Due to the increasing number of entries concerning hillwalking in Scotland, the possible increase in hitchhikers means that a seperate entry on preperations has become important. Scotland is quite a small country, however, everybody¹ is concentrated in to the bottem third of the land. Whilst good for wildlife, walking and other activities in the north it means that if a hitchhiker gets into trouble there may be no-one around for miles and miles and miles.

This lack of people means that the most important thing that can be taken out is the right attitude. The first thing a hitchhiker must realise is that once out in the wilds death is easy. Nothing owes it to them to keep them alive, the hills and streams cannot care less if they fall down a gully and break their ankle. Nothing is going to help them try and climb out, with the bits of bone poking through the skin, desperatly trying to climb above the rising level of the burn² while their shivering, battered body vainly tries to fight off the effects of hypothermia and blood loss. Nothing is going to patch them up. No-one is going to help them fend of the crows and the foxes that will eat them alive once they are too weak to fend them off. No-one to stop the scavangers going for the soft spots - the eyes, open wounds and the anus being perennial favorites with them³.

The Right Attitude

The right attitude in the Highlands could save your life. The most important thing is to realise that the mountain will always be there⁴ so you can try it again. You are not invincible, if the cloud starts lowering be prepared to abandon the attempt, the mountain will not be impressed when you manage to reach the summit in howling gales and driving rain. It will not be impressed when you go over the cliffs edge because you were blinded when the gale blew snow into your eyes. It will not be impressed when the rescue dogs dig your stiff, frozen carcass out of the bog. You can always come back.

If you have the correct attitude, it goads you into doing several things. The best thing that the correct attitude makes you do is plan carefully. It makes you plan everything carefully - the route, the equipment, the backup - everything. The following is just a guide to what to do and take. It may have to be adapted for your particular walk. Another item that the correct attitude will allow is the honest assessment of your own level of fitness, and so the true amount of time needed for the length of the walk. If in doubt go out for a five mile walk and see how you do. Use this as a guide to choose walks that are possible. If you cannot manage to walk five miles on a relativly flat area, there is no way that you will be able to climb Ben Nevis.

Planning

This could be the longest section of the whole expedition, especially if you are trying to get a group of people together. The first thing to do is to decide where you are going. Everything then stems from that choice. It decides how long the trek will take, the best time of year to tackle the route, the equipment that will be needed, how to get to the start of the walk, who will need to be told where you are climbing and when you are due back.

The final item in that list is possibly the most important. Once you are ready to go, you must tell someone where you are going, and when you will return. This simple measure could save your life. Nobody will look for you if nobody knows you are missing. The best ones to tell are probably your family, if you are able to contact them soon after you finish your climb. If there is no phones where you are staying then your family might not be the best. Use your uncommen wisdom when choosing which people to tell. If you are staying at a hostel or hotel, then the people there will look out for you if you let them know.

Equipment

The right equipment is what allows you to complete your walk comfortably and safely. What you take, and the exact amount, is determined by the particular walk you are doing, the time of year and if you are walking alone, or not. The following are must have items, even for easy, single day, busy, summer walks.

The Basics

This is the minimum that should go with you, and only when the walk is fairly easy and fairly busy.

• 1. A good pair of boots⁵
• 2. A waterproof jacket.
• 3. A map of the area you are in - preferably Ordanance Survey 1:50,000.
• 4. Some vittles - A couple of sandwiches, a packet of biscuits, a couple of packets of chewy sweeties
• 5. Some water - at least a litre
• 6. A good compass
• 7. A signalling device - a whistle, a flashlight and possibly a mobile phone⁶
• 8. A small first aid kit - Plasters, bandages, sunblock, pain killers
• 9. Warm clothing, and a spare change of it.⁷
• 10. A good bag to carry the above, when not in use - A rucksack or big satchel would be ideal
• 11. Tissues or a hankerchief, a streaming nose is no fun on the hilltop.
• 12. The ubiquetous towel :)

More than the Basics...

The above is acceptable only on the easiest of walks. If you are planning a trip alone, out of peak season, off the beaten path, or where there is lots of difficult terrain, then you will need more. For trips like these you will need a lot more. If you do not have the following, or at least most of the following, and you have to be rescued, then the Mountain Rescue will not be happy bunnies.

Now you may think that everyone going on a hill-walking trip will take most of these. This is not the case. A large percentage of people who come up to the Highlands, and decide to go walking, have not a clue about what they are about to embark on. Others take the risk, knowing full well what they are up against, see the 'Loonies' section within the Ben Nevis for a selection of what can be expected.

• 1. A walking stick, or possibly a ski pole.
• 2. A set of flares.
• 3. A sleeping bag.
• 4. A tent.
• 5. A small gas stove, or another way to brew up.
• 6. Tea, to brew up with⁸
• 7. Some food to be cooked, but could be eaten raw.
• 8. Another change of clothes, or at least underwear.

Winter Equipment

Some hitchhikers, once they have escaped their psychiatric ward, decide that they want to climb a hill in winter. Now winter conditions can be found in Scotland, and especially on hilltops, between October and March. For these conditions you need even more kit. You will also need to knop how to read a map, and use a compass, in very poor visibility. Hitchhikers deciding to do this, do this at not only their own risk, but at the risk of the mountain rescue service as well. As well as all of the above, you will need the following.

• 1. An ice axe
• 2. Waterproof trousers
• 3. Crampons
• 4. A shovel
• 5. A hat and gloves
• 6. Experience - as always the most important thing

Some Things to Bear in Mind

• Due to Sol III's axial tilt the daylight in the higher latitudes can last a long time, with effective daylight lasting well beyond 21:00 hours throughout most of north Scotland during June and July.

• On the other hand, the axial tilt causes short days during December and January. With it getting dark well before 17:00 hours in most places, and in some areas it will start getting dark not long after 15:30

• Mobile phones are a good idea, but beware that reception in the middle of nowhere is often not up to scratch. That being said for the extra 350grams that it is, it is worth taking along - Several people have had their lives saved by them.

• The weather can be extremely changable, and it can change very quickly. Though it may be a nice day when you start out it can quickly become clagged in², or very windy, rain or sleet, or even snow. It is entirely possible to get all four seasons in one day. So prepare.

• Start early. The earlier you start the better. Make sure you are at the bottem of the hill and ready by, at the latest, 09:00 hours. This means that you have plenty of daylight if things go wrong and less chance of having to spend a night on the hill.

• Alcohol - of vital importance on a hillwalk, however moderation is the key. A hipflask should be taken, and a decent drink inserted. Glayva or Appelkorn are a couple of good choices. This is not used to get guttered, a swig every hour or so enables a quick rest stop, calms aching limbs and picks you up in general. I would not recommend lots of it if there are dangerous sections on your walk - long ways to fall, cliffs to climb etc.

• Water is almost everywhere in Scotland, and this natural resource can be made to work for you. You can refill smaller bottles on most walks, rather than carrying larger bottles all the way. Not all water is safe to drink, the water you should use is burn water. Fast flowing, clear water, that is running across rock, or stones⁹. Make sure there isn't a dead sheep 100 yards up stream, but other than that this will be safe to drink. And it will possibly be the best water you have ever tasted.

• The most important skill to master is map reading. That icludes with a compass. You should be able to give a six figure map reference of where you are. This will pinpoint you to an area of 100 yards or so. The mountain rescue will value this, and when they can get a hitchhiker off the hill quickly, the hitchhiker will too.