CELL Research Projects and Landmannalaugar to Porsmork Hike

Chance: As members of an amazing community comprised of people from many walks of life, we (students, Solheimar staff, community members, and others), find we get a lot out of our time here. Our curriculum is diversified, including experiential and service-learning, thought provoking readings and journaling, amazing field trips, and real-life researchh projects focusing on a sustainability theme.

We (students) have been asked to do a research project that will enable us to give something back to this village, which has given us so very much. Topics were suggested to us but we were ultimately given the option of developing a project of our own imagination and passion. After we looked at what the town could benefit from and where our strengths and passions lie, we chose topics that gave us the best opportunities to learn while also serving the needs of our host community.

Each member has chosen great topics. Mason and Ana are working together to set up an Internship system that will allow college students from around the world to come and work at Solheimar in return for a ‘certificate of completion’ (which is much needed for undergraduate education) and the practical educational experience that will inevitably come with it. Josh has been making great strides on finding an affordable system to upgrade the geothermal components of the electricity production for this small village.His work has proven to be quite technical and will benefit the town for years to come - promoting earth friendly electricity production. Allison is doing a project involving Anthroposophy and she's exploring ways to redesign the décor of the greenhouse Café to better set a mood for the mingling of the village residents and the visitors alike. And I have had a wonderful opportunity come my way. Since I study forestry, it was suggested that I reforest a field on the Northeast side of Solheimar. I will hopefully be using this to double as my undergraduate Capstone, and I will be returning in May to put my plan into effect.

We have all greatly enjoyed this educational journey and the feeling that comes from being a proactive part of this community is unmatched by experiences we have had to date.

Mason: As we sat in anticipation for a week due to the cancellation of our big hike to Landmannalaugar, our
imaginations flew. Outside the rain poured and the wind howled like wolves from the west. We were glad we were not out in the elements but something inside of us longed for our Icelandic Wilderness experience. When our trip was cancelled because of heavy rains causing the rivers to rise making it dangerous and life-threatening to cross, we did not know whether we would experience Landmanalagar and our spirits dropped. But late in the week, Begga (our Icelandic host at Solheimar) announced the weather was somewhat clearing and we would be leaving for Landmanalagar in two days and to make sure we had good rain gear. Once again our imaginations got the best of us making us question our gear as we flew from room to room asking what each person was and wasn’t taking. The next day we rose early from our beds filled with excitement (for anticipation is half the experience of life). Everyone ate a large breakfast as we did not know what to expect from the hike. All we knew was that the weather had cleared and the terrain was rough.

As we climbed into the “super jeeps” we knew that serious terrain awaited us. We whispered about the cars and their large tires and giggled as the drivers munched down on harth fiskur (dried fish). Little did we know that very soon we would be begging for the very food we were laughing about. We drove past Skaltholt towards Hekla and our favorite spot where an older couple lived, which we nicknamed Lamb Chops lair. From our previous stay at Lamb Chops lair, we knew the terrain and roads fairly well around Hekla, and our Forestry guide pointed out the direction of our future hike to Landmannalaugar. Soon we took a turn off the rough gravel road into a lava field with Hekla looming over us in the background. Our drivers got out of the super jeeps and lowered the pressure in the tires to enhance their off road traction. This made all of our faces light up because we knew we were near. Life was great - in fact it was perfect. We slowly exited off the gravel road and disappeared into two rough tracks taking us deeper and deeper into the lava field. We drove through rough country fording rivers, streams, and puddles for a little over an hour until we drove up to a scenic crater where we got out and snapped quick pictures. The cold breeze crept up and startled us making everyone realize where he or she was - in the Icelandic highlands. The scenery from the crater resembled the section of the highlands we had explored with the Soil and Conservation department. Questions flooded our minds: Where did the hike start? How far were we going to hike? What would we eat? How many miles was the entire hike? All we knew was that we were in good hands, for the famous Pauli and Roza (aka: Mama and Papa Iceland), two of the most famous guides in Iceland were our guides. At this point we had spoken to them but not long conversations, mostly small talk. Little did we know how much we would love, respect, and appreciate both of them as our hike progressed. As we descended from the overlook, we arrived shortly at our destination Landmannalaugar which consisted of several buildings with public bathrooms, natural hot springs, and a river which had to be forded in order to get to the building. We knew we were in remote Iceland and civilization was a long ways away. As we climbed out of the super jeeps, our legs were cramped and our stomachs growled with hunger but something else was calling us, natural hot springs. After eating some sandwiches, we could not turn down the enticing steam rising from a warm river. We grabbed our suits, stripped down and ran in the cold air to the water. After a heavenly 20 minutes of soaking in the warm, geothermal heated hot spring, we dried ourselves and prepared for the hike. This was when it really hit me that we were about to set off on one of the most beautiful backcountry hikes in Iceland with two of the best guides in the country!!! We tightened our backpack straps and followed our able guides up through the hills that rose above into the most incredible obsidian lava field anyone has ever set their eyes on. It was if someone had dropped a backdrop in front of us and we were walking into it. Like crows we couldn’t stop looking and wanting to touch the shiny obsidian that covered the ground. We progressed through the field and towards the end we faced one of the most breathtaking landscapes I have ever seen in my life. In front of us was 180 degrees of barren colorful Icelandic highland mountains with a marsh meadow under them. We stood at the edge of the obsidian field thinking we had transcended into another world, which we had. Smiles lit up on everyone’s face and the moment stopped in time, we were here, life was perfect, and our biophilia stopped us dead in our tracks.

After snapping pictures that could never even begin to capture the essence of what our eyes were seeing, we headed off to the left up what appeared to be a very steep ridge leading to steam pouring out of the ground. We climbed the side of the mountain with sulfur wafting into our noses every step. As we gained height, we began to pass small holes where steam and heat poured out of the ground, a surreal Kodak moment of nature's natural heat and power. Contentment was inside everyone in our group and time slowed. At every ridge we hiked to, a new breathtaking vista awaited us. We climbed and climbed until we started to see little remnants of snow from last winter with several glaciers in the background to lure us further. Every once in a while we would stop and look around in awe at the incredible beauty of the country - trying to trace our footsteps from what appeared to be a tiny valley in the far distance. When Pauli asked us if we wanted to stop in a ravine to have a snack we realized time had flown by.

We ate lunch by the edge of a stream which we freely drank from with no need for water purification. Life was good. The weather was perfect and the sun beamed down on us as we entered the snow line where we began to see more and more snow. A highlight of this section was our first encounter with glaciers and our curiosity of what they were. We crossed a frozen ravine with a hole in it; Chance climbed down into it enthusiastically taking a movie declaring we were standing under a glacial tongue. Pappa Iceland quickly reminded him the stream was not completely frozen. and, therefore, it wasn’t a glacial tongue.

Rising close to the summit of the mountain range ahead of us - a marker caught our eyes with what appeared to be a tomb near it. Sure enough we discovered it was the symbolic grave where someone had died in a freak summer blizzard. This scene chilled our bones for we were in the backcountry now, there was no turning back, and it was just nature and our group. High ridge lines lead us over into a new valley with a small A-frame warm hut waiting for us. The first day was soon to be over and had flown by in what seemed to be seconds. On arrival we dropped our bags and headed to the high peak a short hike away from the hut to watch the sun set over the terrain we had just come across. As the sun set, our minds transcended into bliss with a contentment of the moment - time stopping in its tracks once again. A crackling radio startled us when our super jeep driver announced that there was a missing Frenchman in the backcountry who slept where we were staying three nights before. Our mood quickly changed as we realized the urgency of the moment.

We climbed back down to the warm hut with questions about the lost Frenchman filling our mind. Pauli and Roza lightened the mood by offering us an Icelandic snack that resembled America’s well known cat food “Fancy Feast,” the two insisted we must try it and that it was a great source of energy especially when hiking. Upon trying the snack it wasn’t half bad and not only lightened the mood but our hunger as well. As dinner was being prepared the radio squalled and the super jeep driver asked if we could help translate the words the Frenchman had written in the guestbook. The handwriting was poor but some of us who had taken French in the past managed to translate the writing. The possibility that there was a French man freezing to death out in the elements was not exactly pleasant. We were not frightened but instead woken to the fact that we will never be able to conquer nature.

After dinner I climbed into the super jeep and we drove off into the dark night while a blizzard approached. The car scrambled over ravines and crossed glaciers until we met up with four other search and rescue guys in another super jeep. I translated another guestbook from a different hut written by another Frenchman with the same name but who had a woman with him. After translating it was obvious that the notes were not written by the same person, our Fabien appeared to be missing. The snowfall turned into a white out and the men questioned whether the jeeps could get back to the huts. We said farewells as the men passed around snuff, and we climbed back into our jeep and headed back to the hut through the blizzard.

The next morning we awoke to wet snow, freezing rain, and howling wind. The weather was rough, and we remembered that had we gone the previous weekend the entire trip would have had weather similar to what we were experiencing. Breakfast was served, stories were told, and games were played as we waited out the storm. At one in the afternoon the storm had not lifted and we were forced to head out into it in order to make the next hut by nightfall. This day put our group to the test: we climbed ravines, crossed creeks, scrambled up deep snow drifts which tried to swallow us, yet we held our heads high through, rain, snow, wind, and mud. Throughout the day screams, hollers, and hoops were passed around along with smiles and high fives. Spirits never fell and they carried us to the next hut in no time. Climbing over the last ridge line, the clouds lifted, and we looked down on the most beautiful valley anyone of us had ever seen. Celestial light beamed down on the valley resembling a scene out of “Land Before Time,” in fact the moment brought all of us to our knees in awe. The hut we stayed at sat on the edge of a beautiful lake called Swan Lake with mountains completely surrounding us. Once again we enjoyed getting dry, sharing stories from the day, and eating dinner. Life was good except for the cold, wet, smelly outhouse, which we all knew we would have to visit in the near future. After sleeping long and hard we woke early and started off again. On this day, cold glacial rivers awaited us, which we would have to cross. The anticipation of the crossings flooded everyone’s mind wondering how cold and deep they would be. As we neared the first one, smiles lit up on everyone’s faces, cloths were stripped and the cold water was met with our screaming enthusiasm. Anticipation had made the crossing worse than it was and we quickly dressed and headed off again. This day lead us through a long volcanic desert with black sand and mountains surrounding us. Being the third day, we suffered with blisters and sore joints; our very own Viking Josh Skallagrimson had a sore knee, making it difficult for him to walk. For the remainder of the hike our group rose to the occasion with our moto, “Where we go one, we go all.” We eventually made it and treated Josh’s knee with the help of Begga’s husband Oskar who happened to be a physical therapist. It always pays to have someone like Oskar with you at all times. For the last backcountry dinner we made a feast almost making Chance’s stomach explode with Icelandic “Fancy Feast”, potatoes, Carrots, Icelandic Joe, and good stories. Life couldn’t get any better than these moments we shared together as a group.

Beautiful breathtaking colors: orange, red, and brown leaves made this day especially memorable reminding us that winter was coming and Fall was in its peak. Being a forester and a naturalist, Chance was in a trance with the abundant Icelandic trees. Once again time stopped and moments lasted for hours bringing us finally to one of our last vistas overlooking the incredible terrain which we had recently passed over. We scrambled up a final ridge and stood hand in hand in bliss. This was our group and the love we all share for each other became clearly visible through hugs and hums as we looked over the ridges and mountains. Soon after the trip ended in a gorgeous river valley. Once again we climbed into the super jeeps, with glacial tongues mocking us from all around, we headed for home. Before we left the backcountry, we stopped right next to where a glacial tongue flowed into a lake. Breathtaking doesn’t even amount to what we felt, seeing the mass sheer force of ice meeting the lake is impossible for words to describe.

We said our goodbyes to the backcountry as we left Porsmork, for the rest of the car ride snoring and reminiscing stories filled the air as we approached one of the driver’s restaurants that he had previously owned. Civilization, wow, pizza never tasted so good in our lives. Final stories and laughter from the hike flooded dinner. When we arrived at Solheimar, all of us voiced how good it felt to be home. Home sweet home.

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