Tuesday, June 21, 2016 – Medieval farm, Soil Conservation Service

Today we did two main things.  In the morning was a visit to Keldur Farm, an Icelandic home that dates to the 11th century. In the afternoon was a guided tour through the Soil Conservation Service‘s interpretive gallery and surrounding land with its director, Sveinn Runolfsson. We capped the day with a final swim.

Keldur Farm

Keldur Farm was built in the 1000s, with a relatively modern addition in the 1830s.

Keldur Farm was built in the 1000s, with a relatively modern addition in the 1830s.

Keldur Farm was settled in 1000 and occupied continuously until 1946.  The farmhouse now belongs to the national park service.  Behind the farm is a natural spring, and it is in a valley so it is protected from possible invaders.  The house is made of volcanic rock with turf on top, which keeps it insulated. It is cold inside, but if the occupants built a fire, the heat would stay in.  Attached to the medieval house is a more modern house where the family lived from the 1830s through 1946.

The escape tunnel comes out through this hillside door.

The escape tunnel comes out through this hillside door.

One very interesting feature of the house is an escape tunnel.  This was not found until the 1930s when the occupants were digging out a latrine. The tunnel goes from the lower floor of the house and comes out on the side of a nearby hill. The theory is this was to be used as an escape hatch in case of attack. At the time the house was built in the 1000s, Iceland was in the middle of a long civil war over whether to remain independent or go back to the Norwegian king.

After the farm visit, we stopped at a place along the road where work crews were digging.  Layers of soil were clearly visible, and Dr. Slater explained what they meant. About a meter from the top was the settlement layer defined by the 973 eruption of the nearby volcano Hekla, marking when the area was settled with people. On the lower levels you could see layers 8,000 years and older, including a large layer of tephra laid down by volcanic eruptions and layers of gravel and rocks brought in by moving water and glaciers.

Soil Conservation Service

An area of degraded land in front of Mount Hekla.

An area of degraded land in front of Mount Hekla.

Driving through the area we could see a lot of grass, mosses, scrub brush, and some trees. But it wasn’t always this way. Centuries of settlement and cutting down trees left the land barren and eroded, so that by the 20th century it was severely degraded. Only black sand remained, with no plants or greenery of any kind. In the 1930s the Soil Conservation Service began efforts to rehabilitate the land by using seeds and fertilizer and restricting grazing.

Now the land is covered in greenery, and the SCS is deploying the same techniques all over Iceland and the world. Besides our group, the SCS is also hosting students from United Nations University to learn these techniques for combating desertification. UNU now has four programs running at SCS on land restoration, geothermal power, fisheries, and women’s equality.

Sveinn Runolfsson describes efforts by the Soil Conservation Service to restore desertified land.

Sveinn Runolfsson describes efforts by the Soil Conservation Service to restore desertified land.

The talk by Runolfsson was one of the best things we did this entire trip.  I loved hearing how Iceland is coming to grips with centuries of land mismanagement and learning how to properly manage and restore the land. There were so many parallels between this story in Iceland and the much larger story of climate change, which is really about how humans have mismanaged land, water, and air resources, and how we can rehabilitate what we have impoverished and learn how to manage it better.

Hearing the story of Iceland’s recovery gives me hope that humanity will be able to rehabilitate to planet, even after the oil, coal, and gas industries have helped lead to its degradation and delay action for decades through a deliberate campaign of denial.

This display shows how extensive the lyme grass root system is.

This display shows how extensive the lyme grass root system is.

From Runolfsson’s talk, I saw several ways the Iceland story parallels climate change today. First, when the SCS was looking for a solution to the desertification crisis on its land, it first tried seeds from other countries, but those plants quickly died. What worked was to go back to traditional knowledge and practices. People in this area had lived in tandem with lyme grass for generations. They used the seeds for making flour, and the root system for making household goods such as rope and brooms. Lyme grass proved to be hardy, winter resistant, and drought resistant — the perfect plant for northern desert conditions. SCS had great success in planting lyme grass with fertilizer and keeping grazing animals off the land.

What this shows is something I learned at the Paris climate conference, which is that indigenous knowledge and practices are what will provide the solutions for the future. Indigenous people from all over the world were a very pronounced presence in Paris. They see themselves as at the front lines of climate change because they are fighting oil, coal and gas companies on their lands — think of the indigenous groups displaced by dams in Brazil, or the indigenous people displaced by the Keystone pipeline in the United States. Yet indigenous people also hold the solutions we need to climate change, which is a point they tried hard to make in Paris. Unlike our practices, theirs are sustainable for generations. This use of lyme grass in Iceland is an example of a sustainable practice that provides the solution for rehabilitating a desertified area.

This display shows the amount of soil erosion over several millennia.

This display shows the amount of soil erosion over several millennia.

Runolfsson said two other things about how the land became so degraded that caught my attention. One was that the Vikings cut down all the trees to make charcoal for sharpening their swords — in other words, they consumed all the natural resources for war and the weapons trade. This is similar to how the military industrial complex, fueled by the oil, coal, and gas industries, is degrading our natural resources to fuel weapons manufacturing and trade along with endless wars. It turns out that resolving our differences peacefully is not just a nice idea, or nice for people caught in the crossfire of war.  It’s actually essential to preserving the inhabitability of our planet.

Second, Runolfsson referred to the misconception that we must produce as much food as possible, especially meat. Inhabitants of the past cleared all the trees to make way for grazing land for sheep, then they grazed the sheep until the vegetation was completely gone before packing up and leaving because they could no longer make a living from the land. This idea that we must produce endless supplies of meat is, in Runolfsson’s words, “a load of crap.” Yet representatives from every society that have come to SCS to learn about land rehabilitation have come in with that idea, and it is very hard to shake.

Lyme grass grows in the foreground. The area in the background still needs work.

Lyme grass grows in the foreground. The area in the background still needs work.

For climate change today, one of the root causes is our idea of endless growth and personal consumption. Meat production certainly plays a role, responsible for about a fourth of climate change, but so does our consumption in general, especially in the United States and First World. The idea that we must have more and more stuff, throw it away, and buy more, requires more and more to be manufactured, which requires more and more resources to produce.  It’s not sustainable, and we must find a better way. Gandhi said that we have enough for every person’s need but not every person’s greed. How right he turned out to be.

Household items made from lyme grass

Household items made from lyme grass

Can humans make the leap to simplifying our needs, going back to basics on our diet, and furnishing what we do use and eat through sustainable practices? I don’t know, but the story of Iceland shows that if we can, a clean environment and prosperity will be the reward. When Iceland’s land was degraded after centuries of misuse, it was one of the poorest nations in the world. Now it is one of the richest, welcoming 1.7 million tourists a year, about five times its total population. So many people want to visit because to see Iceland’s natural beauty, showing that a country that preserves its environment will thrive, while one that degrades it will not.

After a brief stop back at the Soil Conservation Service to gather up our bathing suits, we went for one more swim and hot tub at another Icelandic swimming pool. I got in 15 laps and two tub sessions and felt warm and refreshed afterwards.

Here are more photos from the day. Click any photo to enlarge it.

Monday, June 20 – Þórsmörk Day 2

I had an awful night sleeping in the volcano hut at Þórsmörk.  We were all in one cabin, with the six women in one room of bunk beds.  I got a top bunk, which normally I prefer, but not last night.  The heat was so high that I was roasting most of the night. Although one window had a shade, the other one higher up did not.  The lower bunks were shielded from the light, but not the top bunks, and I apparently left my eyeshade at Lax-a. The bunks were long and narrow, and impossible to get comfortable on.

The upshot is I went to bed early, only to toss and turn for most of the night.  When I last looked at my phone, it was after 4 a.m. and light as day.  I then woke up at 7:15 a.m. with a massive migraine, gathered my stuff as quietly as I could, left a note, and went to the campsite restaurant, got breakfast, and took some headache medication. I noticed that the restaurant had wifi, so I was able to answer some messages before finishing breakfast and heading to the campsite showers.

I got back to the cabin at 9:30 a.m. just as everyone was cleaning up from their breakfast. It was cold, wet, rainy, and very windy.  We had to be out of the cabin by 10, so everyone was packing up to move their stuff to a tent near the restaurant where the 4 p.m. bus would show up.

Most of the group decided to go in a hike to a peak where on a clear day you can get a good view, but I knew I was not up for that, and the day wasn’t clear.  So I hung out again in the restaurant with Sigthor and Bjork.  I did email and journaling for two hours before the group got back. Apparently the hike was very cold and windy, and they could not see much.

We got lunch in the tent, which wobbled in the high winds.  Then a few people set out to see the river, but this time most of the group stayed back.  We hung out on the benches in the community kitchen, and I talked to a guy from Germany who had been hiking through and also got caught in the bad weather.  Susie also helped me marked in yellow highlighter where we had gone on the trip.

Finally I noticed Paul had tried to call me on What’s App, so I went back to the restaurant to get wifi to call him back.  First I had a little scare over my wallet missing until I found it in a small red bag. With the wallet found, I talked to Paul until it was time to board the big bus and head out. We found our little green bus right where we had left it on the sand at the entrance to Thorsmork, where it looked tiny next to the enormous landscape.  We transferred our bags, and headed to the next destination.

Next was Gunnarsholdt, home of the Soil Conservation Service where we would be staying the next two days.  On the way we dropped off Bjork and her daughter, Hekla, who several people in our group had made friends with.  We got keys to our rooms, and I was very glad to have my own room for the first time this trip.  After moving in our stuff, we got together our bathing suits and headed to another one of Iceland’s many swimming pools and hot tubs.  I was so tired that I mostly tubbed, but I did get in 12 laps.

Since today ended up being an off-day, I don’t have any photos, but here is a video of crossing a high-water section of the Markarfljót river taken from inside the big bus.  First we watched a large truck cross the river twice before we attempted it ourselves.

 

Sunday, June 19 – Þórsmörk Day 1

Stakkholtsgjá gorge at Þórsmörk

Stakkholtsgjá gorge at Þórsmörk

Today we visited Þórsmörk (pronounced “thors-mork”), or “Thor’s woods,” named after the Norse god Thor. Njáls saga, considered the greatest Icelandic saga, took place in this and surrounding areas.  A lot of landmarks are prominent, such as Einhyrningur, or Unicorn Mountain, a large rock with an outcrop that looks like a unicorn’s horn.

On the way we stopped at Seljalandsfoss. The falls are a popular spot with a lot of tour buses.  They are notable because people can walk behind the waterfall for photos.  Many weddings are done in front of the falls. I took the stairs and path behind the falls and got some good pics and video.

Þórsmörk is surrounded by three glaciers, which is what gives the area its power – Mýrdalsjökull, Eyjafjallajökull, and Tindfjallajökull.  The first two glaciers come together in a V that marks the heart of Þórsmörk .  This area holds the Markarfljót river, which is really a series of glacial streams that eventually merge. Every year these streams expand from glacial melt, so you can see a lot of levees and earthworks to try to control the river from moving and flooding.  There is only one small gravel road with no bridges, so the bus forged through the streams of Markarfljót directly several times. I was amazed that the bus could make so many stream and river crossings successfully, but it did.

Towering over us were the Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull glaciers. Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced “A-ya fiat-la yo-kult“), contains a volcano that erupted in 2010.  The ash grounded air traffic for weeks. Mýrdalsjökull contains the Katla volcano, which is overdue for an eruption. Its normal period is period is 80 years, but the most recent eruption was 1826, almost 100 years ago.  Katla also usually erupts shortly after Eyjafjallajökull, so Icelanders expect into happen anytime. When it does erupt, it will fill the valley with melted ice, which is why the Markarfljót river fills so much of the valley.

Mýrdalsjökull glacier at Þórsmörk

Mýrdalsjökull glacier at Þórsmörk

Lupine is growing throughout them area. Dr. Slater told us he was here in 2011 with people from the Soil Conservation Service.  They were trying to eliminate the lupine because it is considered invasive.  They came in with huge sprayers and blanketed slope with roundup – but the lupine is still growing so they were not very successful.

Boulders in the Þórsmörk valley

Boulders in the Þórsmörk valley

As we drove into Þórsmörk, we could see large boulders all over valley.  Dr. Slater said they resulted from the collapse of a hill slope in January 1967.  Tons of rocks collapsed, turning all the ice around them into a slurry of fast moving water.  The water took little pieces away, but dropped the bigger rocks here.  Fortunately it was the dead of winter, so no one was around at the time.

We did two hikes. The first was to see a glacier up close: the Eyjafjallajökull glacier with the Gígjökull glacial tongue hanging down. Eyjafjallajökull is the Icelandic volcano that erupted in 2010, stopping air traffic across Europe for several weeks. It was a long hike up and down through pebble sand to the glacier. Aw we approached, we heard water running.   First we saw water seeping out of the side of the mountain, then a stream coming through a fissure in the rocks.  Finally after rounding a large hill, we saw the Gígjökull  glacier tongue with a river flowing in front of it.

Eyjafjallajökull glacier on top with Gígjökull tongue handing down

Eyjafjallajökull glacier on top with Gígjökull tongue handing down

Ice cave at the bottom of the Gígjökull glacier

Ice cave at the bottom of the Gígjökull glacier

Several of the other students crossed the river to go to the bottom of the glacial tongue which formed an ice cave.  Their forms were so small compared to the ice cave, which itself was small compared to the Gígjökull  glacier, which was just an offshoot of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier above.  Yet the entire area is melting.  On the way out we saw photos of what the glacier looked like before and after the eruption.  The glacier was much larger before the 2010 eruption, which took out a lot of ice – but even so the glacier was noticeably smaller now than when last year’s trip visited visited in August 2015.

Stakkholtsgjá gorge at Þórsmörk

Stakkholtsgjá gorge at Þórsmörk

The second hike was through the Stakkholtsgjá, a huge green canyon that leads to a waterfall. As I walked through, I could not help but think about the passages in the Book of John about God separating the heavens from the earth during the creation.  I’m not a very religious person, but I ended up talking to Susie and Bjork, our cook who accompanied us from Agricultural University, about religion. It was impossible not to feel the power of the planet and how small humans are in comparison. Yet humans are also shaping the earth by causing the glaciers to melt and many other things.  I was reminded that if the glaciers around Þórsmörk melt away, then the entire area will die.

Sign to hiking trails and the all important bathroom.

Sign to hiking trails and the all important bathroom.

On the way to our overnight accommodations at the Þórsmörk volcano huts, we had to cross yet more streams.  One of them was particularly large, and our bus driver Sigthor did not think we would make it. Weather was starting to roll into the area, so even if we made it across tonight, there was no guarantee we would make it back tomorrow. We turned around and ended up in a camping area for a couple of hours while waiting for a bigger bus.  I found a bathroom and walked around outside for a bit.

Then we repacked to take just one night’s supplies and leave our big suitcases behind. Finally the new bus arrived, a huge bus from Reykjavik, and got us to our destination safely. We locked up our smaller bus and left it out on the gravel between glacial streams of the Markarfljót  river to be picked up the next day.  Somehow everyone knew it and our luggage would be fine — and it was, though it looked awfully small in the backdrop of the Þórsmörk gorge.

Hiking trail map

Hiking trail map

The volcano huts were a series of camping spots, small cabins, and larger cabins. At the center was a restaurant plus a building of showers and a kitchen for the campers. Several popular hiking trails come through this area, including Fimmvörðuháls, a 14-mile trail at 3,300 feet between two glaciers and a volcano.  Our entire group was in one of the larger cabins, with the women in one room of bunk beds, the men in another.  I got a top bunk. Bjork roasted a leg of lamb for dinner for most people, but I had the veggie burgers and salads, which were delicious, and went to bed early.

Here are some more photos from the day. Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Friday, June 17, 2016 – Golden Circle and Hekla

Golden-circle-in-Iceland

Today was “Golden Circle Plus.” We did the Golden Circle, which is a series of three sites in southwest Iceland that many tourists visit, but we saw a lot of other things along the way and ended with exploring the area around Mount Hekla. Plus today was Icelandic National Day, which commemorates the day of Iceland’s independence from Denmark in 1944, as well as my husband’s birthday. So there was a lot to cover in one day!

We set off this morning from Hvanneyri with bus and trailer full of our luggage and food. We traveled from an agricultural valley into the highlands. Whereas we had seen a lot of land used to grow crops, especially hay for feeding animals during the long winter, now we were seeing a lot of grazing area. Tobba told us that the horses we saw were set free on pasture for summer break.

Going into the highlands we stopped because a sign said the road ahead was impassable. Our driver Sigthor made some calls and found out the road was okay now but had been impassable earlier in the year. As we moved forward, I could see why – the mountain inclines were pretty steep. Fortunately in the middle of June, we saw only one small patch of snow.

Traveling south we then moved into Iceland’s rift valley, part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates come together. On our right on the North American plate was Hvalvtan, the lake that fed the Glymur waterfall, and on our right on the Eurasian plate was the broad shield volcano Skjaldbreiður.

Þingvellir National Park

Descending into Almannagjá gorge at Þingvellir National Park.

Descending into Almannagjá gorge at Þingvellir National Park.

Finally we arrived at Þingvellir National Park. The park sits on Lake Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland. Across the lake we could see the Steingrimsstöð Power Station, one of Iceland’s first hydropower stations that came online in 1959. The plant drains water from Lake Þingvallavatn into the River Sog to create hydropower. Dr. Slater said when it first opened, it took too much water too quickly and killed a lot of the char in the lake. Now it is used to manage lake levels.

Þingvellir (pronounced “thing-vellir”) is incredibly significant for Iceland in both geology and history. Geologically the park’s most impressive structure is Almannagjá, the gorge on the eastern edge of the North American plate. The walking path through Þingvellir takes you through the Almannagjá gorge, overlooking the 7 km basin between the North American and European plates.

A goose keeps watch at Þingvellir National Park.

A goose keeps watch at Þingvellir National Park.

Historically, Þingvellir, or “parliament plains,” is where Iceland’s Alþing (pronounced “all-thing”) general assembly was established around 930 and met until 1798. This is where Iceland was declared to be a Christian nation around the year 1000, and where Snorri Sturluson was elected law speaker in 1213.

Of special importance at Þingvellir was the lögberg, or law rock. Anyone could step onto the lögberg to give a speech or share important news. This is where the assembly was convened and dissolved and rulings of the law council announced. Because of shifts in the landscape since the Middle Ages, no one knows exactly where the lögberg is now, but two possible sites have been identified.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Þingvellir became an important symbol of Iceland’s national pride.  Numerous rallies and meetings were held there to push for independence, and on June 17, 1944, the birthday of Icelandic national hero, Jón Sigurðsson, the republic of Iceland was declared at Þingvellir. Þingvellir was designated as a national park in 1930 and a UNESCO world heritage site in 2014.

Laugarvatn

Fontana spa at Laugarvatn.

Fontana spa at Laugarvatn.

The next stop was Laugarvatn, or “lake of the hot springs,” a small town on a lake fed by hot springs under its floor. Tobba went to high school here and recently visited for her 25th class reunion. We stopped at a spa called Fontana, where people could pay about $30 to bathe in the geothermal baths. I wish we would have had time for that, but we didn’t. The restaurant on site sold bread baked by geothermal heat underground. We walked around and saw hot springs bubbling out of the ground.

Geysir

Hot springs at Geysir.

Hot springs at Geysir.

Next was the second official stop on the Golden Circle tour, Geysir (pronounced “gay-sere”), home to the first erupting geyser discovered by Europeans. We found a picnic area for lunch, then walked through a series of hot springs. In the early 20th century, the largest geyser would erupt many times a day, sending boiling water up 60 meters (196 feet), but now it erupts rarely, and we did not see it.

Instead we had a lot of fun with a smaller geyser called Stokkur, which erupts every few minutes, sending water up about 30 meters (98 feet). Tourists line the rope surrounding the geyser with cameras ready to capture the moment. On my first try, I ended up getting drenched. I supposed the wet rocks where I was standing should have been a tipoff that it would be better to stand on the other side, but I didn’t think about that. Fortunately there was a warm breeze, and my clothes dried off pretty quickly.

Gullfoss

Watch your step at Gullfoss.

Watch your step at Gullfoss.

The third stop in the Golden Circle tour is Gullfoss, or “golden falls.” This is huge double waterfall 31 meters tall and the site of a nature reserves designated in 1979. In the early 20th century, the farmer who owned Gullfoss leased it to foreign investors to be used for an electric plant. His daughter, Sigriður Tómasdóttir, filed legal action to keep the plant from being built, and traveled to Reykjavik many times for legal proceedings.

Sigriður lost her case, but the rental contract for the power plant was voided for nonpayment. In 1940 her son sold the falls to the Icelandic government, which designated it a nature reserve in 1979. Sigriður’s efforts to save Gullfoss brought the importance of preserving nature to public attention, and she is considered Iceland’s first environmentalist.

Secret Lagoon

Salmon ladder at Faxi falls.

Salmon ladder at Faxi falls.

Leaving Gullfoss we got a good view of Langjökull, or Long Glacier, the second-largest ice cap in Iceland. If I visit Iceland again, I will have to make a stop here to see the ice tunnels and caves.

We then stopped by another waterfall called Faxi, notable for the salmon ladder next to the falls. The falls themselves are too steep for salmon to swim up, but the ladder provides a series of locks they can use to swim up and down the river. Apparently the salmon do use it, just as animals use animal crossings over highways that people build for them on land. Fish and animals are a lot smarter than we think.

Hanging out at the Secret Lagoon.

Hanging out at the Secret Lagoon.

Next we stopped at the Secret Lagoon, the oldest swimming pool in Iceland heated by geothermal springs. As soon as we disembarked to walk around, a huge tour bus pulled up; apparently the lagoon is no longer a secret. It looked like a fun and relaxing place to hang out — a couple dozen people were availing themselves of the facilities, beers in hand and on the shore.

Around the pool was a set of small hot springs.  One was like a miniature version of Stokkur at Geysir, erupting every few minutes. It was entertaining to watch, though a bit of an anticlimax after seeing eruptions 100 feet tall. There was also a series of greenhouses used to grow mushrooms and tomatoes.

Hekla

The imposing Hekla volcano.

The imposing Hekla volcano.

After a coffee and bathroom break, we left the Golden Circle and headed southwest to the highlands surrounding the volcano Hekla. Hekla is one of Iceland’s most active volcanos having erupted more than  20 times since 874. Europeans of the Middle Ages thought Hekla was the gateway to hell.

Hekla is a stratovolcano, meaning its cone has been built up through many layers of lava, tephra, pumice, and ash. Tephra from Hekla can be found all over Iceland and as far away as the British Isles. Hekla’s last eruption was in 2000, so many people think it is due to erupt soon. The risk is considered high enough that no flyovers are allowed. You can keep an eye on Hekla through the Mila webcam.

Hjalparfoss

Hjalparfoss

Hekla is also a mountain that can be climbed. Dr. Slater climbed it in 2009 and said it took six to seven hours of solid climbing. He went up with a Swiss guy who went back down by using a plastic bag as a sled. That took two hours. There was only a one-hour notice when Hekla erupted in 2000, so climbers might want to take plastic bags with them going up in case they need to get down fast.

We made three stops in the vicinity of Hekla. First was Hjalparfoss, a unique double waterfall joined at the base and surrounded by lava formations. It was a short hike to see the waterfall up close, but the area was swarming with midge flies. They didn’t bite, but they landed on your face and hair and swarmed into the bus.

Locks control the flow of the Þjórsá river at Búrfellsstöð power plant.

Locks control the flow of the Þjórsá river at Búrfellsstöð power plant.

Next was Búrfellsstöð, Iceland’s second-largest hydropower station. The power is generated by a drop in the Þjórsá river used to express potential energy. Here a series of impoundments and dams had been built onto the river just upstream of the plant to control the flow and rate of drop. Our driver Sigthor told us he had worked on construction of this plant in 1968, and he took the bus on the roads over the impoundments so we could see what it looked like. Two wind turbines were also visible.

Down the road we saw an area where tephra was being mined, so we got out to take a look. Tephra is sold to be used in building materials, insulation and ceramics, and there is a huge supply of it around Hekla. It comes in various forms from a fine ash to pieces 5 to 10 mm across to large pieces many feet across, but it weighs almost nothing because there are so many airholes in the rock.

Inside a large piece of tephra from Hekla.

Inside a large piece of tephra from Hekla.

At the quarry we picked up a huge piece of tephra and threw it around like a beach ball until it dropped and broke open. Again the midge flies swarmed us, and I became the subject of wide entertainment by waving my arms like windshield wipers in front of my face. I was just thankful the suckers didn’t bite or I would have been in trouble.

Throughout the drive, we saw areas where the Soil Conservation Service of Iceland had been trying to rehabilitate the land. In one area Dr. Slater had been working with a student to do reforesting. Volcano ash kills plants close to the ground, so the goal was to get trees high enough to resist the ash. We saw birch trees about 15 years old, along with a lot of – what else – lupine.

In other areas, the Soil Conservation Service was using lyme grass to stabilize the sand. They used to distribute seed and fertilizer from airplanes but now use tractors. Without it, the sand shifts so much that it’s impossible to hold water, and it erodes away. It was easy to tell the difference between gray areas of degraded lava fields and green areas that had been rehabilitated with lyme grass.

Dinner was pizza at a restaurant chain in Iceland called Arhus. I was thankful not to eat out of the lunchboxes again, and to have a real bed with a private bath at the Lax-A West Ranga Lodge room I shared with Danielle. We had a beautiful view of a river in the back, and during reflection time Tobba taught the group how to say Happy Birthday in Icelandic so I could send that to Paul. Unfortunately wifi didn’t work in the rooms as advertised, but I was able to get it by walking to the ritzier hotel next door. In case you ever need to wish anyone Happy Birthday in Icelandic, it is “Til hamingju með afmælið.”

Here are more photos from the day. Click on any photo to enlarge it.