Welcome to 2025: Thoughts

New Year's Day: sunshine, clouds, & snow

The new year is generally viewed as a time for reflection and a time for thinking of the future. Now we are moving towards spring (yes, I know there's plenty of winter still to come) it's natural to think about opportunities and adventures and a whole year of new experiences. And to start planning or at least thinking about planning. 

Personally my outdoor plans haven't changed. As many long-distance walks, wild camps, day walks, strolls, as I can manage. That is, as much time spent in nature as is feasible. It's been that way for many decades, really my whole life since I was old enough to think about it. Where I go and what I'll do is still open. There will be many days in the Cairngorms of course - they're my local mountains and I love them deeply. There'll be other ventures in the Highlands too, probably in the Northwest. Going abroad depends on a number of factors, not least my health, which wasn't as good as I'd have liked last year, but also on the international situation, especially regarding climate change.

The warming of the climate has been a concern for many years. I've mentioned it often on this blog. But only recently have I started to think about my travels in relation to the growing effects of climate change. This is not in relation to how I travel - I decided many years ago to cut down on flying (I haven't flown anywhere since 2019) and to use trains for long-distance journeys whenever possible (and that includes in the UK, I haven't driven outside the Highlands for several years) - but in relation to climate change related disasters. The possibility of being unable to get home to my family, of being cut off far away, now seems real. Floods and heatwaves are becoming much bigger threats. I've never felt concerned that disasters might prevent me going home before. Of course I've always known they could happen, it just never felt very likely. That's changed. It's not a comfortable feeling.

This New Year parts of the UK are being battered by extreme weather. Here in the Highlands floods are causing huge problems. Down in Manchester a major incident has been declared due to severe flooding. Last year there seemed to be news of extreme weather events somewhere in the world every week, events that were always more damaging than in the past. 

With Trump soon to be in the White House with his plans to cut environmental regulations, mine for coal, and drill for much more oil and gas the future for climate change mitigation - and that's where we are at, mitigation, it's too late to stop it now - looks shaky. But I'm generally an optimist so despite everything I have hope that humanity will find a way through this, though the damage will be great - already is in some places. 

Supporting any and all organisations, individuals, politicians trying to do something about climate change and the equally serious nature crisis seems essential. I'll be trying to do more in the coming year. 

New Year's Day rainbow

Here in Strathspey the last few days have been very, very wet. We've had more big puddles in the garden than we've ever seen before, the path to the gate has become a stream. The fields are saturated, oozing water at every step. We are glad we live near the top of a gentle hill. Others are not so lucky.

New Year's Day still brought joy though. We strolled across the fields watching squalls flash across the land, clouds pile up and disperse, the sun break through, snow and sleet fall. Turning back towards home a rainbow appeared, beauty in the sky. Nature is still wonderful.