Sunday, April 11, 2010

DCU Hiking

Many of my recent posts have included comments regarding the Irish weather we have been experiencing. I have to say that today has been the best day yet. With weather forecasts predicting 20 degree Celsius weather, I knew it had to be good.

Today I went hiking with the DCU hiking club. I had joined the club earlier in the semester, but have been away when they were holding their other hikes so I was excited to be able to join in on this one. I was a little unsure of what I was getting myself into in the beginning, but once we began I had a blast. The club is formed mainly by international students, so I had the opportunity to meet some exchange students from both Germany and France. Everyone was really welcoming and the day was great.

The three hour hike took place in Glendalough and was the perfect opportunity to see the whole site. I had been to Glendalough once before, but the visit was short and we were not able to explore as much as I would have liked. I got that desire out of my system today for we saw it all!

There are two lakes at Glendalough. We parked on one side and walked down along them both to the far side to start the hike.

Here begins our climb!

Other members of the group.
This is the top of one of the many waterfalls flowing into the lake.



We made it to the top. It was so exhilarating.
This is part of the trail we took up the mountain.

The way down was a little tricky. My eyes wanted to look around, but my feet were sending constant reminders that I could fall at any minute. I did not want to miss a step and roll down the mountain so I was forced to pay close attention.


Dipping my feet in the lake after the hike. The water was a bit cool but felt glorious after such hard work.


We had about an hour after our hike before we had to board the bus so we got soft serve ice cream and sat by the lake. It was quite the adventure and it was sad to say goodbye, but I'm very glad I was able to experience it. Very exhausted, I have to say that I actually fell asleep on the bus ride home...sign of a great day!

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