The Tides of Aberdeen

I just came into the warmth of a lounge after standing in the cold, salty spray of the North Atlantic on the aft deck of the MV Hrossey until the harbor of Aberdeen, Scotland faded into the dusky mist.

'Immer wieder unterwegs' is how I was often described after I moved to Germany a decade ago: always on the go. Denver's terrific, but when I mentioned to an English friend last month that I was still unsettled with the post-pilgrimage 're-entry', he graciously opened his largely unoccupied flat in the village of Scalloway on the Shetland Islands to me for an extended stay. Obligations and visa restrictions limit my stay until June. Two months on a rock near the Arctic Circle, with wifi - sounds perfect. How I love adventure! I grabbed my backpack and walking sticks - and got new hiking boots - and am on the last leg of the journey; 12 hours by night-ferry.

Barren, rugged, isolated somewhat but not too much... I'll take this opportunity to finally write about my adventures of my last four winter walks. Mark Twain once apologized for not having time to write a short letter, so he wrote a long one instead; I'll take the time to think succinctly of my experiences and see what comes of it. While not a pilgrimage, the adventures of winterpilgrim continue...