Monday July 15th-Entering the volcanic Landscapes of the Highlands

Ok so, back home I suffer from alot of insomnia or restless sleep patterns. There was no problem with sleep on this trip.  At the airport in Toronto, I spoke with my seatmate Sheilah while we taxied to the runway....I don't recall taking off but woke 20 minutes before landing and that was a 5 1/2 hr flight.  We got to the hotel and I slept again.  I slept well after the dinner but because it was still daylight, my brain thought I should be awake and not asleep.  Anyway enough of that fast forward to Monday morning.

The plan for today is breakfast then load up and off to the Lanscapes of the Highlands but plans change. There was a breakfast of cured meats, a variety of breads, eggs, mini sausage, potatoes, skyr, jams 'n jellys, granola and many more items.  Of course I am not going to turn down the cured meat, cheese and buns.  I try the skyr but am not as impressed as my group. 

Back of the bus and this isn't all of it !
(photo curtesy of Jeff Salvage)

Two individuals in our group have not yet recieved their luggage.  So the plan is now for us to stop at a local gear shop and pick up some items for them.  Luckily the outfitters have boots, sleeping bags, mats and poles they can rent.  We finally leave the hotel by late morning and head to the store.  I pick up another carbiner and others look for last minute items they may have missed.  Kat ends up spending around $2000.00 Canadian for a couple of items.  Walking Poles, Jacket, 2 Tops and 2 leggings.  I am so glad my luggage followed me...I only had $500, but I also made sure I had extra clothing and some required items in my carry on.  I learned to do this early on with my first trip to Germany.  A smart move or just well planned?  Anyway I felt terrible for the ladies, Especially for Kat, with whom I developed a great friendship. :)

We finally get on our way and I am alseep in seconds waking only to check out where we are.  The scenery is intersting with rolling hills and mountain peaks with acres and acres of flat land where sheep and horses roam.

Disembarking the Bus, notice the size of it? Its a big bus.

I am fast asleep but the feel of the bus rolling and bouncing wakes me.  I look about and see we are in a sea of black sand following nothing more than a dirt road in the middle of  no where.  The bus lurches to a stop and the excited chatter of everyone on the bus becomes more like a  low grade hum. 

Waiting for instructions

We've reached our destination the Rauðaskál Crater which is also known as the Red Bowl.  Everyone disembarks from the bus, I am one of the last ones because I took my boots off and now have to put them back on and lace them tightly.





Looking Up



I get off the bus and adjust my pack, I look up at the "hill" and start to have feelings of self doubt. can I really do this?  Before I left Canada I had injections into my toes todate the inflamation and flexibillity of my ankles has been held at bay.  How they would handle the upward motion I am yet see.

We started off and I firmed up my position at the back of the group.  Everyone took off as if the climb was meant to be tackled and not enjoyed.  I was in no hurry, I wanted to enjoy the experience...that changed mid-way up and I began an internal monologue which went something like this:  "Dear Lord, what the hell am I doing?"  "Why on earth would I think I could do this?"  but I kept on trudging and finally reached the top.

At the top I took in the amazing view, well worth the climb.  This climb was to be our "test" climb so our guides and trainer could get a rough idea of how well we would do on the trek.  Unfortunately one individual did not make the entire climb because she had twisted her knee at the treacherous gully....one section I was very worried about since I did not bring poles like many of the other participants.  I like to call these pictures "the view from the top"









Jeff our trainer got a pretty nice shot of me going around the rim of Rauðaskál Crater, this picture really shows how big this crater is.  I am just about the point where the wind really began to pick up and I had to ensure my feet were firmly planted because I was worried I would be blown from the top and over the side.  I considered crawling but thought better of it and just kept on walking. :)

There are no toilets out in the wilds of Iceland, and you make due with what you can.  Many took advantage of the large lava formations by the bus.  I didn't but lucky for me there were two large ones near the top of the crater.  I urged the guide, Jeff and two other trekkers on and quickly made use of the "facilities". The guides often said that soon enough we weren't going to be walking 250 metres off the trail we would just stop and go right there, all modesty would quickly be forgotten.

Here's another picture to give you a better understanding of the climb we did.  That little white dot just to the right of centre is our bus.  Once we returned to the bus I found out Kat had twisted her knee, it didn't sound good.  We all loaded back onto the bus and a short time later we came to this beautiful campsite at Hellisfjall.

The camp was beautiful, the ground soft and spongy which made it easy for us to pitch our tents after a brief introduction on how to do it.  Unbeknownst to me because I had paid for single occupancy accomodations that meant I had a tent of my own.  Camp was set up quickly mainly because once one tent was up others would go and help someone else.  Others assisted in the pitching of the kitchen and dining tents as well.

This area was so beautiful, there were showers for 5K, a meandering river with sheep being kept out by a small fence, a paddock with the Icelandic Pony

Evening came quick even though you couldn't tell by the sunlight.  Supper was made and we all ate a hardy meal of ocean catfish, rice, salad and sauce.  For dessert we ate skyr and fruit.  It got cold quickly and we all donned our touques, mitts and outer jackets, I was shivering and a bit concerned I would be cold throughout the night.  As it turns out I had nothing to worry about, I am not sure how long it was into the night before I had to unzip my sleeping bag because I was actually sweating to the point where I thought I would actually have a wet sleeping bag.  I cooled off and drifted off to sleep the sound of snoring and the baaing of nearby sheep.

Welcome Dinner

After my much needed sleep and two glasses of pinot noir I met with the group to head out for our welcome dinner at Nautholl.  The walk was nice.  I noticed many of the plants and flowers were simular to what we have in Canada although the daisys have much shorter stems.  It was kind of funny, the entire group was walking along the right side of the road where there was no sidewalk so there was a large plume of dust behind each walker.  A few of us noticed a sidewalk on the other side of the road and quickly crossed.  I guess this was my first introduction to the dusty conditions I would be encountering on the trail. 

 

As we walked we came upon a large glass and silver building which I soon found out was the Icelandic University.  I believe it is the only university in Iceland. 

The further we went I thought we were going into the middle of nowhere, suddenly around the corner there was a low building with large panels of glass.  The glass was open and we were treated to the view of a beautiful dining room.  Two months earlier we were asked to make choices for our dinner meals.  None of my dinner mates could remember what they ordered or what was being served.  Neither could I.  All I remembered was there was fish, chicken and lamb, which restaurant I was not sure.  Our salads were brought to us.  Mine was very thin paper like slices of meat with a sauce drizzled on it.  It was delish.  I guess I should have asked what it was and taken a picture but I was ravenous and gobbled it up like the beast in Beauty and the Beast. 



I guess I ordered the Salmon



Dessert: Creme Brule, Vanilla Ice cream and grilled pinapple

  

During our meal individuals at my table introduced themselves and shared a bit about themselves and their experiences with the JIM.  I was astonished to hear that two members at our table were alumni with 4 or more events under their belts. (amazing)



Jennifer and Jeff Salvage



Cynthia our fearless leader got up to start the welcome.  She introduced our trainer Jeff Salvage and his wife Jennifer, then she asked each of us to introduce ourselves, tell everyone where we were from and why we made the decision to join JIM. 

I was brought to tears several times as I listened to the introductions.  Especially Wendy's introduction and her story about her husband Eric.  A year ago Eric was walking with a cane, Wendy would have to do up the buttons on his shirt.  Her love for him shone through as she described how hard it was to see her husband suffer from RA.  With the training and some changes to medication Eric and now walking without a cane and doing so much better.  He nolonger requires help with his buttons and has joined Wendy on this adventure.  I had to wipe my tears and prevent myself from having an all out bawl with hiccups and sniffling because I know what it is like to have to ask someone to help you dress, it a very humbling experience.  



After the introductions we were introduced to our guest speaker Evan. Evan shared his story, and is another alumni with JIM.  He shared how he started and why he started.  More tears formed in eyes as I listened to this amazing mans story.  There are so many people out there who do not suffer from Arhritis but are out there doing things to help those who they love battle this formidable disease.

Picture Courtesy of Jeff Salvage

Our group of 31 individuals, 6 of us who suffer from one form of Arthritis or another raised a total of $220 000.00 for the research and support.  The four or five individuals who have been participating in JIM for 10 years or more have raised an astounding 1.5 million dollars.  It just astounds me the dedication of these individuals.  I am truly surrounded by some amazing people.

After the picture above everyone returned to the hotel, I chose to wander along the shore and get a picture of my feet in the ocean.  Here they are.  So far I have dipped my feet in the Pacific Ocean on the shores of the Queen Charlotte Islands, Stanley Park in Vancouver,the Atlantic Ocean in Halifax and now the North Atlantic in Iceland.  Mind you it didn't take four hours for my feet to warm up in any of the other locations.

Oh yes, I was told Iceland didn't have any rabbits, but look what I found while wandering back to the hotel.  Them's look like wabbits to me!