An element of the monastics that seems passed by is the heroic efforts some of them endured or attempted. Here on the top of Skellig Michael, one hour boat ride from shore, 12 monks constructed over 600 steps from the side of the mountain to the top and at the top built bee hive looking cells. Imagine being there in the cold, the blustery winds and the hours of darkness in the winters of the Atlantic ocean! (Kris is there trying to regain her wind after the 600 step climb.)