Off the beaten tracks
Went and got my storm chips, because there’s a nor’easter coming through overnight. I mean, not that I’m going to leap from my bed and throw open the shutters, but if the urge to munch and crunch comes over me… my dietary penance is already done. I had fresh fruit for supper, so any lapse will be fair.
It’s fun to watch the preparations for winter weather. The local TV station has apprised us of the risks, and the cancellation bulletins are already posted. Tomorrow will not be a “go to town” day. Instead, I’ll be either getting set to attack the drifts with a suite of shovels, or I’ll be laughing this off as overkill.
This afternoon, while digging around in the video archives, I found a BBC documentary titled Bothy Life, which showed off the accommodations available to those who leave the beaten paths in Scotland. I was familiar with a trad band called Bothy, and figured this might be something akin.
The soundtrack was excellent, but the subject had nothing to do with music. Rather, it seems that Scotland has some rugged back country, and to keep hikers (and cyclists) sheltered, there is a network of close to a hundred old farmhouses and cabins that are open to anyone who arrives at the door. No five star comfort here; at best, a fireplace and running water. Still, I’m going to keep the coordinates of the Mountain Bothies Association on file, in case I ever get really lost in that part of the world. You never know, right?
