Rain Fatigue

They get a lot of rain in Ireland. I knew that going in...

And overall I know I've been lucky that it hasn't been worse...

But after another evening of walking in the chilly rain and camping on wet dirt, which stuck to everything it touched, I was starting to feel rain fatigue.

The next morning, my route merged with the International Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Mountains are an ancient mountain range that actually formed during the time of the super-continent, Pangaea. This means that technically, the Appalachian Mountain range continues in Northern Ireland, so the International Appalachian Trail has recently been extended across the pond. I searched everywhere for a white blaze, but unfortunately, that doesn't mark the trail here.

When I got to the northern coast, I could feel that rain was about to fall, so I started looking for camp, but I was being too picky. I wanted to find a perfect spot, so rather than being warm and dry in my tent, I found myself walking in a downpour with strong wind sucking the warmth out of my body.

I tried to find some shelter in the trees, but I ended up in a bog, which is not unlike walking on a giant wet sponge. Finally, I saw an opening in a thick patch of trees near the road.

Inside was a dark tunnel. The trees were so thick that light could barely get through, let alone drops of rain. I found my home for the night. I pulled off my rain hood and put on my headlamp.

When a dark creepy tunnel full of spiders makes you smile like you've just discovering some wonderful secret hideaway, you know you are not living a normal life.