Today was quite the adventure! We walked to the train station to hop on a bus so we could get on a different train and then catch a shuttle to Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains. Our van driver’s name was Mick and he was awesome!! He told us about the area and the best trails to hike and offered to pick us up anytime that night too. He dropped us off around 12:30 and agreed to pick us back up at 6:30. We grabbed a quick healthy lunch at the Snack Truck before we turned our focus on the climb. We hiked the Spinc trail which was 9 km(~5.6 miles). It was one of the biggest ones and looped around the whole area.  We climbed up to see the Poulanass Waterfall first. We continued along the steep trail until we reached the steps. We climbed over 600 steps to the top of one of the peaks so we could see out over the whole lake. Getting to the top of those steps was the greatest thing. If you thought Godwin’s steps were bad, please I dare you to try these Death Stairs on one of Ireland’s hottest days. We were gasping to catch our breath once we got to the top, but felt a little better when we saw people coming up behind us looking exactly how we felt (and probably looked too). Unfortunately the mom of the group (ily Tatum) wasn’t there so the family did not come prepared today. I had one water bottle that I brought and the others realized they forgot theirs close to the top. So we had to use our supply sparingly.

After a short break in the burning 80 degree weather, we continued to the top of the cliffs. The rest of the trail back was either flat or downhill so it was easy going after we hit the highest mountain. On the way down, we made our way through the Glebealo Valley and around the whole lake before getting back to Glendalough Valley. I am sure you have all learned by now, but once again we couldn’t stay on the trail. Instead, we started climbing along the rocks and followed the river down. It was so much fun! Although we didn’t go swimming, the water did feel very cool and refreshing. The views were worth it too! There were tons of little waterfalls. One of my favorite parts was this one series of waterfalls where there was a little pool in the middle. Because Mick was so generous, we had plenty of time to explore whatever we wanted so we didn’t have to worry about that!

We explored a cemetery that was at the end of the trail next. I feel weird with how many cemeteries I have been too these last few weeks, but I am pretty sure it is more than my entire life before Ireland. As morbid as it sounds, I do enjoy walking through them. It’s cool because I see a grave from the 1800’s or earlier and then next to it a gravestone only a couple years old. The Irish also decorate their graves more than I have seen. Their ornate crosses or headstones are amazing. Then, especially with the more recent ones, there’s some sort of decorations under the headstone. We were leaving the cemetery as the sun began to set, falling on the crosses like a halo. We got back to the main part of the park early. We first chugged lots of water and then walked along the beach and through the park. The last train home was at 8:15 so Mick dropped us of in the small town, Bray, to wait. There wasn’t much there besides a couple of pubs, restaurants, and closed stores. So we settled for a pub. Fun fact, the pub we stopped at was called The Railway and it makes an appearance in the Michael Collins movie that we watched before coming on this trip. That was cool to discover. We began walking to the station at 7:50 to give us a little time and still get there early.
Lucky for us our train came late. Like very late. We waited for probably over an hour and the ride back was another hour. Because we didn’t think we’d have the time to eat in Bray before our train, we didn’t have dinner. By the time we got back to Dublin we were starving and exhausted. It was after 10:30 at this point so there wasn’t much opened. We ended up picking up some sandwiches from a convenience store and ate outside in the Trinity courtyard. I, along with the rest of the group, were dead at this point so we all went back to our rooms to shower and go to bed. It was the perfect way to spend our last free day. I have absolutely loved hiking here in Ireland and I’m going to miss it so much!! There are endless hiking opportunities so I’ll definitely be coming back here again.