Next time, we headed the opposite direction, west toward the sun. One surprise was a few grass snakes, who apparently love the water. I tell you, if you see snakes in the water, you generally don’t get in the water; but I decided to dive in quickly once I thought the coast was clear. These guys are generally harmless, anyway. This time we were accompanied on our sunset watch by a mother duck and her two ducklings. We slowly approached them closer and closer, until it really felt like we were all there watching the sun go down together. With the woods and a single cabin in the background, it really felt serene. Then, the second that the sun dipped under, they left abruptly, and quacked a goodbye on the way out.

Eric McDermott

On Wednesday, we planned to go a little more into the wild, and see what Åland had for us in store. We had looked up the best hikes, and we found one not too far away called Djupvikgrotta. This hike proved to be a lot of fun. We roamed on some hills that in light of the general flatness of the island, gave us incredible wide-spanning panoramic views of the area. The area was strewn with large boulders, which gave it not only a few caves and slot canyons to explore but it also made this area a small climbing mecca. Despite wearing some blown-out sneakers, I had to try a few of the routes. I loved the cracks and ledges that these rock formations made, and I felt plenty good while climbing, but in the end, the feet are the most important part. Next time I’ll be more prepared :).

We continued onward until we reached a large inlet. It was said that in the 1700s some Russian ships met their fate here against the cliffs of Geta during a storm. A rescue ship went out for them, and too ran ashore. Ship after ship, piled on the rugged rocks. Luckily, the crew were able to swim to safety, being there were indeed rocks all over and land nearby.

Eric McDermott