While studying abroad in Glasgow the International Society put together a trip to the Isle of Arran. It was a really lovely weekend. First of all the weather on the first day, by far, was the nicest any of us had seen since we'd arrived in Glasgow. It was February but we spent the day hiking in t-shirts. My friends and I ended up at the far side of the island when night started to fall, halfway through a hike to King's Cave. It was beautiful, it was easy to get distracted:
We finished the hike but missed the bus back to the hostel where we were to spend the night. February isn't exactly the peak of tourist season so we knew there wouldn't be another bus for awhile, if at all. We decided to walk. By the time we arrived at the hostel we were exhausted, dehydrated, and famished. Dinner was postponed one half-hour (twice). For consolation we were given a fifth of local whisky, a few bottles of Arran Ale, and a case of wine. This may have played some role in what happened next.
Like I said, it was the off-season. The hostel wasn't actually open for business at all, the International Society had stuck some deal with the owners. The town around the hostel was so still, deserted. Out the window we could see Lochranza Castle. It looked so romantic! The back wall crumbled as we watched it, the moon was full and its reflection glittered in the water around the castle.
I don't remember who started running toward the water but there must have been a dozen of us by the time we got to that crumbling wall. I do know that Harry and I reached the water first. We grinned at each other and charged full-force ahead, preparing ourselves for the icy shock.
The shock shocked us! It was not the water we experienced next but a short tumble down a jagged rock wall. Harry's thick Australian skin left him relatively unscathed but my leg looked like this:
The scrapes I could handle but by the next day my ankle was the size of a softball. It probably didn't help matters that I continued to hike on it. When I finally sought medical attention the doctor couldn't believe that nothing was broken or fractured.
Moral: I am invincible. Also I now know when it's going to rain. If this grad school thing doesn't work out, I can always market myself as a weather girl.
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