Everything was absolutely copacetic with Drymen camping. The kitchen area was protected from the rain and midges stayed away. We had some dinner with a hiker we met from Hong Kong. It was good conversation hearing about Hong Kong.
The next morning we fell into our routine. The tent, sleeping pads, quilts, and clothes went into one waterproof duffel. The food went into the other one. Both duffels then went into the AMS shed. We then did our breakfast in the common area. We started talking to the Swiss couple. Definitely “food for thought” regarding traveling outdoors for over 800 days on a bike. They would soon return to Bern, get a flat, some jobs and start planning their next trip. We wished each other safe travels and headed up the road in different directions.
Using the baggage service was already working out nicely. With less weight in our packs we could hike much faster and not be in a time bind.
The rain was due to start around noon. We made it to conic hill right before it started. So, we got to take pictures and visit the Trossachs national park office. The midges were kicking it up around the park office and people had head nets on.
The discussion amongst hikers was the dismissal forecast for the next few days. A strong low pressure system was about to park over the UK and bring rain and cold from both east and west. We were in for the first wave off the North Atlantic.
On the upside we were also entering the stretch of trail along Loch Lomond through Trosachs national park. This area is natural Scottish temperate rain forest. Characterized by oak, Rowan, ferns, mosses, and many wildflowers. It seemed fitting that it would be raining here.
These forest lived up to all my expectations. The morphology of these large natural oaks is unique. They have many branches and are covered from top to bottom with green moss. The sights, sounds, and feeling of walking through this forest is hard to describe.
As we got to our campsite at Sallochy in the national park, it started to rain in ernest and the midges were swarming. This was going to put the equipment to the test. We grabbed our duffels and set up the tent. I also set up the thermacell bug repeller. Unfortunately, the midges did not respond to the thermacell. It works for mosquitoes, but not midges.
The tent went up well. We upgraded our tarp tent stratosphire to a solid liner for the Scottish weather. The solid liner was making a big difference in how dry we were staying. Any condensation was not going through the liner.
The other equipment success was the Mountain Hardware camp4 duffels. They got poured on relentlessly and the contents stayed dry. So, between all our stuff being in dyneema dry bags, the camp4 duffels, and the tent vestibules nothing got wet. It poured all night and in the morning too. Round 1 of
The storm.
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