h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Gosh, from injuries suffered and all the delays and rain- this didn't sound like any fun whatsoever. Weren't there any FUN moments or was it supposed to be a stiff-uppee-lip, suck it in experience from the get go? Maybe one of the trekkers can add something when they have recovered.

Oh they all found it an incredible experience, and are making plans to complete the 100km next year!

Exactly. We're not complaining, we're just drawn that way!

Interesting to see it from Bea's perspective - I didn't realise youn were waiting around that long. Makes me appreciate your help all the more

We ended up meeting that same medic another four or five times. He was everywhere.

That medic was everywhere, wasn't he? (If I remember rightly, one of our party groaned "Noooo, it's that stalker again..." )

But yes, I enjoyed it. I got a kick out of the common purpose and the sense of camaraderie, which is unusual, in that I normally walk in the hills when I want to enjoy a bit of solitude and escape anything remotely like a crowd.

And I liked seeing some of the little species that aren't common even in my part of the same small country. A tiny - and I mean *tiny* - change of altitude and latitude really does make a big difference to the creatures and plants.

KB, glad it wasn't so grim after all. I hope that you guys will be able to go the distance next year. Have a great weekend!

It was brilliant, I really enjoyed it. It was great seeing it from Bea's perspective. This is what I do for fun. What do other people do?

I'm still kind of drawing a blank on how we actually got into that checkpoint, and where the medic came from I just remember those really annoying signs telling you it's not far now. They lied.

Just got a few more offline donations, must go put them in

The signs by the sandwich shop sponsoring it rather than the official ones? "Not long now..." "Just around the next bend..." Yep, they lied.

I'm developing a grudge against that sandwich chain. Their food's fine, but between those signs they put up, their overpriced food in Dublin airport (no worse than any of the other shops admittedly), and bad memories of a terrible ear infection before we went to the one-man LOTR show and all I could consume was one of their smoothies - well, it's not *all* their fault, but there are soooo many bad associations with them now.

yes, it does seem like they're out to get you.

KB and I did another walk yesterday. Now I'm trying to decide whether it's a good idea to go horse riding today, because the balls of my feet finally deflated somewhere near Helen's Tower

Weather-wise yesterday was about the nicest day of the year, though - we picked a great day for it.

Just before dusk we lost our bearings momentarily when the sun seemed to be setting in the east. But it wasn't the sun setting, it was some bunch of wee pillocks who started a fire in the gorse. A good kick in the arse is more than some people deserve!