First of all, Wicklow Mountains National Park is the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life.
I had the opportunity to go on a hike through the Wicklow Mountains via Volleyball Club. Wicklow was at the top of my to do list coming to Ireland. A teacher had mentioned it to me and since then I have been excited to go. I was planning on taking a day trip to Glendalough that also included a hike into the park. However, right before the weekend I planned on going was the club and society fair. When I went to sign up for volleyball the coach talked to me for about 20 minutes. He mentioned they were also planning a hike into Wicklow so I immediately canceled by day tour and kept the weekend of the hike free.
A couple weeks by and only a couple of girls and guys from the club were interested in going on the hike. I of course was ecstatic and could not wait. My roommate decided to go with me because her weekend was free. The coach was going to pick us up in the morning. When the morning arrived it was pouring down rain which made us doubtful for the rest of the day. But I checked the weather the previous night and they expected the rain to clear up around 11. And sure enough when we arrived in Glendalough the skies were blue and there were only a few white puffy clouds in the sky. After we checked into the hostel we were within walking distance to the park. We could see the mountain we were going to hike up from the road and it was beautiful from there. Little did we know what was waiting on the other side of the mountain. We hiked through some forest then up the side of the mountain which was the most strenuous part of the hike. After that the hike was a breeze. When we reached the top we could see one of the twin lakes. The whole hike I kept thinking wow this is so beautiful. There were not enough words to describe how beautiful it was. I just kept saying wow the further we walked. The weather was perfect up until the very end. On the hike we saw so many deer. It was really neat to see their silhouettes along the tops of the peaks. On the way back we followed the river that flowed down the valley to the lakes. Honestly, I can’t imagine any part of my trip that is going to top the Wicklow Mountains.
The coach invited me on another hike in Kerry which I have been told is equally if not more stunning than Wicklow so I cannot wait. However it is at the beginning of December so I am nervous that it will be cold since we are hiking to the top of one of the highest peaks in Ireland. But I am excited and hopefully I will be ready by then.