I woke up to more rain but it didn't last. Maybe the improved weather was just delayed a bit and today would be drier.

I completed the morning rituals and rapidly put the farm behind me. I passed a few early risers on the road and in the forest. Garadhban Forest had some logging going on near the trail and there was an annoying detour that added about a mile to the route. The trail/road was very soggy in spots too. My feet were wet but at least there wasn't rain. In fact after I exited the forest the clouds began to lift and we all were presented with good views of Loch Lomond.

Loch Lomond is a long lake that I will be beside for at least another day. It depends whether I make a side trip to hike up Ben Lomond or not. The trail almost climbed to the summit of Conic Hill and that is where some of my best pictures are from. There is a short side trail to the top but I passed on that since the top was in the clouds. I was glad to be using my trekking poles on the slippery mud and grass on the way down the other side. There were some close calls.

All of a sudden I popped into the visitor center parking lot at Balmaha. I only mention this because I finally swapped out my ragged and faded yellow ball cap for a newer model. The old one was bought in a street market in Machachi, Ecuador to replace my much loved black Newegg.com hat that blew off during a climb of Rucu Pichincha. Today it was unceremoniously tossed into the rubbish. Now I have an official WHW hat that is all synthetic. Sweet.

The walk along the lake was nice and the trail was squishy. There isn't too much more to add besides the sailboat race that I watched for a bit. This area is a popular destination during the summer and there were lots of tourists around enjoying the great outdoors.

I wasn't sure whether to camp again or stay in the hostel. Since I would like to go up Ben Lomond as a side trip tomorrow I decided to ask about the weather at the hostel and make my decision then. The clerk told me to expect the same as today so it looks like I won't be getting any views from the top. Had I been doing that I would have camped next to the start of the ascent trail and gone up with a small daypack in the morning. Instead I'm drying out my clothes and journalling at a table with a great view across the lake. I'm sharing a four bunk room with the same Scottish father-son pair that I camped next to last night.