Hiking up Torc Mountain, Ireland

When we were in the parking lot for Torc Waterfall the other day, I had seen a trail leading up Torc Mountain. We didn't have time to do it then, but decided to return yesterday to do the hike.

Weather conditions weren't great... but we needed some exercise! The temperature was pleasant, but there was some wind and it was overcast, although there was no rain to speak of in the forecast.

Torc Mountain summit is only 3.7 kms one way from the upper Torc Waterfall parking lot, but it's a decent elevation gain of about 520 meters (1,700') so there is definitely a workout involved.

Ruth, watching a bubbling brook.

Scenery along the way.

Most of the route is on this sort of boardwalk.

Heading uphill.

There hadn't been that many people really... a few that had already been to the top and were on their way back down. But eventually we caught up to two large groups.

We ended up passing them.

Ruth, following behind me.

As we got closer to the top, the wind picked up and there was a lot of mist. I took a video for you. Hard to hear what I'm saying at the beginning, but the sound does clear a bit towards the end... 

Almost at the top.

As you can see, there was no chance of getting a view. It was totally fogged in at the top. We sat down and had a snack, and the two large groups eventually arrived while we were sat up there. But after we had been sitting twenty minutes or so, things started to clear up a bit!

A hole in the fog!

A bit of a view of Lough Leane.

Me, and the view!

That's about as good as it got though. Still, enough to make it worthwhile.

We left the groups up there and headed back down.

We passed quite a few people who were still heading up.

Heading back down.

It took us exactly one hour of steady climbing to reach the top, and about forty minutes to come back down. A fairly easy hike for us.

But, it was just a warm up hike... it looks like there is a weather window on Monday for us to do the much more difficult climb up Carrauntoohil, the highest point in Ireland. That mountain is at 1,038 meters (3,400') and they say it's a minimum six hours to do the 12 km (7.5 mile) return trip. 

We made our way to a church parking lot where we spent the night, and then got up early this morning and drove right away to the popular Gap of Dunloe parking lot to make sure we got a spot. So today, we are going to walk the Gap of Dunloe.

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