I'll just leave this here for now

In Finland we have this thing called last minute

It is, however, done, finished, and sent off. At the last minute. I am so ashamed, and will accept the  pillory, stocks, the pranger and any other appropriate method of public humiliation.

Nobody knows the troubles I've seen

February the 26th, the deadline for route submissions for the first-time Challengers, is approaching like a teenager driving his father's BMW for the first time. Full speed. Way too quickly for me to get out of the way in time. It's a good thing that I've been on my winter vacation this week or I might have be in serious trouble. Now I'm only in regular trouble, as most of this week I've been ill and also taking care of my canine companion's injured paw. She managed to rip the outer layer of one of her nails off. I'll spare you from the dreadful image and show her sporting her protective husky bootie instead:

11 years and 5 months worth of pure love and happiness. Also some amount of dorkiness.
Her name is Lumo and she is a Lapponian herder (a Finnish breed for herding the reindeer).

Might have been Gillian Anderson's fault, too. Not the paw injury but the fact that my route is still not finished. On my worst sick day I ventured into the world of Netflix (Try one month for free! Binge-watch 'til you drop!) and stumbled upon The Fall.  All three seasons of it. Nuff said.

Anyway, despite all these hardships, I'm nearly there with the route. It looks like this:

Day 1: Mallaig - Inverie - Sourlies bothy
Day 2: Sourlies bothy - Kinbreak bothy
Day 3: Kinbreak bothy - Laddie Wood
Day 4: Laddie Wood - Invergarry- South Laggan
Day 5: South Laggan - Melgarve bothy
Day 6: Melgarve bothy - Laggan - Newtonmore
Day 7: Newtonmore - Glen Feshie - Ruigh Aiteachain bothy
Day 8: Ruigh Aiteachain bothy - Linn of Dee
Day 9: Linn of Dee - Mar Lodge - Braemar
Day 10: Braemar - Balmoral - Ballater
Day 11: Ballater - Mount Keen - Tarfside
Day 12: Tarfside - Mount Battock - Charr bothy
Day 13: Charr bothy - Fetteresso forest
Day 14: Fetteresso forest - Dunnottar castle - bus to Montrose

I'm still contemplating an alternative route  for days ten and eleven to be able to attend the Cheese & Wine party, but that would mean walking the Jock's Road, keeping my original plan as the foul weather alternative - thus forcing me to decide which route to take already in Braemar. Better have that crystal ball clear and at hand.

*edit*
Changed Day 4 destination from South Laggan to Fort Augustus.
*edit of edit*
Changed Day 4 destination back to South Laggan (thanks for the encouragement, Humphrey!)