An Introduction To My Next Adventure

 In 3 months, I will embark on my next trekking sojourn. Kody Martin has graciously agreed to accompany me, even though I held her back on the Great Glen Way in Scotland 😏, which we hiked in May 2025. I am so thankful to have her as a companion on this journey, to walk, not only physically with me, but to "walk" spiritually together. If you didn't get to know Kody when they were members of FBC Bowie, you missed a blessing, and I so look forward to this time we will get to share. 

We have booked two back-to-back hikes in Ireland from 4/27/26-5/20/26: the Wicklow Way and the Dingle Way. Just a brief description of the hikes:

The Wicklow Way was the first waymarked long-distance walking trail to be established in Ireland, leaving Dublin and heading south through the Wicklow Mountains. The driving force behind the route was John James Bernard Malone (JB Malone). He first promoted the idea of a long walk through the Wicklow Mountains as early as 1966, although the route wasn't officially opened until 1981, starting at Marlay Park on the southern outskirts of Dublin. The route is mostly, but not entirely a 'Wicklow' Way, because although the bulk of it is in Co. Wicklow, it starts in Co. Dublin and finishes in Co. Carlow. The walk is a minimum of 80 miles but will more likely be close to 100. We will spend 8 days walking this portion and will overnight in the towns of Dublin, Enniskerry, Roundwood, Laragh, Glenmalure, Tinahely, and Bunclody.

The Dingle Way claims perhaps the finest scenery and richest archaeological heritage of all Ireland's 45 National Waymarked Trails. It combines wild coasts and cliff-tops with superb uplands and beautiful, tranquil and fertile countryside. I first experienced the Dingle Peninsula by car with my sister Jo Anne in 2016. You can read all about it on my Heritage Walk blog if you want. I look forward to trekking this route and becoming fully immersed in the culture and landscape. The Dingle Way is a minimum of 114 miles and we will also spend 8 days walking this trail, overnighting in Tralee, Camp, Annascaul, Dingle, Dunquin, Ballydavid, Cloghane, Castlegregory, and Camp.

You might ask (or not), what exactly is a National Waymarked Trail? Several criteria must be met.

• There are accommodation options both at the start and at the end of the trails, and every 20-30 kilometers (approximately every 12-18 miles).
• There’s at least one option to stop to eat or drink every 20-30 kilometers, within 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) of the trail. It could be a shop, a pub or a café!
• There are signs or waymarking information at any junction along the trail. There will also be at least one reassurance waymarking every kilometer, along long straight stretches of the trail.
• At least 80% of the trail is not on public roads (my favorite!).
• Parking should be available at the trail starting/ending points.

I will provide more information than you ever wanted to know about these areas as we hike them, but will leave it at that for now.

I know it is early to send you an introduction to this blog, but I would love for you to pray for us as we prepare. Please pray for health and healing as we train, that God would prepare the hearts of the people we will encounter along the way, and that we would heed the Spirit's urging to be the light and share the truth with them. Pray, most of all, that He would be glorified in and through our journey.

I will close with my mom's favorite verse: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12