This Pilgrim's Progress

We built a cairn on top of Croagh Patrick this afternoon on the longest day of the year, Summer Solstice, after climbing the 765m sacred mountain of Ireland's patron saint, which can be found southwest of Westport, a rather gentile, and definitely happy, picturesque little town on the Carrowbeg River in County Mayo. We arrived in Westport in the early afternoon and soon exhausted a walk around town to window shop, so we headed out to climb Croagh Patrick while the weather was grand—clear, sunny, and warm (something of an anomaly, we were told).

Saint Patrick, who is reputed to have brought Christianity to Ireland, is said to have fasted and prayed on the summit of this mountain for 40 days, and so it is a tradition that on St. Patrick's day and Reek's Sunday in July, thousands of pilgrims, some barefoot, make the ascent to the summit where there is a small church to pay homage and make offerings. It is hard to imagine making this climb with thousands, though having done other physical challenges in groups, I can see that it could be very uplifting. As it was on this June weekday early in the tourist season, the mountain had plenty of visitors, though the trail was never crowded.

The ascent is strenuous and it can take two hours to reach the top, using hands and feet in many places to climb up the mountain trail of loose scree and rocks. There are walking sticks for let at the visitor center, but it wasn't until we were close to halfway up that it occurred to us we'd be needing them, especially on the descent, which we could see by the manner in which visitors making their way down the mountain were especially challenged not to slip or fall on the eroded trail of gravel. At about the halfway mark I was feeling very fortunate to be strong of legs and fit, and when the next really hard bit of trail came along, I found myself marveling at the many, octogenarians who were climbing this mountain in both directions. I was awed, and they kept me going, as all the while I vowed to keep in shape so that when my children are my age now, I'll be able to keep up.

While we climbed, we only passed one couple who seemed to be at a crossroads, and since we never encountered them again, up or down, they must have decided it wasn't the time for this challenge in their life. We passed one pilgrim descending the mountain in thin socks, his companion walking ahead and waiting in intervals, shepherding him through his journey. All kinds of people in every shape and every fitness level, young and old, met the mountain as we pushed upward. At the hardest points, travelers coming down gave encouragement— "This bit is the hardest." "You don't have far, now."—and we found ourselves doing the same for those traveling behind us. The people who successfully get to the top often don't get there because they came to the mountain fit to climb it, but because something else gave them the inner strength to attempt it. We all climb mountains for different reasons. Often, it's simply for a chance to see what there is to see from a different vantage point, other times it's to overcome a challenge of some kind. Whatever the reason, one thing remains true. When you get stuck and can't find your next foothold, only you can make a move because the mountain isn't going to step aside. Often, it's a step of faith of one kind or another.

The summit of Croagh Patrick offers dramatic views of Clew Bay, dotted with hundreds of little islands, as well as of the landscape inland. At the top, the wind whips around you, evaporating all the sweat of your climb, giving you chills, but you are filled with a sense that all is good, that the world is as it should be. You can't stay long on top or your muscles start to cramp and you know the way down will be more challenging to the knees. So, we built our cairn to commemorate our climb, placing two heath flowers under the top rock, took some pictures, and started down, sun-kissed, wind-whisked, and happy.

After checking into our guest house and hot showers, we enjoyed a great meal and live traditional Irish music at a pub in town.