We are warmed by our own walking

One of the best ways to undertake a seven-mile hike is to have absolutely no idea you’re about to hike seven miles.

That turned out to be the way I saw the Gap of Dunloe in the Killarney National Park in Co. Kerry, Ireland, one of the most gorgeous and gloriously wild hikes I’ve ever taken.

It was invigorating, with the added challenge of suspense — Could I, as a breast cancer survivor-in-training, hike fast enough to reach the meetup point for the rowing excursion on Black Lake? Or would I find myself seven miles deep in Killarney National Park with no known or reliable way to get myself home?

That’s because my trip began, not without calamity, when I arrived out of breath at the Deros Tours office on Main Street in Killarney town, already with the sneaking suspicion that the bus I just saw leaving the curb was the bus I was supposed to be on.

In Ireland, when I am driving, even though I’m used to these roads, I always allow TWICE the time to reach my destination. That’s because a) I drive cautiously and never make reckless passes, b) you never know when you’re going to spend three or seven or 15 miles behind a tractor and c) you never know when Apple Maps will trip you up. The last one happened. I missed a roundabout, and that was that.

The Irish woman at the counter gestured toward the analog clock on the wall, but then turned to me and cheerfully, yet practically, told me all was not lost in a way that suggested I ought to get my wits about me. I could get a taxi, and the taxi would catch me up to the other hikers. If I really wanted to make good time, I could always take a jaunting car for 35 Euros more.

Jaunting cars, in case you didn’t know, are essentially horses and carriages, with the most elegant horses. Take it from someone who grew up in horse country [Lexington, Kentucky], these were not tired-old retired-to-touristry horses — these were energetic, beautiful horses who seemed to like their new gig. [Read more here: https://killarneyjauntingcars.com/our-heritage/]