Sorry for the delay! I’ve been insanely bombarded with papers and projects this past week. Over the Fourth of July weekend, I went up to the Highlands with three of my friends and about 14 other people.

Over the three day trip, we saw amazing the amazing scenery of the Glencoe mountains, Glenfinnan Viaduct (better known as the Harry Potter Bridge), Eilean Donan castle, the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, the Isle of Skye, the Quarang, Faerie Glen, Faerie Pools and Loch Ness. Photos don’t do these places justice.

Over the entire weekend, I would have to say jumping in Loch Ness was my favorite thing of everything, and truthfully, I almost backed out. The temperature in the loch stays relatively constant at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s some pretty damn cold water. Colder than any swimming pool that’s been graced by my presence. The only thing that rivals it was the one time I jumped into Lake of the Ozarks in early March.

But I said I was going to do it… so I did. While we were getting ready to jump in, there were many tourists and locals alike at the pier where we were… and all of them had their phones and cameras at the ready.

Lots of pictures and videos were taken.

Katelynn and another girl jumped in first. They screamed and shouted their expletives when they surfaced.

Kaitlyn and I were next. We grabbed each other’s hand and prepared ourselves as much as we possibly could for what we were about to do. Nory (our tour guide) counted down from three and before I knew it, we were in the air. I was flailing my arms and screaming the whole way down.

When I hit the water, an adrenaline rush went right through me. The water was so cold. When I was under, I opened my eyes. The water was green, but was still clear. No, I unfortunately did not see Nessie.

I was freezing when we got out, but I remember thinking “that was totally worth it.” And it was. Taking the plunge into Loch Ness was easily my favorite thing I’ve done while in Scotland. And just to think, I almost backed out. I chalk it up as a learning experience.

Take the plunge, even if you’re scared. If it’s crazy, if it’s something completely out of your comfort zone, do it anyway (within reason of course). Sometimes it’s the “small things” that end up meaning more to us in the end.