In the morning of Nils’ birthday we headed off to the ferry that was going to bring us to the Westman Islands, together with Jan and Josephine. As the night had been a lot shorter than usual (I don’t know why… :D) it was remarkably quiet in the car. Everybody was embracing their water bottle more or less, complaining about a more or less intense headache and fighting against the slight sickness, that only more or less correlated with Nils’ way of driving. (We were late, again :D)

Luckily, the ferry ride didn’t take too long. A few years ago, one way would have been several hours… But due to the new harbour, we only needed 40 minutes. Especially on the last part of the route all four of us leaned over the railing, wide-eyed due to the many little, absolutely breathtaking islands we passed. Well, “little” in terms of surface area, but definitely not in hight. Actually they looked more like swimming mountains…

After arriving on the “main” island of the Westman Islands, we shouldered the drone and our provisions and headed for the most remote point. While Jan and Nils flew the drone above our heads, Josephine and I went for a walk. We (or rather I) collected some stones and ascertained that despite the many houses and shops, the area was completely deserted. Not a single body outside…

Then the phone call from the guys: The drone was gone. Lost the signal and just never returned. Luckily they had the last position of the drone. Respectively, they knew over which mountain it had flown last.

And so we marched around the island and to that mountain. In the meantime it started to rain, first just slightly, then heavier and heavier.

The first climbing passages were just fun, even though they immeiately reminded me of the stairs Frodo, Sam and Gollum climbed to get into Mordor. But the stronger the wind grew and the wetter the rungs of the ladders became, the more uneasy we felt. And the path got steeper and steeper… Jan was already a hundred meters above us. It was his drone, respectively the one of his little brother…

At some point, Josephine with her summer shoes and I without a scrunchy and lacking any protection against the rain just couldn’t go on. The way down proved a hundred times more difficult than uphill. Crawling on all fours we slid down the path and climbed from one ladder to the other. From time to time, when the wind grew so strong that we feared to be blown of the mountain, we could do nothing but to cling to the rock and to wait for it to cease.

Josephine and I were both really glad when we finally reached the ground. We fled to the next gas station-slash-coffee house. Our thoughts were with the guys who were now somewhere on this rugged mountain that we could see through the window.

Some say, they found the drone on the mountains peak but with it a Balrog guarding it and that they fought the monster, but couldn’t beat it. All we know is that they returned 2 hours later, soaking wet, caked with dirt… And without the drone.

Meanwhile Josephine an I had gotten cheeseburgers and fries en masse for everybody. And then it was time to head back to the ferry, where Jan had the unpleasant task to inform his family about the loss.

So that was our trip to the Westman Islands. We saw puffins just from afar (it could have been seagulls just as well) and there was no time left for the vulcanos… But therefore we experienced a real adventure! 😀

 

Which other trips we did with Jan besides the Westman Islands (and up to that point: with the drone :/):

Our second and somehow more successfull try to find the plane wreck of Solheimsandur: Plane Wreck – But it does exist!

Driving through the Highlands with the coolest car on earth, over hill and dale… And through rivers… Our private Superjeep-Tour

The everything-you-have-to-see-on-one-day-if-you-visit-Iceland Tour: The Golden Circle

 

More delicate hiking experiences:

The climbing tour that was meant to nothing but a paseo: Mount Esja – The city mountain of Reykjavik

Crossing the Highlands by rain, storm and mist: Laugavegur – 3-Days-Power-Hike through the Highlands

Day 1 of these hiking trip: First Day – 3-Days-Power-Hike through the Highlands

 

You don’t know us yet?!

You’ve just found our blog recently and don’t know who this “we” actually is? Nils and Katha introduce themselves