16 Miles in the Rain

All semester our program director has been talking about how beautiful the hiking in Ireland is and that it is one of her favorite hobbies.  As one of the many activities she planned for us, she planned a 16 mile walk through Kerry.  When we heard that the walk was 16 miles, we first thought there would be no possible way to finish it, but Mary convinced us with all the walking we do in Cork we would be fine.  Our walk to class is a half hour at least, which is definitely a change from the 5 minutes it takes to get from the dorms at Loyola to the Quad.  The morning of the walk seemed to be a beautiful day to spend outside, the temperature was cool but refreshing, like a spring morning.  We began the hike into the Irish countryside.  The mountains were beautiful; it looked like a postcard you would mail home from a trip to Ireland.  After about a half hour it began to pour, but the difference between Ireland and America became apparent to all of us.  Instead of postponing the walk for a more beautiful day, the Irish don’t let the rain affect anything they do, so instead we marched on for another 14 miles in the rain.  It wasn’t just a light rain, the rain was coming down so hard that soon even with a rain jacket on, it felt like I had just got out of the shower and my sneakers had two puddles in them.  The nice walk we were supposed to have had turned into a blur of rain.  Even though it rained we made the best of it, and we were able to see scenery of Ireland that wouldn’t have been accessible in a car.