VOLCANO!

So I haven't been as active blogging as I thought I would be and time flies when you are busy. It's now the beginning of April, spring and then summer should be coming soonish... I hope...

Just recently we had easter break... It was during that time, just after my final exams for the semester that my brother, cousin and I decided to go hiking. We had set our sights on the newest Icelandic phenomenon, the VOLCANO next to Eyjafjallajökull!

Now seeing a volcano on the TV screen is kind of cool, but seeing one with your own eyes is something to behold!

© Forces of Nature

Fortunately the volcano decided to erupt right on a popular hiking trail at a place called Fimmvörðuháls, so it's quite accessible, either by walking or driving a truck over one of the glaciers next to the volcano. We decided to hike up to the volcano, after sitting on a school "bench" for the last few months I was ready to get some movement! 

© My brother and couson... hmm... roughing it!

The hike was pretty nice. It starts at Skógar next to one of Iceland's most spectacular waterfall, Skógarfoss. From there it is approximately 15 kilometers to the volcano with elevation gain of close to 1000 meters, starting very close to sea level. When we began the hike it started to snow and didn't stop until we got up close to the volcano. We were starting to wonder if we would see anything at all. 

It took us about 5 hours to get to it. We stopped for a few minutes to eat and rest at a cabin thats up there (Baldvinsskáli). The temperature was well below freezing and I feel sorry for anyone that went up there with no gloves, baklava, warm clothing or hiking boots. We had been hearing on the news about fools having to be rescued because of inadequate clothing, some even getting frostbite...

© Baldvinsskáli, our old and filthy rest stop.

Once we got up to the volcano unfortunately it was less than an hour to sunset and we only got about 15 minutes of actually looking around before we were told they were evacuating the area and we had to leave... We were not happy about that at all. We had planned to stay until dark and walk back in the darkness since seeing the volcano in darkness is just spectacular. 

Anyways, the reason they were evacuating was that another crater had started to form next to the already active one and there was a huge cloud of smoke coming from it and it was also raining ash. Pretty neat experience I have to say, but they wanted everyone out of there for safety, the volcano could blow up, they didn't know. It took about an 1.5 hours until people evacuated the area fully, some walking back but most of the people who were by the volcano came driving over the glaciers... no they did not use a Toyota Yaris, but trucks with big tires... Arctic Trucks! 

© The smoke and the Swedish army track vehicle.

Now the experience of coming so close to the volcano, seeing all the people there,  the rescue personnel and a bunch of helicopters flying over our heads felt being in a major disaster or war zone... At least they way I would imagine it or how I've seen it in the movies. :-)

Well, we decided to stick around a bit, which got us a ride back with the rescue personnel in their special Swedish military track vehicle, driving over the glacier. It took a while as we had to wait a bit for the rescue personnel, but we got extra time looking at the volcano from a distance and during night so we didn't mind. I was actually glad since I had hurt my foot early on in the hike and was dreading the walk back, only a small mistake and I could have twisted my ankle really bad leaving us exposed in the cold and darkness hours away from rescue... 

Overall... great hike, awesome seeing a volcano live in action and happy to have arrived home safely! Can't wait to be out of school though and hike up to the volcano again and take some better shots, they say it might be active for weeks to come... SWEET! :-)

© Me, my cousin and my brother, next to the volcano!

National Geographic has some awesome images from Icelandic photographer Christopher Lund! Check them out!


All Images are Copyrighted © Friðrik Páll Friðriksson

News Flash #1

Well, haven't posted anything in here for a while so I though I'd better throw in a post before this blog thing totally falls apart. I've been very busy recently, starting school in Iceland and studying business administration. It's been tough... but interesting and very practical!

Aside from doing school work (math problems and what not...), I've been following quite a bit of other blogs, looking at some neat projects and ideas that are posted out there.

One that I like particularly is this one here:

Vertical Carnival Dispatches

They've got various posts and video blogs about climbing and mountaineering and give a 'live' update of their expeditions or projects around the world! Really neat and inspiring!


TAWOCHE 2K10 dispatches #1 from renan ozturk on Vimeo.

I've also been following really neat photo/HD video blogs: DSLR News Shooter and Vincent Laforet's Blog

Really great blogs with entries about doing professional HD videos with your digital SLR! Really great professional sources with excellent advice and information on how this technology is 'transforming' photojournalism and the film industry!

I really liked this video from Dan Chung from DSLR News Shooter. It was shot on the 7D and 5D MKII, using Nikon lenses! Figure that one?


China's 60th Anniversary national day - timelapse and slow motion - 7D and 5DmkII from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

Last but not least... Recently I downloaded a movie from Big Up Productions! They are offering some of their most recent productions available for HD download! I downloaded the movie 'Progression' and the extras as well. Really neat seeing the dedication that professional climbers have and the amazing projects they are able to take on. The cinematography is excellent, so you get plenty of visual stimulus as well!

I also discovered from there a music artist from Sweden, 'AndreasBeats'. He's got some really nice tunes! Check out his website: http://www.andreasbeats.com/

That's it for now... Should get on posting some images from Iceland and writing the rest of my American journey!

Inspirational Alpinism

Mountain Face in New Zealand

I don't know about you... but I've always had this infatuation with climbing things. Now, I've never really been a real extreme risk taker, so I'm not one of those "nuts" that want take on ridiculously hard routes and have a high risk factor. But for some reason, people that do take those risks inspire me to want to push myself just a little bit further...

Now, just recently I've been getting to know the world of alpinism/mountaineering, a purist way of tackling routes and mountains. It originated in the Alps (France, Switzerland, Austria & Italy) in the late 1700's and has been transforming ever since into an extreme "sport" (some might call it a lifestyle). The main idea behind alpinism is to take on the mountains in an equitable manner, relaying on skill rather than lots of gear, speed rather than a long siege (Everest style) and climbing in the least damaging manner. Summed up, climbing light, fast and high!

The climber has to have experience in various methods of climbing, be it rock or ice. Knowledge about the proper use of gear is essential since most often it's not the gear that fails you, it's human error, your own lack of ability or experience. This is one of the things that really fascinates me about mountaineering, it's very diverse and tackles

many facets of expertise.

I am by no means an expert on this subject, but having started reading books like "Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills" and "Extreme Alpinism" as well as stories of notable climbers such as Sir Edmund Hillary & Reinhold Messner, it really inspires you!

My first real mountain experience happened in New Zealand not to many months ago (May 2009). I climbed the first mountain Sir Edmund Hillary climbed in Aroaki/Mount Cook National Park, South Island, NZ. It is called Mt. Ollivier and is about 1,933 m (6,340 ft) high. Climbing it with very little mountaineering knowledge, and without the proper gear, ready to take on a mountain peak in the early winter months, some might say it was quite foolish (we were warned about the weather forecast for that day). But my two good friends and I decided to tackle it even though the weather wasn't promising and visibility was low in the higher reaches of the mountain. Climbing, trough sometimes knee to waist deep snow, we made our way up as the weather alternated between blowing snow storms and gaps in the clouds with the sun shining through.

We reached a hut near the top called Mueller Hut (1,800 m). The peak in sight! Earlier we had met a girl from Germany who had followed our tracks and was carrying a trekking pole, something we didn't have and was essential in order to continue the ascent. We stopped in the hut for some food and to regain strength. It was very cold and we had only a few hours left of daylight. We could see the summit and I was eager to "bag a peak" so to speak. But talking with my group and reasoning it through, we would not have enough time to hike through the deep snow to the top and make it back down the mountain before dark. So we turned around without actually reaching the summit.

Even though I did not reach the top of the mountain, I learned a very valuable lesson climbing it. You should always climb according to your ability and skill, making incremental steps as you gain experience. Now technically the climb we did wasn't hard, but we were underprepared and did not understand fully what was needed in those conditions. Also the lesson of humility, knowing when to stop, knowing your limits and when to save the goal of reaching the peak for another day. Many people have had to be rescued or even perished because of their death defying goal of reaching a summit.

The View From Mt. Ollivier with Mt. Cook in the distance

A documentary I was watching really brought this lesson home. Now watching it will either deter you from serious mountaineering or inspire you with a new level of insight, having more respect for the dangers involved. Watch the "Beckoning Silence" here.

Finally... Truly, there are very few instances comparable or as gratifying as sitting on the top of a mountain looking over the beauty of peaks in the distance and the valley below, wondering in amazement at your accomplishment! I know for me, it just takes my breath away!

Be Safe,

Friðrik

All Images are Copyrighted © Friðrik Páll Friðriksson