We started the climb at about 10:00am on the 28th of September 2021. It was a sunny day, sunnier than the previous days actually. The sky was blue and the clearest that it has been since we arrived in Scotland.
Off we go to Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK.
The first 30 minutes was a breeze. I felt energised and excited of what was on top. I have read from countless articles that the views up there are amazing. And I’ve been to a few summits before, so the views were what I was looking forward to see.
Then came the gradual ascent. At first, I thought, ‘Hmm, this is unusual. I have never been this tired in my first 30 minutes of walk’. But it’s alright, I can do it. A few sips of water, a quick 2 minute rest and I’m ready to go again.
I took a lot of pictures in the next few minutes: the mountains and hills, the valley and the hostel, even the water cascading. I felt elated. I’ve not been outdoors for a really long time.
Another hour of walking (and complaints in between), we reached one of the first pit stops. I felt tired, really tired. My heart was pounding, I was sweating despite the cold temperature and I could feel my knees hurting. Surely this wasn’t right? It took me a few minutes to convince to go on.
Another hour has passed and I can really feel the pain. I only felt this when I’m going downhill before. So it was unusual for me to feel my knees hurting while going uphill. I continued complaining and asked my boyfriend to take my bag. I took off my coat and used my walking poles.
It hurt a lot. My knees were trembling. At this point, we were already at the stony part where the rocks were bigger and moving my legs was a nightmare. I had to stop every 5 minutes as my knees were screaming. Every moment was torture and I can only apologise to my knees after.
But still we persevered. We stopped when I needed to and let other walkers pass us by. I took loads of pictures to commemorate the extremely tiring walk I signed myself into.
After five hours we reached the top. It was the most rewarding of all my climbs so far. It was sunny and and foggy and windy. But it was beautiful up there. We were rewarded with only a few minutes of clear view of the terrains below but I was fine with it. I was only happy I made it and I didn’t give up.
We went to a secluded spot near the edge for our quick late lunch. I was already getting nervous as it was becoming too foggy and the way down us becoming less and less visible. So I decided, we will only have a quick lunch. Little did I know, I was in for a big surprise.
I will spare you the details (as it might be a post for another day) but my boyfriend asked me to marry him. There were no long messages, no kneeling down on one knee, just a question and my response. He popped the champagne open and yes, we were engaged!
There was no long celebration at the summit of Ben Nevis. I was, as I always say when I tell this story, stressed and worried we might not be able to get back down before sunset. My only thoughts, even after being engaged at the highest mountain in the UK, were to get back safe and sound, before sunset. And that’s what we did. We sped through our hike down, taking even the most dangerous shortcuts.
It took us 5.5 hours to hike up and only 2 hours and a bit to go down. To me that was a feat. This is definitely the most memorable hike I’ve ever done.
I am still over the moon. Looking back, I was about to give up, ready to go back down when he asked me to decide, once and for all, if I wanted to continue our hike. I hesitated a lot of times, but I persevered (and I’m glad I did). One friend told me, our engagement at the top of a mountain represented a lot of how we are as a couple and what we’ve been through. It was definitely a struggle but because at least one of use never gave up, we made it. And our engagement does not necessarily mean no more struggles nor arguments in our relationship, but it is a milestone. I’m just glad I never gave up.
Photos from our hike ⬇️
Junieper 
0 comments on “A memorable hike to Ben Nevis”