After a run and another near run with our dogs (they pull like crazy on the lead), Bob and I headed off to the Top of the World. We feel like we have already been on the top of the world two other times.
Being on the top of the world is usually how we describe our time in Orkney, Scotland. Orkney, or the Orkney Islands, are some lovely islands off the northern tip of Scotland. They are known for their many Neolithic ruins, and the area just has an otherworldly feel, especially since it is so far north, and it takes a bit of an effort to get there.
The first time we were at the Top of the World (actually billed as The Top of Europe) was in the Alps during an inn-to-inn hike for my 40th birthday. On one of our non-hiking days we took a train up the Jungfrau mountain, near Interlaken, Switzerland. We went through a long tunnel near the top and came out near a building that we entered on foot through an ice tunnel. The area was covered in snow and ice, which we could only see as the clouds lifted. It truly felt like the top of the world, or at least as high as we may ever get while still on land.
Today, we hiked up to Redding, California’s version of the Top of the World (their term). It wasn’t that much of a climb. (We passed an older gentleman and his tiny dog who were on their way down while we were going up. They probably do the hike daily.). However, the hike did provide some lovely views of the surrounding area.
We thought Mary’s Lake looked lovely, and we had seen it on our trail map, so we decided to hike down to that and do the .7 mile loop around the lake. On our way down the mountain, we saw another hiker, a couple of mountain bikers, and lots of very nice-looking houses. The lake itself was as attractive up close as it was from a distance.
Peckish Travels 