Croagh Patrick

I did it; I climbed Croagh Patrick. Croagh Patrick is a tall mountain in County Mayo, Ireland where St. Patrick is buried. Apparently it’s not even the tallest mountain in Ireland, but it certainly was tall enough to me. I don’t normally climb mountains. It’s not because I’m afraid of heights or hate the outdoors. I just haven’t ever climbed a mountain. I can’t honestly say it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, because until Wednesday, I hadn’t even considered it as a possibility. But when I found out that the Travel Writing class was going to climb and that the Film class had the chance to join, I knew that I had to do it.

I came to Ireland looking for adventure. Yes, there is that whole “studying abroad” part, all six credits worth, but for me personally, I wanted adventure. I’ve never really done anything exciting before, save for white water rafting a few times. I almost felt like I needed to climb this mountain. I didn’t rally have another option. Halfway up the mountain, doubt really started to sink in. I didn’t need to continue to climb, I’d come halfway; that was enough. I was totally exhausted now, imagine how hard it was going to get. But in spite of these grumblings in the back of my mind, I knew that I would be so disappointed in myself if I didn’t reach the top. It was something I had to do, and so I did. I really feel it this morning now, however. I’m aching in places I didn’t know existed. But that’s ok, the pain will subside, and I’ll still have the memory of that adventure up the mountain with me.