Epitaphs and Inscriptions - Update

That was a surprise. There's been a   postscript to my postscript about Bill Lobban, who died in 1975, whilst trying to rescue another walker from drowning in  Loch Lomond . Go through to my first link to read a comment by a member of the family. What a small world - made even smaller by the wonders of modern communication. Definitely one of the more positive aspects of the internet, this one.  Memories, too of our walk along the same route nearly three years ago. Below are some shots from our travels that day, from Rowardennan to Ardlui along the Eastern shore of Loch Lomond.  Photos 9 and 15 show the cairn and inscription that commemorate the life of a true hero.

Epitaphs and Inscriptions - Postscript

Many thanks to  new commenter, Derek, who's discovered the story behind the Bill Lobban memorial by Loch Lomond.

Epitaphs and Inscriptions - Who Was Bill Lobban?

Cairn, Loch Lomond, East side, Durham-Iona Pilgrimage 2011

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13 King James Version (KJV)

As I trawled though our pilgrimage photos yesterday in search of  something to use for a blog banner, I came across a couple  of pictures which I'm sure tell a story. This cairn and the accompanying inscription can be found not far from the Inversnaid Hotel on the Eastern shores of Loch Lomond. Not an easy stretch, with it's craggy twists and turns up and down from the shoreline; our experience of that section wasn't pleasant;  even experienced walkers appreciate the need to treat  this particular section of the West Highland Way (22Km, I think, if you take it in one hop) with great  respect.  We walked  it in several stages, our mileage that particular day being  one of the shortest in the entire trip - about 6 miles, but it was the hardest 6 miles we've ever done,  struggling through  rain and mist, only getting to the far end just in time to catch the last   ferry across to Ardlui. I say, 'ferry,' it's a small boat, which you hail by raising a buoy up a mast on the shore. By that stage, there is no road at all; if you miss the boat, your only options are either to retrace your steps right back to Inversnaid or  spend the night in a nearby bothy. (not 4 star accomodation, I can tell you, we checked!) 

Who was Bill Lobban then? What tale of heroism lies behind this inscription? I guess we'll never know. I'm not the first to ask; a quick web search shows that  many  walkers have discovered this memorial over the years,  wondered about the events of 23rd November 1975, and received no answer. His isn't the only tragedy to take place along the lochside; apparently the Inversnaid Hotel knew of two other walkers who died nearby more recently, but of Bill, nothing. Passing it, in the pouring rain and mist, just as we were about to begin the climb upwards was both a humbling and a sobering experience. Like     that of Henry West, the human story behind this simple memorial seems destined to remain unknown and untold, except, perhaps to those closest to those it commemorates. Rest in Peace, Bill Lobban, whoever you were. I guess that inscription says it all.

To Be A Pilgrim - He'll with a giant fight

Mr GP calls the ferryman, Loch Lomond, Durham-Iona Pilgrimage May 2011

In the tradition of pilgrimage, hardships are seen not as accidental but as integral to the journey itself. Treacherous terrain, bad weather, taking a fall, getting lost--challenges of that sort, largely beyond our control, can strip the ego of the illusion that it is in charge and make space for true self to emerge. If that happens, the pilgrim has a better chance to find the sacred center he or she seeks. Disabused of our illusions by much travel and travail, we awaken one day to find that the sacred center is here and now--in every moment of the journey, everywhere in the world around us, and deep within our own hearts.

 - Parker Palmer from Let Your Life Speak