As part of my preparations for my Camino I am doing some hill walking here at home in Ireland mostly in the Cooley mountains close to where we live. On Monday my wife and I drove to the West Of Ireland and climbed Croagh Patrick (otherwise known as "the Reek"). at 2510 ft high. We had a beautiful day for the climb and completed it in just under 3 hours. I have posted some photos here on Yahoo
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/n11284/al ... e2&.src=ph
It was a relaly moving experience for me. The path to the summit is worn to the bare rock in places and each step you take follows in the footprints of someone who has gone before.
I was totally amazed at the number of people on the reek , hundreds upon hundreds, ranging in age from young children to elderly men and women. People of many nationalties and from all over Europe and North America. I spoke with a Dutch couple with 3 young children who had seen a documentary about the Reek on TV and who wanted to experience it for themselves.
It is humbling in the extreme to realise that many people complete this climb bare footed and on the last Sunday of July each year as many as 25000 (yes that's twenty five thousand) people complete the climb.
I would heartily re-commend it to any aspiring Pilgrim. It is good for both the body and the soul.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/n11284/al ... e2&.src=ph
It was a relaly moving experience for me. The path to the summit is worn to the bare rock in places and each step you take follows in the footprints of someone who has gone before.
I was totally amazed at the number of people on the reek , hundreds upon hundreds, ranging in age from young children to elderly men and women. People of many nationalties and from all over Europe and North America. I spoke with a Dutch couple with 3 young children who had seen a documentary about the Reek on TV and who wanted to experience it for themselves.
It is humbling in the extreme to realise that many people complete this climb bare footed and on the last Sunday of July each year as many as 25000 (yes that's twenty five thousand) people complete the climb.
I would heartily re-commend it to any aspiring Pilgrim. It is good for both the body and the soul.