(Originally in the notebook, now here in convenient digital form. Post date has been appropriately manipulated.)

What else did I come to Scotland for if not to hike in the rain? It came down hard this morning as I walked through Queen Elizabeth Forest Park on my way from Rowardennan to Inversnaid. The intensity varied from this-is-refeshing to you’ve-got-to-be-kidding. (After a couple of really rainy days, I figured out a system. For starters, I always kept my pack cover on. That made it difficult to reach my water bottles, which lived in pockets on the other side of the bag. So I rigged up a carabiner on a couple of dangling bits of backpack strap, from which I suspended a water bottle while the other two rode in the caboose. I also kept my raincoat on as long as I could. It was good against the wind, even when the rain stopped, but it had a tendency to make my arms unpleasantly sweaty. Sometimes I’d just tie it around my waist. Also, I think the best $30 I spent for this trip was on my rain hat, which just kind of rode along with me cowboy-at-rest-style when it wasn’t raining. –Ed.)

The Inversnaid Hotel is big and kitschy. (Most of its clientele come there on tour buses. –Ed.) The main bar area is decorated in tartan, and a boombox plays a CD of bagpipe favorites. I learned today why tea is so popular here–it’s the best thing in the world when you’re cold, wet, and not sure you can go on.