Making Progress: From Camp to Annascaul
After taking the bus back from Camp to Tralee yesterday, I figured it would be a simple thing to reverse the process and pick up the trail where I left off. According to my route finder app, there were two buses leaving from nearby my hotel within four minutes of each other. I planned to catch the earlier bus since they were both going back to Camp.
When the driver stopped to let me off, nothing looked familiar, and it is a very small community. As I gathered my things, I looked at the map on my phone and discovered I was dropped off in the coastal portion of Camp. I needed to get to High Camp to resume the walk. About 15 minutes of uphill walking later, I arrived where I was supposed to be in the first place. No big deal. It just added about another mile to the day's trek.
Today was all about not rushing. Check-in for my lodging wasn't until 3:00 p.m. and I was only scheduled for about 10 miles of walking, not counting the extra mile I added. So I stopped in at the local coffee shop and relaxed for a bit before heading up the rest of the hill to rejoin the Dingle Way.
I spent probably about 90 percent of this day walking on some type of paved surface. That was a very welcome thing after I passed through boggy areas at the beginning of the day. Back in England, when I walked the Wainwright Coast to Coast, there were no roads through the bogs. Navigating safely and dryly through the muck was a serious challenge on that route.
Among the things I found interesting along today's route was a potable water source for people on the trail. It's the first of these I've seen. Likewise, I actually saw my very first black sheep. After all of my walking in England and Scotland, I've never seen one before—and there were lots of sheep there as well.
The Dingle is very well marked. Even without GPS it would be difficult to get lost on this journey. There were a couple of benches set up along the route but it was too early for me to take my break. By the time I was ready to rest for a bit, there were no more benches, so I wound up doing the entirety of the day without once sitting.
I saw a few people walking the trail today and exchanged pleasantries, but did not engage in any long conversations. About 30 minutes before reaching my destination, I met Zac and his dog Dixie, as Zac did some painting at the front of his property. In the few minutes we spent together, we covered topics from 9/11 to the fact that his wife also walked the Camino in Spain. His dog was delightful. I forget exactly what the mix was, but Dixie was beautiful and friendly.
Even without rushing I still arrived 45 minutes before I could check into my lodging. At Zac's suggestion, I decided to grab lunch at the famous South Pole Inn, originally opened in 1917 by Tom Crean, a famous Arctic explorer and one of the members of the Shackleton Expedition. If you’re not familiar, it is an incredible story of a ship trapped in ice, and the methods of survival employed for every member of the crew.
One of the highlights of lunch was finally taking off my backpack, loosening the laces on my shoes, and taking a seat with back support. Sometimes the little things make a big difference.
Tomorrow is a longer day with some serious hills. If the weather holds, I'm sure it will be delightful. The muscles in my legs are beginning to remember what it's like to go up and down those hills. It's tough to train for these things living in Florida.
