Greetings,
I just finished a week of hiking on the Azores Islands. I started out playing some golf here on Sao Miguel which is still my favorite, fyi. I also did some sight seeing as well as hiked to waterfall of Salto do Prego from Faial da Terra which is a small parish on the southeastern tip of the island.
After that we flew to Sao Jorge which is long, high and really slow. The type of place surfers looking to live without electricity go to surf insane breaks in a small parish accessible only by quad bikes. It also has incredible cheese and hikes.
I wrote ~1,100 words on the topic – Hiking on the Azores Islands.
After that it was off to Faial which is the hot spot for yachts coming from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean and the reverse. It was a cool place and Horta is the main city which is right across the channel from Pico. Pico is the newest of the volcanic islands and home to Mount Pico which is the highest peak in Portugal and third highest peak in the Atlantic Ocean at 2351M.
I climbed it one day and it nearly killed me. Way up wasn’t so bad but way down was intense and I cracked my knee caps long ago and it was a reminder to take care of yourself today because if not… One day you’ll be doing something in the future thinking how you wish you had, yes? It was quite the feeling getting to the top; a real sense of accomplishment with insane views.
This trip kinda rekindled my interest in the outdoors and hiking.
No, I’m not about to go all granola.
All the islands are cool but I like Sao Miguel because it’s most developed, has golf courses, the international airport, great dining options and blazing fast internet. Also, Furnas Valley has these thermal pools not to be missed as well as fumerals which are pretty cool. It also is home to the Furnas golf course which is like a trip back in time. Also, it’s got lots of summer houses and cottages for affluent folks from Ponta Delgada aka the capital.
Second most developed is Terceira; need to visit sometime.
I’m planning on renting a spot for ~6 months next summer and working on golf game while doing more hiking. I’m not into big death hikes but I do like a casual walk through the woods. Mix in some good company, wine and weather and I do believe you’ve got an afternoon. It’s early October now and the weather feels like summer, the sun is shining and from my bed at Caloura Hotel Resort, all I can see is the deep blue North Atlantic Ocean.
That said, my plans change faster than the direction of the market so who knows?
One thing is sure, the Azores have skyrocketed to one of my favorite destinations.
Tips hat,
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Sweet hike dude. I’ve found uphill hiking isn’t that hard for active types, it’s the downhill that murders the knees. Same goes for horses apparently. That’s what I tell people anyway when they bitch about my slower descents. I spent a lot of time jumping off steel seawalls onto sand as a kid, not so good for the knees ya know?
Check out hiking poles – makes one look like an old man but hey better than throbbing joint pain. There’s also a pill supplement called Animal Flex that’s used by professional bodybuilders and powerlifters. Well worth the money – it’s exponentially superior to glucosamine, chrondrotin, etc (tried em all). I take it daily and my joint pain during activities is reduced by ~50%.
Thanks for this note and all the recommendations. Yeah, going down is way harder on the knees than lungs; way up the inverse!
I’m not sure I’m ready for hiking poles but I did use them a few days and it does make a big difference. In fact, can’t imagine going down from Mt. Pico without them.
Will look into the pills, I don’t really take anything anymore except vitamin c but used to be a big fan of glucosamine so might be a big fan of this.
Stay well, good sir.