Every week, Finn Creaney’s father gets off a train in the north Highlands and hikes into the wilderness.
Mark Creaney walks until his feet can’t take him any further, scanning the land for clues as he goes.
After three or four nights of camping and searching he heads back home to Inverness to recuperate and gather more supplies.
And then he makes the same journey again.
It’s a pattern he has followed almost religiously since the disappearance of his son on March 25, 2022.
And it’s one he’ll keep doing until he finds out what happened.
The agony of not knowing
The searches for Finn have covered a huge area, more than 3,500 square miles. And the terrain is rugged and unforgiving.
There are mountains, moors, cliffs, lochs, rocks and bogs.
The result of each day’s search is a double-edged sword.
If nothing is found, the agony of not knowing what happened goes on.
But that also means that the hope that he will one day be home, safe and sound, remains.
“You never feel like you’re doing all you can,” said Mark, 56. “You worry you’ve gone over the wrong ridge, you should be going somewhere else.
“But I would go barmy if I wasn’t doing this. Being proactive and being out there, it calms me down.
“It’s an odd mindset. Every day you don’t find him, it’s a good day.
“But you’re frustrated because you still aren’t getting answers.”
‘I feel he’s still out there, still alive’
There are a lot of similarities between Finn and Mark.
They were always desperate for each other’s company. They share the same temperament, the same mannerisms, the same long hair.
Clearly, they are also both very comfortable and skilled in the outdoors. In environments that would strike fear into most people.
Saturday marks one year since Finn was last seen.
The early days of the search for him will be documented in the first episode of a new BBC Scotland series, Highland Cops, which is due to air on April 2.
The confusing nature of Finn’s disappearance has dominated the thoughts of his family and friends ever since.
Mark has put aside his career as a self-employed wood carver to devote himself to the search.
His journey on foot begins each week when he arrives at Kinbrace train station, 86 miles north of Inverness.
The odds of a happy ending to this case lengthen with each passing day, but Finn’s father still believes his son is alive somewhere.
Mark said: “We talk all the time about what could have happened. We’ve asked every question, considered every permutation and still haven’t got to the bottom of it.
“But I get to choose how I feel about it. I know Finn, I know how confident and skilled he is.
“I feel he’s still out there, still alive.
“Until I’ve covered all the ground I can’t be sure he’s not there. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, I’m not going to stop.”
Finn’s family committed to search for answers
The disappearance of Finn Creaney is as perplexing as it is tragic.
The 33-year-old survivalist had just found out he was having a baby boy with his wife Lucy.
His son was born on May 29, 2022 – two months after he was last seen.
Finn’s business was starting to take off and he doted on his young daughter Luna.
He was a skilled outdoorsman and there was no reason for his to family worry about his planned adventure one year ago.
Finn headed off from the banks of Loch Naver, intending to head south-east towards Golspie.
He was due home on Mother’s Day to help Lucy deliver flowers for her burgeoning business.
But Finn never arrived.
Police, search and rescue and numerous other agencies contributed to a massive land, sea and air search in the month after he vanished.
Those searches were scaled back and eventually stopped.
But his father will never give up.
Can you help find Finn?
Before his trek began, Finn drove to Golspie Beach car park and left his car there, intending to pick it up at the end of his challenge.
A family member then dropped him off at a caravan park on the B873 in the Loch Naver area.
That was the last definite sighting of him.
Finn is described as 5ft 11ins, with a slim build. He has long, brown hair down to his lower back and a full brown-ginger beard.
A fundraising page has been set up to help continue searches for him.
The Search for Finn Creaney Facebook page also posts regular updates about the case.
Posters about his disappearance are currently available from Tain Post Office and Far Fetched in Inverness.
His family has asked for them to put in as many places as possible.
If you have any information that may assist the search, email searchforfinncreaney@outlook.com.
Alternatively, you can contact Police Scotland, quoting incident number 0192.
Highland Cops
BBC Scotland’s new five-part documentary series, Highland Cops, begins on April 2.
It goes inside the unique police division to find out what it takes to patrol the beat and keep the peace in the most beautiful, and challenging places, in Britain.
The programme is a co-commission for BBC Scotland and BBC Two, produced by Firecrest Films.
Cutting-edge crime fighting works alongside old-school rural policing, tackling 21st century problems that threaten traditional ways of life.
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