Everything (about) Bagel

Who Am I

I’m a 23 (almost 24) year old American dude who has been blessed enough to have lived in Edinburgh, Scotland, for the past five years. Though I’ve loved the outdoors my whole life, my thru-hiking career began with an end-to-end of the Long Trail in the summer of 2022.

However, my time in this beautiful country is soon coming to a close; in June of 2024 I will be heading to Moldova with the Peace Corps, adding another insane adventure for the books.

So, with a new chapter of my life close on the horizon, I’m doing what any sensible person would – hiking a few hundred miles in the mountains.

 

Why do I keep calling myself Bagel?

For the uninitiated hiker trash, Bagel is my trail name. I picked it up a few days into my 2022 thru-hike of the Long Trail in Vermont. 

Many trail names come with crazy, profound, or funny stories. Mine is not one of them though – I got the name ‘bagel’ because I insisted on carrying around a bulky and heavy 12 pack of everything bagels for my lunches with every resupply. 

It definitely wasn’t the most ultralight decision ever, but the bagels made for good lunches, and even better trade material in the hiker barter economy. 

 

What’s the Hike?

One trail just wasn’t gonna cut it for a hike like this – so I’m gonna do four of them.

Over about the next 25 or so days, I will be stringing together a zig-zag of a continuous footpath consisting of the Rob Roy Way, the West Highland Way, the Great Glen Way, and the Affric Kintail Way (which I will hopefully be yo-yoing). 

All in all, it will be a bit under 350 miles, and bring me through some of the most stunning views in the Scottish Highlands. I wrote about the trails in more depth in my previous post here if you’re interested.

 

Why?

In one sense, I’ve always felt that the UK, Scotland in particular, is seriously slept-on by the mostly North American thru-hiking community. By writing about the natural beauty, unique culture, and deep history of the Highlands through this hike, I’m hoping to change that in my own small way.

I have lived in Scotland since I was 18 and have grown to really love the place and the people. On a more personal note, this hike is going to be somewhat of a farewell to this country that has been so good to me these past six years. I’ve always seen hiking as a way to get back to myself and clear my head during times of transition, and with such a big leap on the horizon, I think a little nature therapy will do me some good.