IN THE SCOTS LANGUAGE, a bourach is defined variously as a small hill or mound, a muddle, a disorganised heap, a mess or a state of confusion. It can also be a group of people, or a small, humble house.
It’s a good word to include in a hillwalking magazine. And as the first words of this article appear on a blank screen in front of me, are deleted and rewritten several times over, it suits my state of mind well. How to distil into words and images the sensory diversity of a few days and nights out in the mountains? What’s my angle, my theme, my focus?! So many things happened, and all seemed valuable… but now I need to cut to the chase and deliver a single Moral of the Story?
A strong narrative is a laudable aim, but I sometimes wonder if readily digestible soundbites and pithy elevator pitches might not always serve us so well. Hiking and backpacking are not sports. Not in the least. They are compound activities. We endeavour to become expert generalists, not thoroughbreds, not specialists. Hillwalking requires and helps develop a massive range of skills and interests. What we do is about fitness and exercise, how to look after ourselves and each other in all kinds of weather and over all kinds of terrain, about knowing where we are and where we
