Rjukan Ice

In deepest South Norway there is a dark, cold world class ice climbing venue called Rjukan. I was there recently for a week with London Mile End climbing club and Junior (?!) SMC Cronies.  It is one mad icey playground, and although not climbing world class level myself (well, only in my head), I was more than content to see myself and others up some more modest routes  (mind you there was some crazy Mixed top-route action, not by me, but by enthusiastic others [one of whom later concussed himself snowboarding - need I say more?]).  Rjukan's many gorge locations provide routes, of all variety.  We had tropical conditions of plus 3-5C which was all good. Considering Feb average temp is minus 6C we were dead lucky. The routes were mostly in good nick, and we all battered ourselves.  I lead my first ice route, and learnt a heap; now I have opened this Pandoras Box of Ice I hope to climb more in Tromso area.

Thanks for the gear loans, Trev., Jane and Al., and Tore.  And for The Boys for putting up with a gal in their hut all week! 

So here are some shots: apologies but I know not how to rotate pics using the newly purchased Mac. computer (ahem).... so all the funky vertical scary ice pics have had to be left out (most of these are in my head anyways).  Hope these horizontal shots do the place justice! (the one vertical one was not rotated by me - thanks Jaap, for the uphill perspective).

Dog's Life

Hello Norway

Well, I have arrived. Tromso, Norway.  Here for a spell at least, and hopefully a wee while.  Those who know me in more recent years will know that I am wanting to spend a little more time in fewer places…  I had my needs though: mountains, sea, snow, sun/less rain, wildlife, trees, people… Yes, I am a fussy thing! Well, Tromso seems to fit the bill so far, although at 600km north of the Arctic Circle, the sun is a bit slow to come up still.  We have plenty of daylight (8-15h) but sun for only a short while still.  It’s OK by me though.  More than.

My work is ‘dog-handler’, and I work at Villmarkssenter (see http://www.villmarkssenter.no for more).  There are a varied tasks to this role: feeding the 250 odd sled-dogs (noisy! and messy), cleaning frozen poop (less messy), tending to the tourists needs…. and lastly (not by any means least) is charging off in a flurry of snow with a team of dogs. The noise of all the dogs shouting “pick me... pick ME... PICK ME!” as you unclip dogs from their kennels and harness the teams to their sleds is ear-splitting.  As is the frenzied barking when you career off! It’s wonderful.

Oh, and I forgot my Marmite this time, which is a crying shame…  If anyone fancies popping a jar of the stuff in the post - 'thousand thanks' (as the Norwegians say).  If you haven't the stamina to ParcelForce a glass jar of goopy, sticky, brown, salty, evil-smelling lifeblood to me then postcards also fine ;).  So, for those carte postales to decorate my otherwise rather undecorated room, my snailmail address here is: Tromso Villmarkssenter, 9100 Kvaloysletta.

But - in case you are thinking of it - no thank you, NZ buddies, VEGEMITE will just not do at all! ….Sacriledge!  (As I was saying, I am a fussy beggar!)

Gleðileg Jól II

Well, it´s goodbye Iceland for while at least. I´m off on Sunday to share xmas in England with family and friends this year. It´s been 2 years - NZ in ´05 and then here in Iceland last year - so I´m hoping I remember our family traditions and don´t slip up too much!

As expected, there have been so many places I never shared with people via this website, such as my winter dash over to Egilsstaðir (E Iceland) for NYE last year, arriving on 31st as the fireworks starting booming and police ushered my little car into a safe parking spot on the street. NYE in Iceland is dark, but beautiful. Also meant to post some pics of my 4 day hike into the Lanmannalagur hotspring area this summer. It rained solid for 2 days but was worth every soggy glacial-gravel sinking footfall. :) Ach well! Hope that the pics and updates were enough - in this digital age we go bonkers with photos anyway.

For the time of year, I´ve enjoyed so much sunshine here on the farm. We have such endless horizons that you see sun up and sun set. I´ve taken so many photos of the big skies around here. Here´s a dawn and dusk at Eystra Fröðholt for you!

So....

So long Iceland, and Gleðileg Jól to all.

Englishness

Well, you know it´s time to pack your bags when you run out of the good stuff.... Marmite, Food Of The Gods and imported with me to various countries wherever I go (and whatever they may say - Vegemite is NOT the same!). I have converted the most disbelieving folk to Marmite in some strange places. I guess at an arctic field base then the sheer NOVELTY of it was enough.

Anyhow, this jar I brought with me to Iceland is almost empty. I leave 16 Dec for new supplies....

Another Hekla

Hekla views: from the farm. It´s about 50km away (as the raven flies).

Hekla

On 7 October I was up enjoying the summit of Hekla (ca.1500m) - one of the local volcanoes to the farm, and an active one (last erupted in 2000). Its a classic cone-shaped peak, with permanent ice along the crest of the summit ridge. I had already been hiking alone on the hill for the day, yet turned back because it was so snowy and the lava fields are never a good thing to cross under such conditions.... anyhow, at 4pm I was on my way back to the car (parked on an interesting intersection of the F225 Landamannalaugur road.... don´t try this at home with a Renault Clio kids!) when I met a few others just about to hike up. So, at this late stage of the day we all tramped up to the summit together - we made it for sunset and it was a stunner.

And what better way to end the day: camping at a hot pot - ahhh....
(this is me having breakfast in bath, the following morning!)

The roads to Hekla - good for my Clio and bad....

This all happened a few weeks back - the sun set at 8pm then. These days the sun is rising about 10am and setting by about 5.30pm.... hello winter!

Southern farm life

Well, I moved on from Stykkishólmur in September to work on a farm in S Iceland. Introducing Eystra Fróðholt, a small mixed farm nr Hvöllsvellir. Cows, horses, sheep, two kids:all good fun. The plan is to try to improve my Icelandic language skills, as Dad here doesn´t speak English at all and Mum works away in town in the day.... well, can´t say that I´m much improved but hey! I can discuss cows a bit now...

It is pancake-flat around here - 30k to the mountains. But oh! what mountains! I can see all the way up into the Þorsmork region (famous for hiking and trees! :))

So, my routine here is milking the 23 cows, helping out on the farm with the sheep when is needed, riding several of the 300-odd horses here (by this, i mean a few a day, when the weather is not horizontal rain and wind).

It´s a change from science, but I am still completing a Waders of West Iceland paper when I get spare time, which is a nice contrast to the farm work.

Here´s some pics, anyway.... (oh! and we had some snow - great to have it back)

Autumn arrival

Swan wrestling

Well, I joined a very able team from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (U.K.) to get wet and dirty catching whooper swans the other week. They are big critters, with potential to really knock you flying with their big wings and impossibly long necks... and yet once you get them in their - temporary - strait jackets they are quiet as mice.


So, here we are, with a boatload of swans after they have just been captured off the water, swans in their restraining jackets, swans being measured, swans stretching their necks, and swans being released (the best bit).

The team capture groups of birds during their flightless phase (during their moult) to put ID bands on them, and record body measurements. A few birds have been fitted with satellite transmitters so that their migration movements can be tracked. Many of these birds have now already left Iceland, and are heading south, many to UK refuges such as WWT centres (see http://www.wwt.org.uk/article/3/514/super_whooper_swans_to_be_tracked_in_new_study.html)

It was a lot of fun, and I´d do it again at a shot - wonderful birds.

We got to stay at a really amazing place in the highlands - the turf cottage where 'Independent People' was set, a novel written in 1946 about Icelandic rural life by award-winning Nobel Prize writer Halldor Laxness. It´s a living museum, with Icelandic puppies ´n´ all! (see the photo of me standing outside and juggling a kitten and a young pup at the same time - all a bit fluffybunny for me but they certainly were quite amusing wee beasties!).