Croagh Patrick

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June 28, 2000

The Killeen House is nice.  The actual house is beautiful.  My room (#2) has a twin and double bed.  There are two twin and double rooms en suite and two doubles en suite.  My room cost £18 (no credit cards).
I drove through Clifden (where I stopped at a shop for some food and ate lunch by the sea) to Westport, checked in at the Old Mill Hostel and went to Croagh Patrick.  It took me one hour and sixteen minutes to reach the summit.  After about one hour I felt terrible and thought I would never get there.  When I finally saw the cross on the roof of the chapel it was if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders.  The feeling was amazing, I'm so glad that I did it!  I fell once at the most difficult part near the summit.  I also fell once on the way down, which took me one hour and five minutes.  I wish I had taken my water up with me!

The view from whence I came

The view to the top (I unfortunately was to discover that what we are looking at is not in fact the summit)

The first station (pilgrims are supposed to stop and pray here)

Proof that I made it to the top!

To the north

To the south

To the west

To the east

The station at the summit

The path back down (this is where I fell coming up)

It looks deceptively short!

By the time I was finished, I was covered in sweat and dirt, so I stopped in the Tourist Office briefly and then took a shower at the hostel.  There are 18 beds in my room and only one other person has been staying in it, so it has been very nice.
I ate dinner at Dunning's Cyberpub and used their internet.  It was an outstanding setup with fast computers, and only cost me £1.  I spent about 2 hours there in total (eating, using the internet and relaxing in the outdoor area) and then returned to the hostel about 8 PM.  I feel asleep immediately, woke around midnight and am now writing this.
The hostel is nice and clean, and situated right in the middle of town.  It's about as good as anyone could reasonably expect from a hostel.  I'm pleased with my decision to stay here, especially since it's about half what I've been paying for a B&B.

I had originally intended to visit Matt Malloy's Bar in the evening, but was too exhausted.  Sitting outside of Dunning's was a nice end to the day though.  It was about 70° F (21° C)  today and was nice to sit down and relax after climbing Croagh Patrick.  It's a good spot for watching the people around the Octagon, overhearing the interactions at the pub, etc.