Stroanpatrick+Sanquhar July 12+13

I think I lost a day somewhere but after a day like today, I couldn't begin to remember.  It was navigational hell, getting lost again and again and again in high, lumpy, wet grass on which, when you take a step, you don't know how far down your foot will go or how boggy the ground will be.

The countryside in the early morning:

And sheep enjoying the countryside after the cloud has lifted:

Moss for Alex's living room wall:

A suspension bridge with some real swing!  Crossing it was the highlight of the 18 mile day!

Area of getting lost.  It looks tamer than it is.  Really.The other areas of getting lost looked pretty much the same, which is why I got lost! 

For tomorrow I have a new navigational scheme.  I hope it works!!  It is an eighteen and a half mile day without getting lost.  Today's was 15 + 3 extra.  Seriously, the landscape is so vast and the paths barely perceptible—herein to be referred to as BPPs, or else invisible, and, to add to the frustration, cattle knock over sign posts, so it is said.  Without a doubt, this is the most navigationally challenging walk I have ever done.  If it were raining, well, I can't even begin to think how these sections would be possible.

Oh, I have to tell you about the grocery store in St. John Town of Dalry. (Is that a name or what!) I was all excited that there was one.  It shares space with the Post Office.  The store sells milk and a couple of other dairy products, lots of junk food, oranges, apples, a few purple onions (for colour?) and, if you ask, the lady will go the frig in the back room where there is:  one head of iceberg lettuce, one cucumber, which, we both admitted had to go, a couple of tomatoes pale pinkish, and broccoli.  And there were a few loaves of bread and canned goods.  However, said lady told me that Thursday (the next day) she would be getting a delivery.  Now I was really excited.  On return, kicked off boots, put on shoes, slung green shopping sack over my shoulder and headed down the hill to see what had come in.  There was one fresh cucumber (I bought half; you can do that here.) five heads of iceberg lettuce, and the rest of the inventory was pretty much the same.

New navigational scheme—checking waypoints in instructions against the ones I already made— was helpful, signage was better, but route was brutal.  Lots of climbing through tall, wet grass that has you soaked in five minutes, but was better able to follow BPPs.  However, boots not waterproof.  Can't believe it!  They are a new pair of the ones I had last year, which did not admit one drop of water through the worst, unceasing rain. These soaked through in half an hour and I had just waxed them last night, y todo.  Annoying, very!  And the water makes them very very heavy.

What vast looks like:

Completely out of nowhere:

A little more vastness:

And that is enough of wide open spaces after a nineteen and a half mile day.  Quite demanding.  Fortunately, the rain held off until I was close to destination and almost out of the BPPs issue for the day.