I went to stay in a lovely hotel for a couple of nights with the wonderful man I'm together with.
We went with the aim of climbing one of the snowy hills/mountains up in the north of Scotland.
We didn't quite make it to the top, but got to over 2,000 feet. Conditions further up and at the top were quite harsh and there's not much daylight here at the moment (sunrise at 8.30am, sunset at 3.30pm up north). So we made a decision to stop where we were, enjoy how far we'd got for a bit and then head back down.
It was my first winter/snow climb so I felt happy and safe with our decision. Had I had more experience, I might have been happy pressing on, but for where I was at, I felt like I had already achieved a lot and learnt a lot.
I had the most amazing time. I've come to understand how much I enjoy pushing myself hard. I've done it in the past, intellectually - which is the way that's come most obviously and naturally to me. I've never had much confidence in my own physical abilities, so I've never really tested that side of myself. But I've now come to understand that I really enjoy testing my physical abilities as well, and pushing myself hard on that front as well.
Of course, it helps that the wonderful man I'm with is very much about pushing himself hard. He's done that his entire life and is **extremely** fit. He's never had much chance and opportunity to develop his intellectual and creative side though, although he is incredibly intelligent and soaks up information like a sponge. So we're very much mirror images of each other in this way.
Two days from our walk/climb and I'm still recovering from it. But I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was absolutely amazing knowing we were in the middle of nowhere, the only two people on the hill/mountain and larking around on the snow up there.
