Hey look, a post by Scott!
As part of our trip to the Faroe Islands, we were treated to a one-day nature excursion run by CoastZone North Atlantic. When we got up that morning we had no idea what to expect. The first hint that it would be more than a simple hike came when one of our travel companions was told that her boots were inadequate and she was offered a pair to borrow.
Our head guide, Eyðun, had worked for several years as police officer in the Faroe Islands and looked the part. With his crew cut and strong facial features he reminded me of the head of security from the movie Avatar, but thankfully he was quick with a smile and never tried to kill us.
Just as we were about to start our trip we passed by some men responsible for looking after the sheep on the nearby hills. The Faroese know exactly how many sheep can be raised on the islands and they make sure that all grassland is utilized. The land is also occasionally leased out to rabbit hunters; the men asked to make sure we weren’t planning on doing any hunting.
The sun was out for most of the hike, highlighting the fresh snow frosting the landscape. The ground was uneven and damp. Eyðun pointed to a low point in the ridge ahead and we made our way towards it, following sheep trails and avoiding the streams embedded in the hillside.
I remember Irish countrysides as being colored a stark clover green. In traveling through the Faroe Islands I was struck by how green the terrain was, but distinctly different from Ireland. The Faroes were painted more of a brownish, mossy green.
When we reached the top of the ridge we stopped for a snack while taking in the scenery. Our second guide was another police officer, who with his youthful face and jovial laugh could play the comic to Eyðun’s straight man. He explained how he enjoyed going geocaching with his kids and then disappeared around the corner to leave his own geocache.
After lunch we started our descent down the other side of the mountain and down into the valley.
The initial plan was to meet up with a boat not too far away, but we got a call from the boat captain saying that the rough water meant we had to change the meeting point. As we got further down we caught a spectacular view of some cliffs rising out of the ocean.
At that point we were starting to run out of daylight and energy. We quickly climbed down to the water and wiggled into drysuits. One by one, we jumped from the rocks into the ocean ten feet below. After a long day of hard and sometimes difficult climbing, the splash into the water provided a relaxing release that was over too soon. Eyðun had originally planned to also take us sea-kayaking, but the limited November daylight didn’t last long enough. Instead we took a quick (and shivering) boat ride through some spectacular towering cliffs before heading home.
That sounds very…adventurous! I think I would be a little too scared to do the dive.
And how do you pronounce Eyðun? Like Ian?
The jump was the best! The hiking on teeny tiny sheep trails on wet, slippery rocks across a steep incline was the scary part.
I couldn’t for the life of me tell you how to pronounce Eyðun. It was one of those words that, no matter how many times I heard it, I couldn’t begin to figure out how to repeat it. Scott managed to come up with something close enough that Eyðun would recognize and respond to it, though.