The Isle of Skye: Wow! Lots of pretty mountains, lots of pretty coast. On Sunday we went to the state church of Scotland (Presbyterian). In the afternoon different groups of us did a few walks wandering around seeing the surroundings of our lodgings.
Monday we went on a family hike along the coast of one of the island’s peninsulas. We saw dolphins and seals, and sheep and birds. We had fun hiding in the ferns and jumping out and scaring each other. Gabriel had fun herding sheep.
After a late lunch we drove inland to some impressive rock-cliff-things. Seth, Gabriel, Nathanael, and I got out and hiked up to them, the other car returned home.
I have shortchanged the above because I was anticipating the following, I’ll now probably shortchange the following due to the limited battery life of the laptop.
Tuesday Seth, Gabriel, Nathanael, and I hiked into the Cuillins. We hiked seven miles away from most things manmade (excluding things like the trail, and a few boats we saw in a bay). The mountains were amazing, though it would have been nice if the clouds were a little higher so we could see their tops. The lochs were beautiful. Why do lakes on top of mountains look prettier? We ate lunch looking out on an island with a lot of seals lounging on it. We followed a stream with water that was uncannily blue.
The original plan had been to hike a 17 mile loop laid out in a guidebook we’d purchased. As we were making the crossing (called for in the guidebook) from one trail to another over a ridge in a mountain, we realized that due to the combined effects of low clouds/fog, the steepness of the climb, and the total lack of a trail, wisdom dictated that we turn back and retrace our steps.
This decision jumped our total distance from 17 to 23 miles. This meant we were going to get back a little later than anticipated. This meant that our parents, who are pretty good at avoiding needless fretting, were going to have cause to get a little concerned. We decided that if we didn’t have phone service by the time we crossed a certain ridge, Gabe would run the remaining six miles to report on our safety. Gabe arrived at our place of lodging at 11:15. Our family was glad we were okay. We showed up at 12:20, also glad that we were okay. Today I’m sore.
We’re about to take a ferry to Northern Ireland. This probably will not be posted until we’re there.
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