West Highland Way Day 7: King's House Hotel to Kinlochleven

I looked out the window of our room in the King's House Hotel at six am to see a lone walker headed up the trail. Buachaille Etive Mor was framed in the window, shrouded in cloud. King's House dates to the 17th century and is one of the oldest licensed hotel in Scotland. It's name come from the British troops stationed here after the battle of Culloden in 1746. It has been a private pub hotel since 1770.
Wet, drizzle, low clouds, or what the hotel staff called "atmospheric weather, at no additional charge" promised to be the forecast for the day. It did seem right that we had somber weather for our day in Glen Coe. We started the day in full foul weather gear. The first two miles are on the old military road parallel to the A82 and the river Coupall shadowed by the truly massive Buachaille Etive Mor.
We turned away from the road to start our 850' climb up the Devil's Staircase, a set of switchbacks named by the British Troops who built the old route. We entered the cloud as we climbed, losing site of the valley below and the crest ahead. By 11:00 we reached the cairn marking the highest point on the West Highland Way (1797'). Some hiker had left his boots on the cairn. Above us to the west were Stob Mhic Mhartuin (2320') and to the east Beinn Bheag (2021') lost in the mist.
Still walking in the cloud, we started the long descent to Kinlochleven. The weather changed as we walked, clouds parting, then setting back in. We saw glimpses of Blackwater Reservoir to our right. It was built in 1908 to power a aluminium plant in Kinlochleven. At the time, it was the largest man made reservoir in Europe. The village of Kinlochleven was built around the plant. Back down to treeline, we entered a birch wood forest, the tree trunks cover in moss. Soon the huge water pipes from the reservoir emerged from the hillside to plunge to the valley floor. Continuing down to the floor of the valley Leven, we lost 1730' total before coming to the village.
The aluminum plant closed decades ago, the village bills itself as an outdoor center and caters to walkers from the whw. We met fellow traveler as we explored, looking for a pub lunch. Successfully fed and watered we walked to our BnB, Edencoille. The owners gave us a warm welcome including a fresh Pavlova. The owner, Elsie, chatted with us for some time, and wanted us to feel we were staying in a welcoming home.
Tomorrow is the last and longest day of the Way. One more climb and descent to Fort William, our final stop on a special journey.

Unedited Day 7 photos are now posted on Flickr.