Backpacking in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Photo Essay

Fantastic – I love the contrasts of the moorland bleakness to the rich green forests… of the blue skies to the grey… all typical Scotland!

Can something be done to fix this article's formatting when viewed in Firefox (ver 3.0.7)? It is just a series of thumbnails on the right side of the browser within a narrow column of text. It is no better in IE 6 sp3.

Thanks

Michael, click on the first thumbnail and you can then view the images in succession in a larger size with the captions.

Tried on 2 PC, with three monitors and there is definately a formatting issue.

Chris, great photos. I love reading these "trip reports". It's neat to see all the different landscapes out there. One question, what's with all the water (3 'platipi' by your tent)? Were there no reliable sources?

Steven, glad you liked the report. Thanks. There were two reasons for all the water. Firstly although there is more than enough water in the valley and on the flanks of the mountain there isn't much high up so if I'd camped near the summit as planned I'd have needed to carry water up there. However in the Highlands I usually carry enough water containers for an overnight camp so that if the weather is wet, which it often is, I don't have to leave the tent to get more water.

Terrific photos Chris, I could feel and smell the earthyness in the photo of the forest floor.
Thanks, Bob

I love the piece BTW, exclusive of the formatting.

Take a look at your code. You have a table (<div>) with a style of 150 pixels, formatted to the right. Just put it in paragraph format (

) instead.

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Michael, glad you like it anyway! The formatting isn't my field, I just provided the photos and words. I don't know who did the design and layout.

Ahh, I figured such. But if it is that wet, couldn't you just hold your cup out the door of your tent… :)

Thanks, Chris, for a beautiful photo essay! As my family heritage is Scottish, I especially loved seeing some of my ancestral homeland.

By the way, do you or anyone here at B.P.L. know of a book that gives information on backpacking in other countries? Information about any requirements of registering your backpacking equipment with Customs beforehand, regs about what you can and can't take, that sort of thing?

Kathy Handyside

Kathy, I don't know of a book like that but there's no problem taking backpacking equipment into other countries other than possible hassles with flying with some types of stove. I've never heard of anyone having to register any backpacking equipment.

As always, nice photos Chris. I can't believe you picked the only 2 wet days in Scotland that year for your trip though! ;)

We commonly post photo essays in gallery (not inline with the text) mode to better display the photography. Simply click on the first photo to bring up the gallery, which you can then click through, one by one.

If anyone has further trouble or questions, don't hesitate to submit a support issue and I can better answer questions in that medium!
Thanks,
Addie

Fantastic photo essay! Thanks for your continuing efforts.

Your past articles were an inspiration for me to start spending time out in the cold and wet this winter. Have really enjoyed it.

Great place, beautiful lakes and setting. The Inn looked like a really nice place to start a hike from.

All in all, just stunning. Thanks for the report.

Chris, thanks! What I really enjoy about the photo essays you've done is that we get to enjoy your photography and experiences… along with invoking memories of similar trips. I think it's human nature to search for common links. Reading and viewing this essay made me remember a thunderstorm in the Boundary Waters many years ago. Huge banks of black clouds were boiling across the lake toward us, spewing huge lightning bolts in all directions. I lay sprawled out on a boulder with my tripod legs all askew, shielding the camera somewhat with my torso from the rain between flashes, and a silnylon stuff sack with a hole cut out of the bottom (for the lens) flapping away. It was magnificent, but I hadn't thought about it for a long time. Thanks!
Brad

Hi Chris, great photos.

Is that a Warmlite tent? How did it do? How did you like it? I'm really curious about condensation in these tents, as I'm thinking of buying one, but I don't suppose 60-mph winds are a fair environment to test condensation.

Absolutely beautiful photos, Chris. Makes me want to visit there, and rivals my home base of the Adirondacks for fall beauty.

Also would love to see a report on the Stephenson – is one in the works?

– Steve

Absolutely beautiful photos. Regarding Stephenson tents: I've used them since the early 70's. Condensation will almost always be present after a few hours in the tent. You can minimize it with the double wall option, needed mostly for the main area between the two hoops. A handiwipe takes care of it pretty easily in a few moments in the morning. Main problem is getting condensate on your sleeping bag which I handle with a lightweight bivy sac, used to sleep out when weather is clear. The condensation is a nuisance only as far as I'm concerned; the tent (if seams properly sealed) is bomb-proof otherwise. I've never seen anyone refute their claims of how well it holds up in adverse weather including Alaska and the Himalayas. I challenge anyone to put up any other tent makers tent or tarp up as fast as a Stephenson can be put up – a real plus for that rare occasion of rapidly deteriorating weather.
I don't work for Stephenson.
David Erikson

Thanks for all the comments.

The tent is a Warmlite 2X. Being single skin there can be a fair amount of condensation. The ventilation is pretty good though. It's meant to be a two-person tent but I think with two you'd have problems avoiding damp walls. For one it's okay. It doesn't have a vestibule and I really missed this. In Scotland's wet and windy weather I regularly cook in the vestibule and store wet gear in it. The tent is very long an Stephenson's call the area under the door a vestibule but it's really just an extension of the tent. Stephenson's assume users will cook inside in stormy weather. I did this but it requires care and I'm not really happy using a stove on the groundsheet, especially with the tent door shut, which is essential in rain as it overhangs the groundsheet.

Even so, this is one of the best single skin tents I've used for Scottish conditions. It is stable in high winds, fast to pitch and of course very light. There's no review scheduled for BPL. A review has appeared in the April issue of TGO magazine here in the UK.