Intentions mean everything!!!
There are two very sweet girls here named Jenny and Sharon and they have taken me on some very interesting adventures. Their intentions were to give me a great day out and show me some of the best that Ireland had to offer. The problem is I get motion sick on everything that moves and the first adventure was to take me to Kinsale, about 1 hour away on a very windy road and then to put me in a boat on the ocean for about an hour. Well I did make the car ride but the boat ride just about did me in as the rolling waves (and they said it was calm) took their toll and I only made it for about half the trip and we had to turn back. I did keep my stomach down that of which I am very proud. I wish I took my camera bacause we did see some great veiws of Charles Fort from the ocean side.
The second adventure was to climb to the top of the tallest mountain in Ireland. The problem with this adventure is I was told we were going on a hike and I had envisioned something much gentler than we had done. I figured maybe 2-3 hours of climbing up the mountain on a nice path. But the first part of the journey was on unstable rolling rocky ground and if the ground had no rocks it was boggy. The second part of the journey was up what is called The Devils Ladder. A name justly suited. It was very steep and wet and cold and unstable. The rocks rolled away very easily and they were slippery with moss. In the first pic, a great guy named Kevin, is pointing to the peak that we would eventually get to. The second pic does no justice to the incline and the difficulty of the Ladder. The next part of the journey ws to climb a hill that would take us to a cross at the top of the mountain called Carrantwohill. This part of the journey was difficult because the ground was mostly very loose shale type rock and was hard to keep your footing on and cramped up the balls of your feet. Well I just about did not do this part because I was knackered, as they say here, up to this point but after some great moaning and complaining and pulling the grandma card out I decided to conquer the mountain, and boy was I glad I did. I did something I did not want to do and in doing so it reminded me of Rick Warrens statement "God is more interested in your character not your comfort". The view from the top was spectacular. It was not so easy do get down however. The loose shale part cramped your calves and hurt your ankles and the Ladder turned out to be easier to go up than down and we ran out of daylight and I ended up sinking in the bog up to my ankes and lost my footing crossing the creek and one of my feet went in but, 81/2 hours later we made it back to the car, ALIVE. I was very stiff in my legs for the next three days but I was ALIVE.