So, this doesn't really count as a backcountry trip - however we did this more "hut to hut" style - 11 days of hiking, 200 kilometers, from bed and breakfast to bed and breakfast, myself, my wife, and my often hiking partner and his wife. We didn't use luggage tranfers but just lightweighted it with the same sort of gear I take backpacking. As it didn't involve camping outside, the better half walked it with me (well most of it, she skipped a couple of tough sections and took a taxi

While there were some challenging days, and occasional frustrations, all in all a great trip, and showing TR's now
makes it seem soo green...

full set of pics at http://pics.obtuse.com/kerryway2011, I'll
only reproduce a few of them here for you. if you're intersted, go check out the above link












[img]http://pics.obtuse.com/kerryway2011/m-20110722-133059-bob.jpg
[img]http://pics.obtuse.com/kerryway2011/m-20110723-155524-howie.jpg

Bob: I think that does count as a backcountry trip. There was less civilization seen in some of those shots than off in the distance in some of the designated Wilderness areas I've been to in Colorado. There are some really great pix on your link. Lots of them are SO green. Several would be beautiful big and framed.

Were the monoliths ancient, or put in as part of the Kerry Way? Did you have everything you brought over in those packs, or were you able to leave some "stuff" at the start and pick it up at the end? If you didn't use luggage transfers, then it really helped to be UL-oriented. What a great hike and trip!

Were McGillycuddy's Reeks in any of those shots (my favorite Irish name.) How long were you there in total? Did you or your wife have family to visit? Thanks for sharing the pix.

phat, we've covered some of the same ground and that definately counts as a backpacking trip. We did part of the Dingle Way too.
The thing that was odd about that place is how muddy and wet the ground can be hiking up over the passes where it should be dry. You could even hear water running underfoot as the trail winds through the heather mounds.
Interesting....none of your sheep were painted. We had a heck of a time taking sheep shots because of blue/green/red paint blobs on their butts. Nice pics! I plan to go back possibly this year.

The monoliths were ancient - a number of places there were standing stones. with runes on them. (well, you couldn't often see runes they're so old)

Yes, I took a duffel with my backpack in it, and we Dropped
all our extra stuff into the duffel and left it at Carriglea house B&B where we started and finished. but this was pretty
small, a nice shirt, and a few souveniers we bought the first day that we weren't going to carry. for the most part it was in the pack, and certainly was for the days we were on the trail. I more or less wore boots and gaiters, my schoeller hiking pants, poly undies, and a nylon MEC shirt - I had a fleece, a set of merino long johns, a merino shirt, and a pair of "town pants" and a change of socks and undies in my pack. We would wash socks and underwear in the sink at the B&B, (except for one B&B we did real laundry at)

Howie and I also carried our snow peak stoves and a small pot each. We picked up a canister in Killarney before we started and then we did trail lunches most of the time - buying soup, bread, cheese, whatever at little shops in town for the next day. Some areas we had the B&B pack a lunch for us because there wasn't anything to get such supplies at.







Yes - McGillycudy's Reeks are the best part of the trip the mountain shots you see are often them. The picture of me above looking over a valley I'm standing on the spine of them, on the shoulder of Carrauntohil (tallest mountain in ireland) - which Howie and I wanted to go up if we had a chance, but the weather wasn't good for it (low cloud the day we were there). We were on the trail for 11 days.

Yeah, the neat part as well was how much that changed after a spell of dry weather.. the little trickles would just stop, yet the ground would still be moist and hold the water.




We had lots of painted sheep too - look at the full picture set - I just didn't happen to get them in any of the ones above.

Aww man, I forgot to link one of my favorites - walking on this
old road made me feel all Hobbity...