The Grand Plan (General news)

Wednesday 29 October 2008 09:42AM

Travelling from one climbing mecca to another, running through wild mountains, doing spectacular races and filling rest days funding it all through work as an eco-building consultant. This somewhat unconventional career plan is what I’ve been working on making reality for the last year or so. I’m halfway through an Msc in low energy architecture, and am beginning to get work through consultant friends. Alongside this I’m building clients of my own.

This week how this life might fit together in the future came into focus, as alongside a planned visit to friends in Skye and Fort William I got a big piece of work with a tight deadline. Despite some travel chaos in the extreme weekend weather on the west coast, I eventually made it to Skye. The next three days were spent holed up in a rain and wind lashed house alternately cranking out calculations for one building project in southern England, and another on the Waternish peninsular of Skye, quite a contrast!

So the work’s now done, I’m knackered but excited about making this plan work for the longer term. Yesterday, after a late night finishing the report, I went bouldering with my old friend Blair and his girlfriend Jenny in Glen Nevis. Snow capped the hills and we had to work hard to keep our toes and fingers warm in the weak autumn sun. I felt tired and weak but the setting was spectacular and it was the perfect celebration of getting the work done. As I yet again failed to latch a hold on one of Blair’s warm-up problems I realised that I’d been so wrapped up in the job that I hadn’t done any exercise for 5 days. If I’m going to maintain the fitness needed to make the most of this nomadic-eco-geek-climber-runner lifestyle I’m going to have to be more dedicated about getting out and doing some training; even on the busiest days I’ve surely got 45 minutes to spare?

Heading off from Edinburgh later today to give a lecture on Greenland and the Cuillin record for the Northumbrian Mountaineering Club in Newcastle. Time for a quick run on my old haunt of Arthur’s seat before my train leaves…