Far from home.
Every company has a beginning: a moment in which thoughts, passions and dreams are sent into motion.
Lost Sheep Guiding’s trigger moment can be traced back to the top of a rarely climbed summit, somewhere on the Ardgour Peninsula.
As I stood by the summit cairn, I slowly rotated on the spot and took in the grandeur of my unfamiliar surroundings. Loch Linnhe to my right, forests to my left and jagged peaks piercing through the clouds directly in front of me. I was so far from home and yet something about being in the mountain's offered me comfort. As I breathed in the cold west coast air, each breathe was helping me to forget about the stresses of life and to simply be content just standing right there.
"I was so far from home and yet something about being in the mountains offered me comfort."
That trigger moment sent me on a trajectory into the outdoors. Over the next 8 years I trained as an outdoor instructor and worked at various outdoor centres. Spending each day working outside and exploring new places just reiterated the idea in my head that spending time in nature has a real potential to heal, something which I have had the privilege to witness first hand. I have seen the quietest of children gaining enough confidence to lead their peers, uninterested teenagers finding a sense of achievement and adults overcoming life-long fears.
"...exploring new places just reiterated the idea in my head that spending time in nature has a real potential to heal."
It is these experiences which have left me determined to get more people engaged with the outdoors.
"To aim for the highest point is not the only way to climb a mountain." - Nan Shepherd
It has been a few weeks now since we had our guided hike so Dara, Sophie, Marla and I have had ample opportunity to think about our experience. Matt took us on a wonderful day outing. We had a great climb and were able to take in magnificent vistas of beautiful Cairngorms National Park. In addition to providing us with lots of great information Matt took us to a local bothy where he supplied us with a fantastic trail lunch, including a near lifetime supply of energy bars. Cairngorms is a most beautiful, rugged Highlands destination. Matt is a fantastic guide to help one get the most from the experience.