Tested my supposedly frost-resistant viking heritage with a hike up Galtymore in the company of my friend Ben. The part with the -10°C temperature drop from base to peak was also part of the plan!

 

What looks like fallen snow in the video is all frost and ice. Atmospheric water solidifying on rocks and plants; perhaps directly through the process of deposition, where water vapour skips the hardly necessary process of turning into liquid water midway, and instead freezes directly into being solid ice.

 

Apparently back in the Devonian anywhere between 390-360 million years ago, the rocks here were laid as large sand dunes in a tropical or near-tropical climate. I’ve blabbered on about the Devonian in other posts, so will keep the mention of this epic geological time period short here.

 

Galtymore’s 918 metres peak borders counties Limerick and Tipperary providing a Lion King-like moment to judge the other side: the “shadowy place” versus “everything the light touches” – which describes which is up to the defendant.

 

Lovely view towards both counties though!