This past weekend, I headed down with some friends to Lough Dan - a ribbon lake in County Wicklow. (lough = lake in Irish) Haven't camped since I was about 7 and it was at 'church camp', which wasn't really camping so much as extended Sunday School on location. This was real camping. Tents and fire and marshmallows and everything. I wore four layers of heavy clothing with a rain jacket on top, woolen mittens, wooly socks, a thick scarf and brought with me a fancy sleeping bag and tent. Yay Irish summer!
All of which is to say I slept a total of 1 hour through the night and sat shivering next to the dying embers of campfire at dawn, stoking the flames and rocking back and forth like a junkie in the effort to keep warm.
But oh my, is Lough Dan wondrous. These Irish got it good. Drive 40 minutes south from Dublin and you're in a magical fairy land, replete with stony, electric green mountainside, misty mirror lakes and air so fresh you get a headache. Growing up in the suburbs of midwestern America, I was so starved for nature that a group of trees on the side of a highway was akin to a nature preserve. Look - a tall tree! Some mulchy dirt! And oh look, a bird. That was it.
It takes about 30/40 minutes to hike down to the beach, once you pass the 'No Camping Allowed' sign just opposite a field of sheep. Descending into Lough Dan, there were moments when I fully expected the scenery to be one big green screen - Cabin In the Woods style. Truly, this bounty of nature couldn't be real! I brought the camera along and ended up taking 1200+ pictures. The sun began to set around 9pm and night set in just after 11pm. I was grateful for sunrise (at about 4:30am) cos I got to capture some pretty amazing mist rising up from the lake.
Here are some of my favorite shots from the trip:
The pathway in.
The beach.
The campfire kindle.
The rocky mountains next to the beach.
Natural wine cooler.
That morning mist.
After the mist.
All of which is to say I slept a total of 1 hour through the night and sat shivering next to the dying embers of campfire at dawn, stoking the flames and rocking back and forth like a junkie in the effort to keep warm.
But oh my, is Lough Dan wondrous. These Irish got it good. Drive 40 minutes south from Dublin and you're in a magical fairy land, replete with stony, electric green mountainside, misty mirror lakes and air so fresh you get a headache. Growing up in the suburbs of midwestern America, I was so starved for nature that a group of trees on the side of a highway was akin to a nature preserve. Look - a tall tree! Some mulchy dirt! And oh look, a bird. That was it.
It takes about 30/40 minutes to hike down to the beach, once you pass the 'No Camping Allowed' sign just opposite a field of sheep. Descending into Lough Dan, there were moments when I fully expected the scenery to be one big green screen - Cabin In the Woods style. Truly, this bounty of nature couldn't be real! I brought the camera along and ended up taking 1200+ pictures. The sun began to set around 9pm and night set in just after 11pm. I was grateful for sunrise (at about 4:30am) cos I got to capture some pretty amazing mist rising up from the lake.
Here are some of my favorite shots from the trip:
The pathway in.
The beach.
The campfire kindle.
The rocky mountains next to the beach.
Natural wine cooler.
That morning mist.
After the mist.