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We joined many Irish people making a pilgrimage up the 765m Croagh Patrick. |
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| A statue of St. Patrick with the mountain behind. It is said that St. Patrick performed his snake-expulsion act (driving all snakes from Ireland) from the top. |
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| Kirsten may look happy, but she wasn't -- this was the toughest part of a very tiring two-hour climb to the top of the mountain. |
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| A sign explaining the real way to do a Croagh Patrick (also known as "the Reek") pilgrimage. Climbing the mountain is an act of penance for tens of thousands of people each year, especially on the last Sunday of July (Reek Sunday). We met several people who had climbed the mountain several times before (but in worse weather). |
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| A hard-earned beautiful view north from the top of Croagh Patrick. The climb was on loose rocks the whole way up, making it especially tiring (and difficult without a walking stick!). |
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| Jim makes his way back down the steep upper third of Croagh Patrick. The way down was much less tiring but no less difficult, as much of the track near the top was very steep and unstable. One person we passed said she felt like she was "surfing stones" the whole way down! |
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| The truly contrite make the pilgrimage up Croagh Patrick barefoot, as this person that we passed did. We couldn't imagine doing that!! |
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