Gougane Barra

Yesterday, my Irish friend Joanne took Erin, Whitney, Ellie, and me to hike a the tallest peak in Ireland, but the weather was pretty crummy and she feared that her little car wouldn't fare well in the dirt track to the trailhead, so we improvised and she took us to the Gougane Barra, which is a remote, forested area and the headwaters of the River Lee, which flows into the Cork Harbour and into the ocean. In Cork, it is the most disgusting river I've ever seen, but in the Gougane Barra, it is the most lovely, crystal clear, peaceful network of streams that cascade down the high hill tops around the logh. It was a very very damp day and the photos are quite foggy and blurry, but here's a few that turned out.

Here's where we went.

A church built by St. Finnbar in the 6th century.

A monkey puzzle tree!

One of many streams.

Lookin' for fish.

Mossy wall and trees

The hillside with lots of small waterfalls.