I’ve discovered that I never finished publishing the the tales of my adventures in the Jökulsárgljufur National Park [Iceland 2002]. So I’m going to start a short mini-series, serialising the last three chapters of the adventure (including northern lights, frontier towns and sheeps head pâté) over the next few days. Starting today…
An Icelandic Saga: Chapter Six
Footpaths Come, Footpaths Go
or Saturday Night at the Movies
Day 11. 15 August 2002
Friday. I wake to the sound of rain on my tent and struggle with myself to get up. Work today is to be around Vesterturdalur and we gather in damp clothes at 9 o’clock in a damp van. Driven five minutes to the car park at the end of the road, we pile out – rush through an exercise routine and then, in reaching for a tool we are selected into two work groups. The two will not meet again until this afternoon, and whilst Sarah’s group is promised lunch in the van, Chas’ is promised a secluded location…
My choice of rock bar dictates me to Chas’ group along with Larry, Claude, Melissa, Summer and Rosemary. We head for the ‘Church’, set down our rucksacks in the dry and set to work reconstructing and repairing steps on its approach – for good measure we throw in a couple of water bars and break for lunch in the church.
In the afternoon we change tack and begin work removing some footpaths from use by scattering rocks, turfing areas and replanting trees strategically. We move on and begin work improving the path further on, being joined on site by VO Katie, newly back from travelling round Iceland with her boyfriend, and Ranger Hanna Katla.
( read on… )
( but you might want to go back and start with chapters one to five … it shouldn’t take too long! )
