚😂