Highland Trail 550 (a race report from the lantern rouge and first official plastic free finisher)

A little warning, this rambles in a bit of a stream of consciousness...Also photos are mostly just randomly inserted.

Although my track record in ultra endurance bikepacking races has been spotty to say the least, finishing only the East Idaho Epic, scratching twice from the Silk Road Mountain Race, and breaking my wrist during Ascend Armena in the great endangered river crab incident, I again signed up for a notoriously difficult ultra endurance bikepacking race.  This was the Highland Trail 550, which is over 550 miles of largely mountain biking.  

Some important preliminary things about the Highland Trail 550: The race organizer, an Englishman named Alan Goldsmith, is very committed to promoting women in sport and the environment.  There is no entry fee but you must donate to a tree charity.  He has been seeking 50/50 gender parity at the start for awhile, much to the dismay of the many men who want to get into the race but face more difficulty than women who currently can get into the race much more easily.  The result of Alan's efforts is that this event felt VERY inclusive, warm, supportive, and welcoming.  Granted I am still exhausted, but when I think about the kindness shown to me by other riders and people in the HT550 community, I get weepy.  As far as races go, this is the closest I can imagine a race coming to a group hug.  

Further, Alan created a category of sorts where people could commit to getting around without using single use plastic.  Since I am better at strategy than riding bikes, I thought this would be a good and fun challenge for me.  And it was.  I got around eating pub/restaurant meals, baked goods placed in paper bags (I brought my own for places that used plastic), canned food (there are recycling bins anywhere there are trash bins), glass jarred peanut butter and pickled eggs, and chocolate in paper and foil (such as Tony's, Rolos).  I also started with at least 5 pounds of bulk candy and 4 Firepot meals in compostible bags.  It was a challenge but not at all impossible and I never went hungry.  I challenge you to walk into any store and find snacks that do not involve the purchase of single use plastic.  Think about all the plastic in our food, bodies, oceans, everywhere.  You don't have to be a rabid environmentalist to see the problem... This really opened my consumer eyes.  I won't pretend that my carbon footprint isn't massive.  But I will tell you that perhaps I can do much better.  See https://highlandtrail550.weebly.com/plastic-free-ht550.html

In Scotland, it seems that most land is owned by large Estate owners.  However, there is a "right to roam" which means there is public access to these lands.  This route was largely on double track estate roads, single track, and a small amount of pavement (tarmac as everyone else in the world seems to call it).  I'm embarassed to admit that I underestimated the terrain based on my prior tour in the Highlands.  I had a vague sense of what boggy meant, and a vague sense of what Scottish single track might be like, but really did not understand entirely what I was getting myself into.  That was until the first day of the race, which was definitely not easy.  I was under the misguided impression from a podcast I'd listened to that the first part of the route to the north would be "fast."  I suppose it was much faster than latter portions of the race, but it still kicked my ass.  I began the race well and fully humbled, as record holder Lee Craigie said we should be in her pre-race speech, and also perhaps demoralized.  I said some very mean things to myself about myself.  I won't repeat them.  I would never talk to someone else this way.  Very early in the race I ran into a prior finisher who I think is the oldest person to finish.  His name is Chris and he told me to ride my own race and "hurrying is rubbish."  This cheered me a little but did not quite quiet the mean self talk.  

At the very start a friend from Glasgow whom I met at Silk Road, Paul Coates, gave me a hug and told me if I ran into trouble or needed a ride I could call him.  This was extraordinarily comforting and I made it a goal to not have to call Paul.  I was garbage (sorry, rubbish) but surely I could avoid creating problems for others!

Side note: a funny little incident on that first day was that I somehow picked up a screw which punctured my tire and sidewall both.  While repairing these punctures, a group of men from the Glasgow area came upon me and provided some world class entertainment and humor.  They were not impressed by my bike repair skills though I got both plugged eventually.  By the end of the race I used nearly all my plugs.  I leaned that yes I can troubleshoot basic repairs.  

Anyow, the first day I rolled quite late into the Melgarve Bothy, certain I had bitten off much more than I could chew and trying to figure out what I should do.  I honestly believed I could make it on the first day to the next bothy over the pass and in much better time.  My self-doubt was reinforcing itself.

The night in the Melgarve Bothy was cold.  The weather for the entire race was on the cold and wet side, with on-and-off rain on a near constant basis and temperatures that mostly hovered between freezing and the 40s.  I was well prepared though with more kit than probably anyone else and never felt too horribly miserable.  It was cold at night in the sleeping bag I brought, which was in hindsight not the best choice.  Frankly, if I had it to do again, I'd aquire a synthetic bag or hydrophobic down (assuming that actually does substantially better in damp conditions which I haven't researched).  Anyhow, I was chilly for my sleep in the bothy in a room with a man whose snoring was possibly that loudest I've heard in my life.  Even with earplugs, it was not a quiet sleep.  But it was better and more convenient than camping.  Bothies are a very cool thing in Scotland where old estate buildings have been converted to shelters for people out recreating in the hills.  They vary in how nice they are as some have fireplaces, but all are fairly simple.  I was thrilled to finally have the chance to sleep in a bothy in the Scottish Highlands.

The primitive bothy at the bottom of Fisherfields where I stayed with Julie

When I finally got moving the next morning, which was not nearly as early as it should have been (a theme that would repeat every morning for the entire race), it was a lovely morning.  I got to the top of Corrieyairack Pass and had a moment of clarity.  I had so wound myself around the axle with my imposter syndrome and lack of self-confidence that I was obviously not enjoying myself.  I wanted desperately to enjoy myself.  This was my vacation!  I left my lovely family behind for this solo venture.  I made a deal with mysef: relax and finish this event and you can never race again if you don't want to.  I turned my phone off airplane mode and withdrew my application to the Iditarod Trail Invitational (yes I would come to somewhat regret this).  It was cathartic and I relaxed and things only improved from that point forward.

The first glimpses of sea on the west coast

Sheep!

There is a lovely long descent into Fort Augustus from the pass.  Near town, I saw my friend Rob Waller (I met him at Silk Road this past August) coming up the path towards me.  He had been dealing with his own struggles, and came back to make sure I knew where we were having breakfast.  I think he also knew I needed a pep talk.  This interaction was a huge boost.  I had breakfast with him, Ian Barrington, another Plastic Free competitor (me, Ian, Rob, and RD Alan Goldsmith had committed to getting around without using single use plastic), and Bryan Singleton.  This breakfast was a reset of sorts for me.  My mood was pretty good for the rest of the race.  Rob rolled out of Fort Augustus with me and then was gone, being substantially faster at riding than I am. 

Julie pushing into a rainbow

famous castle in Dornie

I spent the second night off course in the town of Beauly, where I slept in a nice hotel room and had a nice hot bath.  The hotels seems to have heated towel racks which help for drying socks and kit.  My shoes had no chance of ever drying during the entire race, but I managed to start each day with a pair of dry socks protected under my vapor barrier socks.  That foot system was great and my feet never macerated.  I also quickly realized that if I could take care of myself, even if it meant appearing more like someone touring than racing, I had a good chance of finishing the race.  I wanted to finish and I wanted to enjoy myself.  I remarked jokingly to a friend yesterday "is it a race if I had fun and didn't suffer?"  I'll let the angry race bros (of which I didn't meet any in Scotland) sort than one out because I don't actually care.  My friend Jule Perilla who lives part time in Alaska and part time in England had also stayed in Beauly and we rolled out together at a respectable 5:30 a.m.  Rob had also stayed in Beauly and I saw him on and off for a bit until at some point I think he scratched, un-scratched, and re-scratched.  

Kintail, before a steep hike into Glen Affric.  I nearly cried I was so awe struck by the beauty.

Lunch at a triple water fall on the climb into Glen Affric

The riding was as best as I can recall pleasant though not easy as I made my way past Oykel Bridge and into Glen Cassley, which was clearly a big fishing destination.  I camped for the first time in my new tent and realized it was not as easy to pitch as I thought.  It really needs to be staked out just so.  (It's a dyneema Z-Packs shelter tent that uses one light pole and lots of stakes).  I still managed to sleep though water came in and pooled in one corner of the tent.  Everything was a bit damp and stayed that way for the duration of the race.  This next day of riding was (as best as I remember) quite spectactular and I made it past the most northern point of the route and over to the west coast.  There were rainbows and glimpses of the sea and it was just stunning.  I caught Julie who was having a low moment and we stopped together at a B&B along the coast past Drumbeg.  (The Drumbeg stores owners were amazing.  I love them).  

Pies at the Lochinver Larder, where I could spend a day eating pies.

The Whisky Trail Angels seem to me an integral part of this event.  I drank this at Oykel Bridge.

The west coast section of the race featured the most challenging sections which included a long hike-a-bike (the Ledmore Traverse), the Coffin Road (a steep hike-a-bike into a long bog), and Fisherfields (after a huge river crossing a steep hike-a-bike).  The cumulative effects of pushing my overloaded bike were most acutely felt at the top of the Fisherfields climb where I struggled to heave my bike up and over the big rocks to the top.  I made it though, having no other choice.  Which was a recurring theme - I could do things if I had to.  There was a reasonably tall gate where I had to ultimately lift my bike over the gate to the other side.  I did it.  Not easily, but I did it.  

The gate (wooden bit) that cannot fit a bicycle - the metal gate is locked

Julie ahead on the Ledmore Traverse

At the bottom of the Fisherfields descent, which we did in the dark and therefore did not ride any of, we stayed in a bothy that was quite primitive with dirt floors.  It was welcome though.  Julie announced her intention to scratch and her plans to return next year with a vengence.  We parted ways in Poolwe and I continued on.  It was sad to leave her as she and I made a pretty good team I thought, but I understood.  (Alan allows you to ride together as long as you are not sharing kit and such).

Julie taking selfie of us

Me at the top of the Devil's Staircase which takes you into Glencoe

The rest of the race was unrelenting both in beauty and difficulty.  Each day included some manner of hike-a-bike and techy single track I'm not able to ride because I am at best advanced-beginner at mountain biking.  It became clear at some point that my aspirations of an 8 day or better finish were not happening without some serious sacrifice of enjoyment.  Nah.  New Danni who was taking care of herself and having fun stopped early to camp outside the Strathcarron Hotel where they had pizza, a shower, and a much enjoyed pint.  I stopped early at a hotel in Ft. William my last night, despite being fairly close to the finish.  I could not bear to camp in the rain.  I had a huge dinner.  I was the only one left out on the course, and was greeted along the way by Hatty Doherty, a fast woman finisher, and the Whisky Trail Angel who gave me a sticker, and at the Glencoe Ski Center, last year's lantern rouge Becky Beale greeted me and lifted my spirits.  She had a recorded message from another rider, Suzi, that made me almost cry.  Suzi had also sent me a song, which was touching.  (Life Boat by Raye - give it a listen).  

Becky!

Five miles from the finish, I was surprised by my friend David Murray (whom I also met last year at Silk Road) who drove down from Kincraig to greet me at the finish.  We rode into the finish where Hatty, the women's winner and third overall Kerry McPhee, and second place Ashley Cordingley were waiting with a finisher's beer.  Again, I was overwhelmed by the kindness and supportiveness of the other riders.  It was a treat to see Hatty again - she is so rad.  And I have such a huge girl crush on Kerry MacPhee she's the consummate sportswoman whose first language is Scottish Gaelic as she comes from the Hebrides.  We all went to the pub for a pint and I went to my hotel and enjoyed a hot bath and the glory of having finished this race even if it took me a full day longer than I had hoped (I finished in 9d12h).     

Left to R - Kerry MacPhee, me, Hatty Doherty 

As I write this nearly a week later, my joints still ache.  I am still tired and wrecked but happy.  What an amazing experience.  I'm grateful that I could spend more than a week in such a beautiful place with such beautiful people.  Reintegration into my normal life is always tricky after an event, and this is no exception.  I don't know what's next for me but I have some ideas.  I'd like to PR in the 5k.  For real.  I think ultra-endurance racing is over for me though I already wish I could return and do this again!

2025 Silk Road Mountain Race

This morning I awoke to the good news that my application to the Highland Trail 550 bikepacking race in Scotland has been accepted.  I realized that I haven't updated this blog to discuss my 2025 Silk Road Mountain Race.  

I wrote an essay that the Idaho Women's Bikepacking Group published on Substack.  I'd republish it here but my perspective on the race has changed a little since soon after the race ended.  I'm feeling much more positive now, whereas I was very disappointed that I did not finish the race - again.  In sum, I rode 940 or so miles of the route and ended my race on day 14 which was somehow only 80% of the course (assuming my math is correct).  

I struggled with what may have been the onset of Shermer's Neck (my neck was burning when I'd try to ride downhill and I couldn't hold a riding position for more than a minute before I'd need to stop and release the stress and stretch).  I think my electrolytes were pretty off as well or something which resulted in me feeling like I was on day 3 or 4 of a 24/7 booze bender stumbling down the Las Vegas strip.  Please note that I've never actually done that (maybe I should), but it's how I imagine I would feel if I did that.  In any event, I was very super disappointed at the time that I didn't finish the race.  

Once I recovered physically and mentally, from both the race and the jetlag that hit me hard, I started to feel good about my effort and the outcome.  Sitting here this morning, I still don't regret missing the last 20% of the course.  I saw a lot and covered a lot of terrain.  I still don't feel like continuing was a reasonable option and I didn't have the time necessary to get a good recovery rest I would have needed to have any hope of finishing the course before my flight home. 

The race was beautiful and I'm proud of all my smart decisions during the race, such as stopping when I was falling asleep on the bike, going further when I felt good, and eating pretty consistently.  Of course, my 50 year old body, never that athletic to begin with, has its limits and I am at peace with that.  I did my best and was lucky enough to enjoy two weeks of riding my bike through one of the most beautiful countries on Earth.  

One of the best things about these races is meeting fantastic people.  I made new friends this year and always enjoy meeting other like-minded folks.

I am fortunate to be able to pursue this hobby and combine ultra endurance turtling with world travel and have a family that is supportive.  I'm excited to head to Scotland in May to tackle another beautiful and challenging race.  This time at lower elevation, shorter distance, and less travel.  Hopefully the whisky trail angels will be there to hand out whisky.  

2025 Thoughts and Plans

 I’ve gotten really bad about updating this.  It’s more of a diary at this point - albeit it public one.  I’ve registered to do the Silk Road Mountain Race again.  I’m not sure if it’s related to soon turning 50, or just feeling suddenly a bit of aging, but my athletic confidence has taken a bit of a hit.  Not that I was ever “confident,” I just don’t recall giving too much thought to what I could or couldn’t do, only whether I was trained at all.  But that never stopped me.  Now it seems I have to really work hard for the same level of mediocrity.  But that’s ok - I’m wiser and have learned some good lessons!  I had some confidence boosters as well.  In late September I did the East Idaho Epic, a 420 mile or so race that I completed just under 4 days.  

I experimented with going significantly lighter with a minimal sleep kit (I was too cold) and wanted to see if my body can handle consecutive long ass days.  It can handle 4 at least.  This was good information.

Just a couple weeks ago I returned to the Fat Pursuit 200k.  It’s “only” 120 or so miles but pretty challenging.  I was super nervous about this one and whether I still have the fortitude to endure in the cold.  It went pretty well and I camped in the cold and finished third woman.

This was a boost to my self confidence as what I learned was that if you keep going you can finish.  Funny that.  Also my friend suggested this self help book (You are a Badass) and there was a lot of woo in it but I decided I need to be more open minded about such things.  As if to prove my point, I had a weird thing happen where I got an unusual burst of “go” energy right around when it turned out my friend Betsy was imagining physically pushing me.  This next 50 years or so of life will be lived with more open mindedness and grace and all that.  I hope.  More immediately I’m going to train and keep balancing it all and I’m going to bring more pizzaz and intention to my athletic mediocrity!

Ascend Armenia (bikepacking)

 

Emily and I raced Ascend Armenia as a pair this summer, and while almost nothing about it went to plan, we had a lovely time.  Armenia is such a beautiful and friendly place - and current events have reminded me of how Armenia continues to prove itself one of the most resilient places in the world.  

We chose this race in large part because it was described in (all capital letters) RIDEABLE.  Spoiler alert: it was not.  In fact, it made Silk Road Mountain Race seem fairly easy in comparison.  (Please note - a lot of effort and love went into planning/organizing this race and I am not criticising the wonderful crew who put this together - it was an inaugural event.  While the reality was a little frustrating and disappointing, I'm not mad or anything).  

Although Ascend Armenia had substantially more climbing per mile than SRMR, and required more miles per day than SRMR to finish in time for the finisher party, Emily and I figured that if the road surface was "rideable," we would manage ok.  With our experience at SRMR as our guide, Emily and I had a solid plan to keep moving, sleep very little, and keep moving.  We both packed much lighter than we have previously and were fit enough to finish.  

DAY 1 (35.43 miles/13:40 elapsed time (about 50 miles behind "schedule"))

The race started in the main square in the Armenian capital of Yerevan.  The race was a big deal, and governement officials made speeches and such.  I cannot recall when it was supposed to start but we started late on a hot late June morning.  I had not realized that my Garmin was rejecting the race route so we were reliant on Emily to navigate.  Day 1 was replete with navigational issues, so it would have probably been helpful to Emily if I were better prepared that day.  The first day was also a long long climb, and very hot.  I usually do fine in the heat but I was feeling pretty unwell.  Essentially, this began the theme of me being proverbial cement blocks on Emily's feet.

Eventually we got pretty high and were navigating through double track that may or may not have matched the GPS route.  Shepherds make and abandon roads each year, so we were told to just use common sense in these areas.  We did our best but lost quite a bit of time trying to figure out where we were supposed to go.  It was beautiful, however.  All of the shepherd camps are guarded by very aggressive and very large dogs, so that's fun.  Fortunately, the stray city dogs were the opposite and were sweet.  

We finally threw our bivies on the ground and tried to sleep around 11:00 p.m.  We were near 10,000 feet and it was cold.  We shivered in our bivies sleeplessly until 4:00 a.m. and got up, made coffee, and headed out to start making up for how woefully behind "schedule" we already were.  We weren't panicking though because we likened it to the first day of SRMR where Jiptik Pass threw off our schedule.  It didn't matter in the end but I knew we *could* have caught up at SRMR if we had only been as experienced and informed as we now were in Armenia.  Day 2 would be a lot of downhil so no problem.  Note that I'm including elapsed time not riding time - my Garmin seems to count pushing as not doing anything at all so "riding time" isn't very accurate in terms of time on the go.  

DAY 2 - (52.82 miles/18:12 elapsed time and no chance of finishing)

We were riding by 5:00 a.m. and anxious to make up the distance needed to finish.  It was still cold so we started the morning in our sleep cozies and down coats.  We continued to probably walk in circles and followed the route to a section that made no sense to us.  I think there was a special view but to our minds it was a side junket that ate a considerable amount of our morning.  When we finally completed the climb, it continued to be slow going.  Why we imagined we would suddenly be on a faster rolling road or something I've no clue.  But this day had some really very steep climbs and was not condusive to making up a lot of miles or even riding the bare minimum average number of miles.  

Looking at my photos I do recall there were some road sections that were rideable.  Yet, we made meager progress on the route.  We did roll that night into a small village with a shop where another racer from Belarus caught us.  He was riding in Crocs and seemed very nice, so we were fine when he decided to escort us to Areni, a wine town where we would not be drinking wine.  After some tired confusion, we found a guesthouse and slept about 4 hours before rallying for another day.

DAY 3 (58.61 miles/13:59 elapsed time)

The ride out of Areni was, in fact, rideable.  Emily was having some bike issues that ate into the day, but who cares we were so behind already.  We had a pretty lovely day that I don't entirely remember, which included a long paved descent that was very beautiful and took us into a canyon which led to the first checkpoint in Jermuk, a very pretty ski town.  Maybe a mile up the nice road headed to Jermuk, Emily stopped abruptly and explained excitedly CRAB!  I looked at the crab but not Emily and crashed right into her.  I fell in some way that I can't recall but that made my wrist hurt very badly - like throw up badly.  I had a sickening rush of adrenaline and tried to wait it out until the pain went away and I could keep riding.  The pain eventually subsided but I couldn't get on my bike.  I couldn't put even the smallest amount of weight on it.  We still had 12 miles to Jermuk.  The road looked glorious - the kind of riding you live for.  Alas, Emily and I walked 12 miles Jermuk with our bikes.  I dug into my ultramarathon experience, where slow miles are common and require a heightened level of zen.  Emily had that in spades, but also had to dig into her patience reserves as she felt fine and I f-ed everything up.  

Emily was such a good sport.  And very patient and kind.  I must have done something really special in a former life to deserve a friend like this.  She would have been in her rights to just leave me.  But of course she wouldn't do that because she's my friend. 

We rolled into Jermuk around 1:00 a.m., exactly the time we anticipated, and were greeted by our Belarussian friend and a new Russian friend with a charceuterie type spread with nuts, amazing apricots, lavash, and waters.  

DAY 4 - ZERO DAY

I figured I just neede a day to let my wrist heal (turns out it was broken though) so we took a day off and drank beer and ate ice cream.  We greeted our new Australian friend Lauren as she came into CP1 and pretty much parked ourselves outside the hotel all day like old men.  

Emily and I discussed our next steps and I was adamant I wanted to keep riding.  I had a better splint/wrap situation and would make do.  Emily convinced me that riding really rough terrain was a bad idea and noted that she would have to do a lot for me that she didn't have the bandwidth to do if we followed the race route.  So, instead, we came up with a more paved route to the next town on the race route.  However, despite knowing we weren't going to finish and having accepted this, not continuing on the route and having to scratch was a weirdly tougher pill to swallow.  It was an official act of throwing in the towel and we did not like it not one bit.  My guilt at having gutted Emily's race was pretty intense.  This is the main reason I'm not so sure about racing as a pair.  You are so dependent on your partner and responsible if you are the weak link.  Ugh.

DAY 5 (72.01 miles/11:53 elapsed)

We left at a civil hour of the morning and begin our journey towards Martuni on Lake Sevan.  My splint (made of cardboard and ice cream/popcicle sticks), to my relief, was strong enough to allow me to get on my bike.  Both my friends Corinne (doc) and Shana (PT) gave me good ideas for moving forward.  We just circumnavigated around a tough hike-a-bike on the race route by riding road through gorgeous landscape.  Before long we were back on the race route and it was fantastic.  

We enjoyed a long road climb to this silk road caravenserai, which was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life.  Here is the wiki:

Orbelian's Caravanserai (Armenian: Օրբելյանների Քարվանսարա; also known as Sulema Caravanserai and Selim Caravanserai, Armenian: Սելիմ), is a caravanserai in the Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia. It was built along the Vardenyats Mountain Pass (also known as the Selim Mountain Pass) in 1332, by prince Chesar Orbelian to accommodate weary travelers and their animals as they crossed from, or into, the mountainous Vayots Dzor region. Located at the southern side of Vardenyats Mountain Pass at a height of 2,410 metres (7,910 ft) above sea level, Orbelian's Caravanserai is the best preserved caravanserai in the entire country.

A man let us sample his "vodka" and we purchased the most delicious fruit lavash (fruit leather) with honey and nuts.  We had a wonderful day and eventually made it to Martuni on Lake Sevan.  Although we appeared pretty late the proprieter whipped together a feast for us.  We ate well everywhere we went.  I could do a whole post just about the food.  Let's just say it's phenomenal and we were never underfed.  

 DAY 6 (65.5 miles/10:00ish elapsed) 

On this day we road around Lake Sevan to CP2, a little beachy resorty spot.  The riding was fairly easy, and we sort of lollygagged our way to CP2.  We stopped for a full lunch and shared a bottle of wine.  Neither Emily nor I are typically into white wine, but Armenian whites are perfection.  Crisp and dry.

At CP2, we were able to rent a cabin which we shared with Lauren.  Lauren was going to ride the route as long as possible (as was our initial plan) and we all enjoyed some beers and revelry.  

DAY 7 LAST DAY OF RIDING (38.43/4:35 elapsed)

We followed a fairly random route back to Dilijan, where the finish line was, and it varied from beautiful and amazing to confusing and weird.  We tried to use that "common sense" we heard about and managed to make our way to the finish in good time.  We found a great guesthouse where the owner promptly got us super drunk and found our people.  The rest was vacation stuff and a great time was had.  

MISCELLANEOUS

People were always giving us stuff and were so friendly.  We didn't have a single negative encouter and were struck by how instinctively defensive we are.  Essentially, we were probably very rude seeming at times.  We are not proud of this.  Assuming people are out to get you is a hard habit to break and is an unfortunate one.  All told, we were offered and accepted many perfect apricots, cherries, lots of booze, and were offered but very rudely turned down an entire salted fish retrieved from the offeror's trunk.  We learned refusing an offer is very bad form and feel bad in hindsight.  Armenia is a beautiful country replete with a great people and rich culture.  Somehow the people perservere despite the incessent violence perpetrated against them throughout history.  I don't have enough good things to say about Armenia. 

I think maybe a quarter to a third of the field finished, with the winner taking nearly the entire allotted week, and no women finished.  Emily and I laughed that the sole "pro" woman was barely hitting our planned schedule before she scratched.  If the race happens in 2024 (probably dependent on the current state of agression/horribleness against Armenia), the course should be more manageable in 2024.  The organizers did not intend it to be some sort of "hardest race in the world" situation.  It's possible that I'll return though it's hard to say until I see the course.  I'm not sure what to do in 2024 but I do know I'm going to return to SRMR in 2025 as a 50th birthday present to myself.    

Bikepacking the Scottish Highlands

Near the end of my visit with Jill this December in Colorado we started talking adventure and the need to plan one.  Though our conversation had largely revolved around Antarctica, a place we would both like to adventure though this may be more fantasy than reality given the incredible expense and logistical difficulty involved, Scotland came up as a place Jill would like to visit.  I had not yet been there, but eagerly jumped on this idea, having recently befriended Scottish Barry in Kyrgyzstan.  While Barry was unable to ride with us, he put together this route and it was absolutely phenomenal.  Amber came with us and the three of us made a good trio for the adventure.  We encountered every kind of track imaginable, all the while avoiding much in the way of vehicle traffic.  There are networks of "ways" and cycling routes that seem to connect everything and highlight the beautiful scenery and lovely towns.  We also lucked out with weather, which was mostly sunny and perfect.  That did make for a few very cold nights, but it was well worth seeing the countryside under blue bird skies.  

DAY 1 -- INVERNESS TO LOCH NESS VIA GREAT GLEN WAY   

Amber and I did not get our bikes until the day after we arrived, so we started riding a bit late on Sunday.  Our journey took us into the Inverness City Center and then through the throngs of tourists through lovely riverside parks and cross islands.  We quickly met up with the Great Glen Way, the first of a well established trail/route that showed off some spectacular landscape.  This section featured lovely forest and views of Loch Ness.  (As an aside, although I just got home yesterday, the days blur together a bit so don't take any of the photo placement as gospel that they're where I think they are or were taken when I think they were.  I could use the photo metadata to be accurate but that's not really how I roll :p)

Urquhart Castle - the remains of an important medieval castle

DAY 2 -- CONTINUE ON THE GREAT GLEN WAY TO THE EAST HIGHLAND WAY

"Stone Chair"

We continued following Loch Ness until the busy tourist town of Fort Augustus and began following the East Highland Way.  The landscape eventually became less forested and more open.  

DAY 3 - FERSIT TO BLAIR ATHOLL VIA DALWHINNIE

I had booked a distillery tour at Dalwhinnie for Tuesday fairly early -- it was the only time available.  So, being the slowest of the group and the only person that interested in whisky, I packed up extra early to make my way over the next faint single track section.  Navigation was a bit of a challenge and it ended up taking me quite a while.  Though Amber left a couple hours after I did, she caught me once I finally figured out a good track to get us where we needed to go.  Jill followed a much sportier route, which was the official route we were supposed to follow.  I chose to follow a seemingly easier route that was probably only marginally easier.  This section took a long time and we missed the tour but were able to do the sampling nonetheless.

You can see the track.  It was pretty boggy and wet.  I had my first crash on this section and horribly bruised my tailbone or something.

The whisky tasting was fun.  

DAY 4 - BLAIR ATHOLL TO CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK 

This day saw one of the top lovliest rides of my entire lifetime through Glen Tilt.  It was idyllic.  I felt nothing but joy in cruising through this landscape, warm under the sun, enjoying every second.  The road turned to single track which I hiked a lot of -- not wanting to repeat my earlier crash.  I'm not that great on single track to begin with, much less on a fully loaded bike.

Jill Homer took this photo

There were interesting ruins along the way

Also a Jill Homer photo

Red House Bothy

Although the timing did not work out to sleep in a bothy, we rode past several lovely bothies which are essentially public huts that anyone can stop to stay in.  Scotland has incredible public access laws and infrastructure.  Evidently resources such as fish and hunting are private, unlike in the US, but the access definitely beats the US.

After the Red House our track took us through very boggy and very challenging terrain.  It was beautiful but not especially rideable and took us a long time.  We finally found a place to camp that was dry and it was beautiful.  We had been hoping to make it to the next bothy, but it was a good choice to just camp here.  We were on vacation, afterall.  No need to push past our limits.

DAY 5 - GLEN FESHIE TO LOCH EINICH 

Poshest Bothy in Scotland

Our fifth day took us to Aviemore, which had a Tesco, our new favorite grocery store, and then rode to camp at Loch Einich.  This was tied with Glen Tilt as one of the most beautiful and lovely rides of my life.  The photos don't do any of this much justice.  It was an enjoyable climb to a gorgeous place that we had all to ourselves.  At one point in the night I peeked out of my bivy to see if there were northern lights, and I saw an incredible sky full of stars that rivaled any night sky I've seen.

DAY 6 - LOCH EINICH TO THE DAVA WAY VIA GRANTOWN ON SPEY

On this day we rode by a bothy that my family had walked to in December in a blizzard.  Needless to say this was a more pleasant experience.  We had a sunny lunch here and chatted with a Scottish couple who wanted to know what our disappointments had been and what our criticisms were of Scotland.  "The service?  The food?"  Though we did learn restaurant experiences might take a bit longer at times than we are accustomed to, we told them we found everything to be great and had no complaints at all.  

I'm in love with cooeys - this one at Castle Roy likes his head scratched

the remains of Castle Roy - another castle from the 1300s

We spent some time in the old cemetery near Castle Roy, and I was struck by the number of WWI casualties from this small area.  We had been discussing, relative to walking through wet boggy areas and having wet feet, how soldiers would spend so much time wet and cold in trenches being shot at and how our lot are likely not hearty enough to even comprehend this existence.  It was a bit heartbreaking to see all the fallen Highlanders in this one small cemetery.  

DAY 7 - THE DAVA WAY BACK TO INVERNESS

We stopped at Brodie Castle before our return to Inverness.  The next scheduled tour was not for awhile so we just checked it out.  The remainder of our ride was through rolling farmland and featured the most adorable little baby lambs ever.  

This day also took us to Nairn, which is on the sea, which was where we enjoyed lunch.  The weather was starting to deteriorate so we decided to go ahead and get back to Inverness.  

So cute!!!!

Inverness Castle (Amber and Jill)

This was a phenomenal trip.  Highly recommend.  I imagine there are also other routes one could follow in Scotland and there are of course routes on Bikepacking.com that look neat, such as a new "Pictish Trail" route.  If anyone has questions please reach out.  This was a fantastic holiday!!!