Killarney Round 2

So again has trouble getting a bus to Doolin so I decided to come back to 'ol Killarney and explore the national park some more. Had a real nice day here; woke up and had a nice breakfast, hit church at 10, lounged for a bit and then headed off to a local gym. I finally got a nice workout in, feels like it has been too long. After I worked out I came back for a nice lunch of oatmeal, one of my all-time favorites.

The weather was looking a little suspect but I decided to head out to the national park for another go-round, so I geared up and sported my bright blue rain pants and a sweatshirt, packed a bag, and took off. Last time I went to the park, I rented a bike so this time I decided to walk it. Bad idea. Forgot how far the park was from the hostel. After an hour's walk (bypassed some of the park to go directly to the waterfall trail) I started up the trail, with my feet starting to hurt already. I soldiered on and again witnessed the Torc waterfall (very cool) and made my way up the steeply graded path along side it. Tough hike.

Once I got to the top, the trail split in three different directions, so I took the blue path and headed into the area marked 'wildlife refuge'. Not sure but I would think the whole national park would be considered as such. Nonetheless, the walk was beautiful and wound deep into the hills overlooking County Kerry.

As I was enjoying my walk, I failed to realize that the sun was quickly going down. When I finally did, I turned back and by the time I got to the waterfall it was completely dark!  Luckily I packed my flashlight in my little bag so it was no big deal. However, I was fatiguing pretty bad and the walk back to the hostel was brutal; feet and legs sore and low on energy. Plus pitch black.

Got back to the hostel, rested my feet for a few minutes, then made a monster supper of eggs and oatmeal and went back for a quick workout at Sporty's Gym. So it turned out to be a good but physically taxing day. Tomorrow I'm going to Athenry, a town near Galway that has tons of medieval architecture and history. Can't wait.