Some of my Mountain Day

[bennie2]

I've started to write a piece about my mountain climbing trip last weekend... I'll post the rest after I fuck around with it a bit... sorry, after I edit it a bit. yes.

The drive from Glasgow to Glen Etive was as scenic and picturesque as one would expect of a west highland drive. As soon as we were out of the built up outskirts of the city, the grass and trees and fresh air came rushing out to meet us. An elegant morning breeze bristled the blades of grass; each one of which stood proud and independent in their little mound of dirt, roots mingling together to form the strength, foundations and structure of their green society of mud. Trees appear more elegant, more at ease in a countryside setting. Not for them is this mixing with concrete and glass. They sway gently, some. Others hold their ground and move for no one or thing. Their strength is an impressive history of quiet muscular century. The sky appeared as a still blue window above us. A cloudless mirror holding infinity and smiling down on the nature he nurtures with his tears, his arms and his soothing songs. Rain and sun and wind.

Stewart, our driver and experienced climber, our Sherpa for the day pointed out a small clearing in the woods by the side of the road either just before or just after Loch Lomond’s shores. In the clearing their stood a rock. One wide, tall rock. In the rock was carved an alcove big enough for a man to stand in. Stewart told us that, centuries ago, this village didn’t have a church. So they carved a pulpit (the alcove) in the rock and the villagers gathered around in front of their priest to hear the mass. Such a beautiful picture was planted in my head. A congregation outdoors, gathered around the stage to hear what god had to say for himself that day. Stewart wasn’t sure why they didn’t have a church. In the Highlands people liked to burn down churches. If this was circa 1560, i.e. circa the Protestant Reformation of the church it’d make sense not to build a catholic place of worship. But it could also simply be the case that a small village just couldn’t afford an actual church. Some people just don’t have the earthly means to worship a god.

We continued up. The landscape grew more beautiful, more untamed. The sky grew bigger and the rocks of the earth reached up to meet him. One or two white fluffy clouds and a gentle breeze. A kick of frost on the back of the breeze. Fresh spring air and a Scottish morning. Stewart and John had both told me of a car par. The car park with one of the best views in the world apparently. Stewart parked up for a few minutes to see if I could get a shot of a Stag with his harem of does. Unfortunately they were too far off. It was a real pleasure and a strange sort of honour to spot such grand wildlife at all. I was looking out over brown land at deer in their natural environment. I wondered about the wolves and other wildlife that used to roam these lands. To my right as I looked out stood one of Scotland’s most famous and majestic mountains; the Buachaille Etive Mòr. A perfect mountain shape. A pyramid more ancient than any in Africa.

Closing in on our destination we stopped off at a place called the Big Green Welly Shop or something like that. We each had a piss and then a laugh at the tourist tat for sale. Little furry haggises wrapped in tartan ribbon, stupid pipers in clear plastic tubes and Royal Stewart tartan kilts. The only appealing gifts to buy were in a glass display case – various single malts from various local distilleries. The stop was followed by another 30 to 40 minutes in the car before we arrived at a roadside car park big enough for five or six cars situated in the glen itself.

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John edited Stewarts movie clips together to make a sort of Pathe Newsreel style vid. using Windows Movie Maker:
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[westcoast]

wonderous! you took me there with you, bennie. the improv video is a hoot

~westie

[Arcadia]

hey..!!!!!!! great, bennie!!!!!!! It looks like a mix of documentary-news from the forties and silent movies from the twenties-thirties!!!!!!!! and you sound sooo british!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing and felicitaciones!!!!!!!

[mtmynd]

((can i..?))

[Dave The Dov]

BRAVO!!!! Where on Youtube can I find it???? I want to save it in my favorites over there!!!! Come on Sherpa Bennie there's Yum - Yums for you at the top!!!! I would put this with Robert Frank's "Pull My Daisy".
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[stilltrucking]

Thank you

[WIREMAN]

loved it bennie....real cool flick.......