Hawk – Haukur Parelius Finnsson
My name is Haukur which is Icelandic for Hawk, the bird. My father is Finn so my last name is Finnsson. Surnames in Iceland are generally from the first name of the father + son/daughter. I have a son, Baldvin who is then Hauksson and a daughter, Iris Hauksdóttir.
I‘ve done a few things in my first half and hope to do more in second half. Below is a short CV taken from my travel company, Nature Explorer:
Haukur Parelius – ‘Hawk’
Hawk is a certified International 4-Wheel Drive Trainer and member of Int. 4-Wheel Drive Trainer’s Association. He has trained military forces and worked for ISAF in Afghanistan as well as having years of experience from exploring the Icelandic wilderness and highlands. He claims he has the best view from his office – the front windshield of his modified Nissan Patrol.
Wilderness background: At the age of 14 he was the first to bicycle from Reykjavik to Thorsmork and started guiding for The Iceland Touring Association at the age of 17. He has been guiding for them and Utivist Travel Association occasionally through the years, both on hikes and jeep safaris. For the past decade or so he has been a member of a voluntary Mountain Search & Rescue team, training younger members in ice climbing, winter traveling etc as well as adding to his own knowledge and skills. He is a certified Wilderness First Responder and regularly freshens up on his first aid skills.
Education: Business degree from University of Iceland and a Master’s degree in International Marketing and Management from Copenhagen Business School.
Job experience: Business consultant, both privately and for IBM Business Consulting, Marketing Director for Husasmidjan (Large Icelandic DIY retailer) and Account Manager for the Icelandic Advertising Agency.
Past Adventures: He has successfully climbed 5 of the 7 summits and climbed in the Alps and the Himalayas. One of his proudest adventures is a rafting adventure/documentary film expedition with his mountain friends-group through the Dark Canyon (Dimmugljufur) in North-east Iceland. Haukur and his son learned to dive together on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, he has rafted the Nile in Uganda, driven a Super-Jeep in Afghanistan for the peacekeeping units (ISAF/NATO), and visited the mountain gorillas in Rwanda.