Seven Weeks!

In seven weeks - seven! - I'll start a journey that's sure to be legendary. Well, maybe not legendary for the rest of mankind, but in terms of my experiences it will be. I don't think anyone will write a song about it and it probably won't make the six o'clock news, but that doesn't make it any less spectacular.

I just purchased my train tickets, which was the last logistical thing that needed to be checked off my To-Do list. I land in Dublin at 9am and plan to catch the 11am train to Killarney. I love train travel...at least in the UK. Lauren tells me that American ones aren't as much fun and since she's had a healthy dose of each, I trust her assessment. (The only US train experience I had was when she and I traveled from Seattle to Vancouver, and that was pretty damn good.) Train travel in England and Ireland is...magical.

I won't continue until you stop rolling your eyes.

Yes, I said magical and that's what I meant. The dramatic change in landscape from city to country is amazing to witness. City buildings thin out as neighborhoods take over and then they fade to make room for cattle and rolling hills. The hills give way to mountains and open sky. The interior of the carriages are typically quiet, except for the trolley making its way up and down the aisle. Another thing I cherish about UK trains...the trolley delivers red wine and beer to my seat. Yep, it's true. That alone is worth hopping aboard.

The ride to Killarney takes about three and a quarter hours. Halfway there, I'll switch trains from a big one to a little one, which sadly is without trolley service. Being a former Girl Scout, I know a thing or two about being prepared. When Lauren and I trained from Dublin to Tralee last year, I bought a couple extra wines before switching. I climbed aboard the second train, clanking as my mini wine bottles banged together in my pack. It was a happy sound.

I'll arrive in Killarney shortly after 2pm, which leaves sufficient time to check in at the Killaran House (located 400 meters from the train station and right in the heart of things) and then head over to Ross Castle. The 15th century tower house sits on the edge of Lough Leane and remains open to the public. Then I'll check out St. Mary's Cathedral because, like other old buildings, I like to wander around ancient churches. After a couple hours of exploring, I'll find a pub close to my B&B, tuck in for a meal and few pints, and then hit the rack by ten.

My first day's hike is fifteen miles to Black Valley. (Sounds inviting...) I'll spend the night at the Shamrock Farmhouse, where I'll also have my evening meal and breakfast the next morning. The first day is always tough. Retraining one's legs to hammer out fifteen miles day after day isn't easy. I'll be asleep early that first night.

Day two is a mere eight miles, so I'll plan to sleep in a bit and take my time along the way. If there are ruins or a castle within a mile or two of the trail, I'll check them out. I don't want to arrive at my accommodations too early, although the Stepping Stone B&B is one of the nicer places I'll be staying along the Kerry Way. I'd rather spend my time walking the Motherland's green hills than sitting in a B&B, no matter how nice it is.

Day three will be a bitch, but it's also the day I reconnect with our hiking buddy, Owen. (You know him as Lauren's Dwarf.) We met our dear friend while walking England's Coast to Coast, where he saved my life during a difficult and terrifying climb. I look forward to trekking seventeen miles with him that day. Seventeen miles. I need to get serious about training.

I walked six miles yesterday...to a pub...and then dehydrated with pints.

Pracice, practice, practice.

Slan.