The long way around

There is nothing better than hitchhiking. The feeling of securing passage to a new destination by simply lifting a finger is both exciting and empowering.
I first fell in love with hitch hiking on the island of Unst, the most northerly inhabited island of the Shetland Islands in Scotland. Perhaps I love hitchhiking so much because my chosen method of transportation the day before was cycling.
I’m not a very health conscious person, yet I thought it would be a great idea to rent a bike to make the 5 mile journey to the Hermaness sea cliffs.
After three hours of walking the bike uphill, and being mocked by sheep in the fields near the road, a phone call was made to see if the rental office could pick the bike up.
They could not; I was committed to the return journey.
If biking uphill while everyone drove past was not enough, the wind was against me the whole way.
At the base of another hill I stood beside my bike deciding if I would continue or sleep in the Viking ship on the side of the road. As I stood there, out of breath with shaking legs, a car slowed down beside me; it was the owner of Ordaal House, the cabin I was staying in. He called out the window to ask if I would like a ride back once I dropped the bike off.
The rental office was just over the hill that rose menacingly in front of me. His offer meant I would have to hurry.
The hill was a formidable adversary. The wind screamed past my ears, drowning out the profanity I was shouting. I squinted through my tears as Charlie’s Garage grew closer. I felt like a cartoon drawing in a flip book, moving hurriedly with each page flip yet always in the same place on the next page.
I screamed like a woman in her ninth hour of labor, as my rage towards my own inability to pedal faster mounted. Every cow in the field raised its head to watch the spectacle. Then, just like labor, suddenly it was over.
That night, as I sat in our cozy little cabin on the ocean, staring out the window, I was proud of myself. It is when we push ourselves that we grow and learn.
On the open road that day I learned a valuable lesson: think about the return journey as well as the journey there. Days later I would learn that you can hitch hike on Unst and people will pick you up 100% of the time; I wish I had known that a few days sooner. Despite my traumatic biking experience I could not love Shetland more for its majestic beauty and otherworldly charm, especially when seen from the warm backseat of a stranger’s car.