The Western Way - Connemara 1st day - Hardest Hike Ever

Started our day with a great breakfast at Tiernakill B&B. A lovely oasis in a beautiful valley surrounded by the lush green mountains of the Connemara. But we couldn't stay. It was time to move on. Unfortunately, the weather finally caught up with us and the rain laid the smack down on us hard. As we ascended into the hills the rain and wind were relentless. Our raincoats and Goretex shoes could not withstand this amount of water. We had to cross many rivers (fast rushing downhill creeks). Joan had a slip going over one and submerged her whole foot. But it didn't matter after a while. We were so wet it felt like we had a gallon of water in each shoe. And at times, the trails were nasty, muddy bogs that were hard to get around (or through). We became mentally exhausted from trying to figure out how to traverse each section of trail. Words can't properly describe what we experienced today. Arrived at our hostel late this afternoon. Basically, another dump. The Albergues in Spain were so much better than these places and were far cheaper. It's amazing to us to see people drive into hostels and check in with large suitcases. I thought hostels were for hikers and cyclists. This hostel has no potable water. Seriously?  Tomorrow's a new day and we will make it a good one. Hopefully the weather will improve.

(Side note: in the midst of walking through the storm we met another hiker. His name was Andy and he was from Belgium. He told us that we were the first hikers he had seen in 70 miles!)