Death March
 22 August, another moderate hike over a low
mountain and then through some "boggy bits."
Yeah, right.
  

Once again the weather started out foul but cleared up into one of the most glorious of days.  After this, it stayed nice for the rest of my visit, and eventually turned quite warm.

  

  

  
Early on in the hike we encountered
one of the many ancient shrines
scattered throughout the countryside.

  

Shonagh and I taking a break.  The first part of the hike was on small roads and lanes, once again giving me a false sense of security.

  

  

  
The group at a crossroad, consulting maps and trying to decide which way to go.

  

After a particularly rough stretch, we reach the shores of Lough Corrib.  We thought the going might be easier from here.

   

   

  

  

  
After scaling the mountain in the right side of the pervious picture, we saw all this in front of us.  There was actually a marked path, but the land it led us through was treacherous and boggy.  I think they made these trails by handing out sign posts to the local farmers who then, as a practical joke on us foreigners, put them up at random throughout the countryside. 
   

Journal Excerpt:  At length, we emerged onto a gravel path that led past a small beach.  A boy and his dad were near the water and asked where we had come from.
     "About 12 miles from that direction," Meg told them.  Then she said to the boy, "I thought the Leprechauns were going to get us!"
     To which the dad replied, "Sure, and no Leprechaun would be mad enough to go walking back there!"

    

         
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