HIKING LONG DISTANCES in Ireland solo can, once in a while, be a transcendental experience.
Not always, obviously. Not even all that often. There can be hours of tramping up and down trails in incessant rain surrounding by Sitka spruce plantations catching only hints of the stunning scenery to come.
The views, when the landscape opens up and the clouds finally lift, act as a reward for all the relative drudgery.
Four years ago I climbed the 50 highest peaks in Ireland for the LauraLynn children’s hospice. The challenge was almost upended by Covid – but working within the lockdowns and with the help of multiple generous supporters I managed to raise almost €20,000.
I happened to experience one of the most beautiful moments of my life during that period.
It was towards the end of the challenge. There were only a few more peaks left to go before I reached the magic ’50′ mark. I was on the second-highest mountain in Ireland – Cnoc Na Péiste in the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, not far from Carrauntoohil.
Even as Kerry mountains go, the terrain there is tough going. As I got through the worst of the climb the weather suddenly opened up and the scenery was unbelievable. What happened next is difficult to describe but it was something akin to a spritual experience. It all came to me – the money I’d raised and the reasons I’d done it. It sunk in all of a sudden. Tears started coming into my eyes.
When people ask me why I do these challenges, yes, obviously I mention that moment. But the hours and hours of straightforward, solitary trekking are an integral part of it too.
There’ll be a bit of that, I imagine, tomorrow morning when I begin my next challenge across the road from a Lidl and a mid-size Spar in a Dublin 16 car park.
Marlay Park, in the south Dublin suburb of Rathfarnham, is the traditional starting point for the Wicklow Way, a 140km long-distance trail which I’ll be attempting to complete in three days over the course of this weekend instead of the more leisurely five-to-seven.
It’s a lot of walking – between 40 and 45km each day. The long – and hopefully, dryish – summer evenings should help me complete my goal by sometime late on Sunday night.
I try and do a charity challenge of some kind every year – usually for a different charity each time. Sometimes hikes are involved, but back in 2021 I did a marathon every week across the year – also for LauraLynn.
But I’m not a celebrity, an influencer or a professional adventurer – so partly due to pressures elsewhere in my life I’m tailoring this challenge to fit into a relatively brief period, compared to my island-spanning 2020 travels.
This time I’m raising money for suicide and self-harm charity Pieta House.
While it’s tempting, at this point, to list statistics about mental health and suicide in Ireland, there’s really no need. Almost everyone reading this will have been affected by suicide, either directly or indirectly.
Many of us, myself included, have struggled with depression and anxiety and continue to struggle. Pieta is an organisation that looks after people in their darkest hours.
It was there for me when someone very close to me died by suicide. He and I were friends since before the awkward teenage years. I don’t know anybody else like him. He was a great friend. As funny and fun to be around as he was, he also struggled mentally. Of course, sometimes the funniest and most charismatic people – who bring so much light to those around them – can be struggling inside.
I was aware of the existence of Pieta, but was largely unaware of the services they provided. I was struggling very badly with my grief – to a point where my own family and friends were worried about me. Someone suggested that I contact Pieta.
I didn’t know that as well as providing counselling for people in distress, they also do so for people bereaved by suicide. When I spoke to the lady on their helpline I was barely able to complete a sentence. Pieta had a counsellor sitting in my living room speaking to me the very next day.
So I’m doing this to raise money for Pieta House – and to remember one of my best friends.
Talk the talk
There has been a big push in recent years for men to talk about their mental health struggles – a genuine push. There’s more acceptance towards men who reveal they struggle mentally now. Unfortunately in my own experience, with myself and my friends, I find that men have only begun to talk about talking about it – rather than actually talking about it.
My advice would be – rather than telling a male friend ‘if you need to talk, I’m here’, just go and actually talk to them. You might have to be persistent. Make sure they know they’re loved, that they’re not alone and not a nuisance or a burden. If a friend is irritable or withdrawing from their usual activities, try and investigate – because something deeper could be going on. Men need to get out of their comfort zone with other men in order to help each other.
Walk the walk
I’ve been making preparations over the last few weeks – keeping fit and training when I can. It’s Ireland, so I’m not that worried about the weather – it’s always a matter of preparing for the worst no matter the time of year or the forecast. Given the ambitious distances each day I am a little concerned about my feet so I’ll be taking whatever measures I can to ward off any blisters that might hamper my progress.
Home, on Friday night, will be a hiking shelter just off the track, high in the Wicklow hills. I’ll be skirting the banks of Glendalough and heading south up the Spinc sometime on Saturday and hopefully putting my feet up in the village of Clonegall, just across the border in Carlow, sometime the following night.
I’m travelling solo for most of the journey but I won’t be venturing off the waymarked trail except when I stop each night. One of the most important things I’ve learned in my years hiking in Ireland is never to lose respect for the landscape and the conditions. People can underestimate an Irish mountain – just because it’s an Irish mountain and not, say, an alp.
We all need to look after ourselves on our journeys – even when it seems like sometimes we’re walking alone.
If we do, hopefully those moments of elation will come along when we least expect them.
You can find Jack’s iDonate page for his Wicklow Way challenge here and he’ll be documenting his journey on Instagram here.
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If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this article, you can reach out for support through the following helplines. These organisations also put people in touch with long-term supports:
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