Training Log Archive: Funderstormin

Day 3 was a bit of a slower start due to excessive Sambuca shots in the pub the night before.

The day featured a fair bit of road walking but it was on lovely small quiet roads so no one really minded. What we did mind is the fact that it rained all day and was cold enough that it was a bit harder to enjoy the scenery! Once we left the road we had a nice ascent up the side of Scarr and some exposed parts where the wind was really whipping once again. The descent off of the hill and into the forest toward Glendalough was definitely the highlight of the day as it wove through pine forests before giving away views of the two lakes in Glendalough.

Day 3 map: http://visitwicklow.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/...

We finished just after lunch before collecting our bags and celebrating completing our mission in an 18th century pub called Johnnie Fox's.

I loved this trail and would like to do it all sometime. I believe they have some ultras on it as well which doesn't surprise me as much of it was runnable.

C • Awesome 5

After a nice sleep and a yummy vegetarian Irish breakfast we were back out on the trail for Day 2. This was my favorite day as we saw so many different types of terrain and landscapes but also because I felt we experienced all of Ireland's season in the period of a few hours. We had a beautiful ascent through the forested paths of Crone woods, a great view of Powerscourt Falls which are the highest in Ireland, and experienced some real mountain weather with crazy winds and snow along the exposed side of Djouce mountain. Once off the hill, we had some lovely sunshine as we trekked through more forest and fields of sheep before we left the trail to walk into Roundwood, our destination for the night and NYE! It doesn't get much better than finding a cozy room right above the pub!

Day 2 map: http://visitwicklow.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/...

Day 1 of hiking on the Wicklow Way in Ireland: http://www.wicklowway.com/trail-description/index.... I booked this trip to just after finishing the LaCloche loop in August and so I was researching hiking trails near Dublin and came across the Wicklow Way. Although December was not the ideal time of year to do this, the weather would probably be manageable and while my friends over there think most of what I do is crazy, they do enjoy walking so I suggested this idea and they were keen for it.

We thought three days was enough to see a good chunk of the 130km trail and still allow time to do other things while I was over there. Because of the trail's location, you are never particularly far from a road so we booked two nights of accommodation in villages that were only a few km off the main trail.

The day before we dropped some bags at both hotels so as to lessen our load a bit which turned out to be a great idea as all three days were really wet at some point.

Our plan was to be able to use most of the daylight without running the risk of being out in the dark, so on Day 1 we started just a bit past the official start in Marlay Park as the first few km were all paved and not particularly interesting. I think we had a few minutes of calm weather but once we got up a bit higher, the winds were roaring and strong enough that it was challenging to stay upright at times. Once we descended off of the first hill it was a bit calmer.

Like all sections, the trail was well-marked and the terrain varied. We left the trail just before Knockree to walk 4km in to Eniskerry village where we had a lovely B&B booked for the night. Although camping along the trail would be a ton of fun at another time of year, it was pretty nice to be able to shower and sit in a pub in the evening!

Since my description of the day is pretty lame here's a map! http://visitwicklow.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/...

Mrs. Tiny and I met up for a fun and muddy Hydrocut run.

Never thought I'd see the day where I was sad the CrossFit gym was closed so I had to make do with my basement equipment and little ingenuity.