What brings you to life? *Part 1* The Adventurist

The first of my passion-focused Q&A series from my blog post titled What brings you to life?

ROSS MORELAND

Offshore Piling Technician by day / 

Long Distance Trail Runner, Mountain Biker & Adventurist at heart

The love of my life. They say it’s all about timing, and this man came into my life at the perfect time. His kindness, appreciation, understanding, love, and encouragement have brought back the confidence in myself that I thought I’d lost. I admire his determination, great work ethic, consistence, and persistence in anything he sets his mind to and heart on. His passion has become an obsession but you need to see that sparkle in his eye when he talks about his love affair with Mother Nature – it gives me goosebumps! Watch out for the launch of his blog to read more about his adventures and misadventures.

What brings you to life?
The thought of adventure and the outdoors - whether it's something I've done before or something completely new.

What do you love most about the outdoors?
It can be anything you want it to be and as challenging as you want. I'm lucky enough to be from Scotland where the possibilities are endless as you can go anywhere and do anything outdoors. The provisions for outdoor activities are tremendous and you can add whatever you want to make it more exhilarating. 

On the way up the Lomond Hills overlooking the town below

How long have you been into adventuring and the outdoors?
Probably since I was in the Boy Scouts. It's stuck with me from a young age and has evolved from there. I'm grateful for my parents for encouraging me to join, although it didn't take much for me to fall in love with it.

What advice would you give someone who is starting out or thinking about getting into outdoor activities?
Get to know your capabilities, set goals, and let your imagination run wild. When I started trail running and mountain biking, it was originally in the local woodland area near my home in Scotland. The first race I ever ran was a local 10K then I joined a running club where I was introduced to bigger events. I eventually found myself running one of the hardest 100-mile races in the world a few years later and after a bit of training. Now, cycling has pretty much gone the same way with my eyes set on a route that's eventually going to come together and take me a distance of well over 1,000km.

View from White Craigs overlooking Loch Leven
with Benarty Hill in the background and Scotlandwell village below
Photo by Ross Moreland

How do you keep your passion for the outdoors alive? Do you have any dull moments? If so, how do you get back on track and find it again?
I guess I've been lucky enough to find something that I love doing. Of course there are dull moments when I find myself halfway through a race asking myself why I'm doing it because I'm exhausted and don't feel like continuing. However, for every low the high is 10 times more, so that's what keeps me going.

At this specific point in time, where in the world would you want to be and with whom?
At the Lomond Hills Park back in Fife on top of White Craigs looking over Loch Leven. Of course, with Jordyn Hill after telling her all the huffing and complaining has all been worth it once we've reached the top.