A picture paints a thousand words
First-timer Charles Harmer from Surrey hatched a novel plan to stave off loneliness – but found he didn’t really need it
It will seem strange to any seasoned Challengers reading this, but I thought I might get lonely and bored on my first crossing. With the TGO Challenge you spend a year planning for two weeks of walking. For 2021 it was two years of planning. The extra preparation time meant that I delved deeper and thought: what will I do once the day’s walking is over, and I am on my own?
My ideas for filling this spare time included reading a book playing Solitaire. These ideas did not fill me with joy. So I hatched a plan to paint a picture each day. Taken altogether a pad of paper and some watercolours were lighter than a paperback and, I hoped, would provide more hours of amusement.
For me painting gives a chance to study what is around and really get into the view. Dabbing bits of colour onto the page requires an almost trance-like concentration. It may not be photo-accurate but it’s a representation of what I saw and felt. Every picture holds a memory to the artist of when and where it was painted: a picture interrupted by a midge attack; a picture rushed and the paint blotched during a downpour; an unusual colour because you couldn’t find the right one.
In the end I painted most days. I enjoyed the relaxation either during or after the day’s travel. It was a bit of meditation, stillness after the rhythmic walking. It’s also a lasting memory of the day.
Something must have worked as I was never lonely or bored on the Challenge. It could have been because almost every night there was someone interesting to talk to. There is camaraderie in the select band of people that choose to walk and camp out in the Highlands. To banish loneliness and boredom you could try painting; but to be honest a more effective cure is the generosity and good company of other hillwalkers.
This was Charles’ first crossing.