Today I awoke at approximately 8:30am to a delicious smell wafting up to my second floor bunk room. Upon heading downstairs to the kitchen, I discovered that a wonderful meal of scrambled eggs with peppers and onions and toast with jam had been prepared for us (presumably by the professors). After enjoying this breakfast, we embarked on a day-long hike at around 10:00am. After a few misadventures while searching for the trail, we eventually found a mountain path which led all the way to the next town, ten kilometers from Byldudalor. Along the way, we came across a stream which was mysteriously fenced off with barbed wire. Signs were posted in Icelandic, and based on their use of the word "vatn," we assumed that some sort of stream water testing was going on at this site. We walked parallel to the fence as far as the little path would take us. Then, we set off for the top of the ridge, in hopes of achieving a better view of the U-shaped valley bellow. The valley that is home to Byldudalor, like many Icelandic fjords, was formed by the downward slide of a glacier into the ocean. Over many millions of years, a glacier can mold the landscape by scraping away underlying layers of rock and sediment. In this way, glacial activity can lead to a distinctly U-shaped valley in the fjords. During the upward ascent of our hike, I noticed that the thick, crunchy, brown grass of the valley subsided to be replaced by gray, soft, springy moss and lichen growing on the rocks. I also noticed that the vast majority of rocks we encountered on the Icelandic ridges were basaltic, and highly fractured due to the yearly freeze/thaw cycle. The upper slopes of the ridges had numerous patches of snow remaining from the winter, and from the highest ridges we were able to spot the glacier-covered peaks of distant mountains poking over the horizon. I enjoyed a fresh apple early in our trek. For lunch, I had prepared a peanut butter, honey, and Nutella sandwich, along with a few of the surprisingly-tasty Digestibles cookies. After lunch, the group elected to push on to the top of the ridge. To our astonishment, at the top of each ridge, another higher ridge was visible in the distance. These many-tiered ridges reminded me of some giant's staircase, leading up into the heavens. We continued this climb until we were overlooking much of the valley. Along the way, I greatly enjoyed a couple of stops we took for quiet meditation. It was awesome to be able to take in the steady sounds of wind whipping over the jagged cliffs and the faint roar of some remote waterfalls, especially without anthropogenic interference. We did not return to out hostel until after 4:30pm. This hike was long, but very rewarding. There are so few moments that occur in our busy lives when we can enjoy the still landscape and the soft sounds of nature. At around 6:00pm, we began preparing a meal of soup, with potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, and celery. (I was tasked with dicing the potatoes and tomatoes.) We also had some wafers and sausage meat with our soup, and Dr. Suresh was generous enough to add some zing to my dinner by sharing his chilli pepper. After this delicious meal, I decided to get some rest and heal my feet from the hard day's hike.
-B
No comments:
Post a Comment