We have a major adventure planned today so we are up early. This will be a great day and we are pretty excited.

I needed a few snacks for the trip so I went back to TESCO. Along the way, the Killarney House and Gardens was open so I cut through there on my way to and from the store. These old estates and gardens are so beautiful, and it would be easy to spend a lot of time walking around when in full bloom.

We got our daypacks packed up with the water & snacks. We fired up the mighty Dacia and took off south to Killarney National Park We are taking a hike in the park to check out a waterfall.

It’s pretty exciting for both of us. My travel partner picked this place out and it was a major score before we even got there. I get to hike in the forest, see new birds & animals…in a National Park…IN IRELAND!!! Fekkin’ awesome!

We got to the parking lot and hit the connector trail. I was using an app on my hike and it tracked me on a map. Plus, I wear a smartwatch and it has navigation on it, too, plus tracks my steps and distance. It feeds into my health app on my phone so I can keep an eye on my heart.

We really did not research how far it was but it didn’t matter. We WERE going there! It was a big thing on our list and it WAS going to happen. We were both very excited to do this hike.

We got to the main trail and there was a slight, but long, uphill section or two. There were one or two steep uphills but overall a easy-moderate hike. The first part of the trail reminded me so much of Washington State. I worked and hiked in parks and forests there and it was quite similar. Moss everywhere, covering rocks, trees, grass…everything. Just like the PNW. So incredibly beautiful and took me back to those times.

The trail followed a stream in several spots and there were waterfalls that were nice to see and hear.

Up ahead we could see that the over-story was opening up and it was getting brighter. As we walked up a hill the forest soon disappeared, the sky had but a few clouds, and we were in an incredible place that was hard to describe. So different than what we had just walked though.

We topped the hill and wow…absolutely stunning scenery. Few trees, vast landscapes with rolling hills, and mountains off in the distance.

I am always looking around when I am walking around in cities, and when I hike it is the same thing. Thinking about it, I probably do that in cities because I have always looked at everything when I hike – it just happens no matter where I am. It is surprising what you see if you just look.

While we were walking along I looked over to the left, and up on a small ridge I saw a mountain sheep. I wasn’t sure so I took a picture and zoomed in to see what it was.

A little farther along I saw a few more animals and they looked to be goats. I guess over the years this has been a popular hunting area because of the abundance of wildlife.

We talked with a couple of groups on the trail who were also out enjoying the day in this amazing place. One was three ladies and they were so friendly. They continued on and we gave them a start on us. We walked a little farther and a group of older guys (well, older than me!) were heading back. The leader of the group was very friendly and knowledgeable. I don’t know if it was a tour or just some friends hiking, but they were all smiling and having a great time.

The leader was talking about the trail and told us where the waterfall was. He talked about the name Torc and said it is the Irish word for a wild boar that used to inhabit the area. He then pointed out another landmark and talked about the history. We said our good-byes and went our respective ways.

The area reminds me of some of the far-back parts of Colorado tundra we saw four-wheeling, yet different. It had a “desolateness” to it, but part of its beauty was in it’s stark desolation.

Yet people lived here, and there is abundant evidence of that. You could even feel it.

In the picture you can see walls from a centuries-old settlement that the one guy was telling us about after pointing it out. There are also several of what look like rock cairns in a few areas along the trail.

Usually cairns are placed along a trail to mark the path in case of snow cover or low visibility. These are in groups so perhaps they are grave markers.

We kept walking and eventually got to the waterfall. It was not visible until we got right up next to it.

As you can see, It is just kind of there in a relatively flat place that doesn’t seem to have the topography for a waterfall. It was a nice place to take some pictures and stop & think for a bit.

It was time to head back. It was afternoon and time to get back. Other than a few trail snacks so we were also ready for some food.

It is always longer to get back to where you started than to get to where you go when you start walking and you always need to be aware of that on the trail. We got back to our trusty Dacia and headed back to the hotel.

I wanted to go back to TESCO and grab a couple of things…plus I needed to walk more. That was ironic since we had just walked 10.5 miles.

I ended up putting on another 1.5 miles somehow. A 12-mile day – not bad!

We decided to hit the convenience store across the street for some food. They made sandwiches & wraps plus there was a hot food bar and lots of groceries. I really was not too sure about the hot food bar but gave in against my better judgement.

Boy, was that a huge mistake. A few hours later, I felt a gurgling and a rumbling. Uh-oh…

Details are unnecessary, but I was extremely sick. I should have trusted my gut, but my gut had the last word I guess!

Tomorrow is a travel day and it is probably going to be a long night.

Shawn