The WHW trail from Rowardennan to Inverarnan has a bad reputation. No doubt about it. Books call it the hardest stretch in the whole trail. An experienced hiker yesterday called it “Green Hell.”

Let me add to all that: This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. Physically, I mean.

The books say this segment is broken into two parts for a total of 14 miles. The reality is you can add a few more miles to that, and a lot of them require climbing up and down, up and down, up and down — over rocks and tree roots, through boggy bits, up steep steps, some ladders, and along nervously narrow cliff-side paths. There are a lot of undulations in that trail.

The dividing point is a tiny burg named Inversnaid where you can jump on a ferry if your legs can’t take any more pain. Some of my hiking colleagues were contemplating that but decided to go the whole distance. More than one is icing down as I write this.

Enjoy these photos from the Rowardennen to Inversnaid:

My own pain is being soothed in the Drovers Inn pub’s back room with a local IPA called Southern Summit. Fair warning, this essay may grow less coherent as I try to ease the pain. Pint No. 2 is beginning to work its magic.

If you have been following along, you know that the five of us have broken this journey into smaller bites than usual in order to enjoy the walk and camaraderie — and Scotland. Why we did not break this most difficult segment into two parts, I do not know.

But what’s done is done.

In truth, Part 1, from Rowardennan to Inversnaid was challenging and exhausting but invigorating in its own way. There were lots of climbs and descents but it felt like a lot of work has gone into making them achievable. There were bridges over many of the streams that cascade down from the mountains above.

Most importantly, between the physically challenging parts, there were nice stretches of almost flat trail — what I like to call room for recovery.

(OK, the third pint of Southern Summit has arrived and my pain management program is kicking in. I’ll have to cut to the chase.)

The books and a few veteran hikers say the second part of this hike is “more of the same.” Don’t you believe it. Bait and switch.

Enjoy these photos from Inversnaid to Inverarnan:

In the second half, the ups and downs are continuous for miles. In fact, when you hit a rare, albeit short, stretch of flat trail, it feels like heroin. It is that good.

But mostly, it is rugged climbs and descents and the rocks and tree roots feel insanely placed.

See, here’s what I will do for now: I’m going to post a lot of way too pretty photos that make this hike look like a stroll through Paradise. Sorry about that. But come to think of it, both things are true: This was a damned difficult day and the scenery was freaking beautiful.

I’m going to stare at the multitude of stuffed animals in the pub (“Declared Scotland’s best pub … in 1705.”) some have been here since the day they opened for business, I think, It is also a haunted pub and Rob Roy actually walked into this place and robbed a posse of 20 of the king’s men, killing only one.

The dead guy is not the one who haunts this place on many evenings. (They also make a mean fruit cobbler.)

For those of us who can still walk tomorrow, the hike will be shorter, more scenic, and less physically demanding. I may just sleep in.

If I have a fourth pint, I’ll definitely sleep in.