Lögberg-Heimskringla - 17.03.1995, Page 12

12 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 17. mars 1995
On Foot in lceland
celand has been termed a
land of fire, a land of ice,
and a land of contrasts.
It is all these, and, not
surprisingly, a land of
misconceptions; but above all, it is a
land of challenge.
Eleven hundred years ago this
challenge drew men of stature to the
distant land, newly discovered on
the rim of the northern ocean,
whose coastal belt alone gave a toe-
hold for human life on the fringe of
the habitable world. Over the cen-
turies this challenge was enormous,
sometimes too great when huge
areas suffered the devastations of
sub-glacial volcanoes, the inunda-
tions of ash or molten lava, or the
long-lasting grip of the sea-ice. But
in every generation there have arisen
men of calibre to withstand and
conquer, enriching every corner of
the island with vivid stories from the
distant and not-so-distant past; men
like Eirik the Red, forced out of the
country and successfully seeldng his
fortune on the even less hospitable
shores of Greenland.
Less famous, outside Iceland, is
Gnúpa-Barðr who, having estab-
lished a new home in the north, sus-
pected that milder conditions might
be found on the opposite side of the
country. He built sledges for h_is live-
stock, loaded them with hay and
with all his possessions, and drove
south for probably two or more
weeks, through unexplored deserts
and mountains, among ice-caps and
over five great glacial rivers, to take
possession of what is now almost an
entire parish. Another was Sveinn
Pálsson the late 18th Century doctor
who had to work as a farmer and
fisherman yet still found time to
become a pioneer glaciologist, natu-
ralist and explorer, and whose
climbing record, established almost
incidentally in the course of his
other pursuits, includes notable
“firsts” to vie with almost any other
man of his era.
So, down through the ages, we
Photo Courtesy Gunnur Isfeld
come to modern times to men like
Hannes Jónsson, late farmer of
Núpsstaður whose duties as postman
to the Öræfi district involved him in
1934, in an eight-hour crossing of
the Skeiðarárjökull ice-sheet, with a
volcano erupting under the icecap
behind, and the glacier, floated up by
the force of the melt waters, moving
beneath him.
The landscape which has formed
the backcloth to the sagas is a fitting
match for the stories themselves.
Beyond Reykjavík lie the farmlands,
the rivers, the fjords, the coastal
townships, and behind them, always,
the mountains, ice-caps, and deserts,
the everlasting wastelands of black
sand, snowbound and deserted
throughout the long, long winter, but
in the summer hot under the 24-hour
sun. Here, away from the well-worn
tourist routes, there comes only the
occasional geologist, surveyor, or
adventurer, and in autumn, farmers
on horseback driving their sheep
home from remote summer pastures.
Perhaps 40 people will, for one rea-
son or another, cross one of the inte-
rior passes in four months—and
leave it deserted, save for the odd
Arctic fox, for the next eight.
What is there, then, in all this
emptiness, to justify the traveller’s
efforts?—for efforts will at times be
■needed. Iceland demands more than
perhaps any other country in
Europe, and gives more in return.
Only the over-worked word “mira-
cle” properly describes an environ-
ment where, against a background of
mountain, desert, giant ice-cap and
cataclysmic ice-fall, we find strange
natural phenomena almost without
number; the hot springs taking a
thousand forms, from the uninspir-
ing to the incredible; the devasta-
tions of the many volcanoes, several
of them beneath the sea or under
ice-caps; the fearful effects of ultra-
rapid erosion in the newly-formed
landscape; and the giant rivers with
their far-famed waterfalls, their ever-
changing courses presenting a prob-
lem to cartographer and traveller
alike. In these overwhelming waste-
lands you can be sure of only one
thing—that the unexpected awaits
you.
In a great waterless area your way
will suddenly be blocked by a giant
glacial river in a canyon, or again,
you may follow a river’s course only
Vopnafj öröur
The fjord is situated on the
northeastern coast of
lceland. The surrounding
district, also named Vopnafjörður,
is made up of three valleys. The
southernmostvalley Hofsárdalur,
the middle one is Vesturárdalur
and the northernmost one is
Selárdalur. Beyond the latter
valley is the Strönd area.
Southeadt of the district reach-
ing over 1000 meters into the
sky are Mt. Krossavíkurfjöll and
Mt. Smjörfjöll (where Santa
Claus is said to live). On the
west and north are low.heaths
and the occasional mountain,
with Southern and Outer
Hágangur two of the most
striking ones. Kolbeinstangi is
at the base of the fjord, and to
the east, on a spit of land
affectionately called Tangi, is
the areas population center.
Population. The community
of Vopnfjörður has a popula-
tion of 900, of which about 700
live in the town and about 200
in the countryside. Fishing and
fish processing are the main
fields of employment, but
many are involved in industry,
trade and services. There are
about 40 farms in the area.
Transportation. There are
scheduled flights 6 days a
week from Akureyri, and 3-4
days a week from Egilsstaðir.
Road transportation is in three
directions; over
Vopnfjarðarheiði on the Ring
Road in the vicinity of
Möðrudalur; over
Sandvíkurheiði to Bakkafjörður
and along the northeast coast
to Húsavík; and during summer
site with good facilities is
open.
General services.
Vopnafjörður has an excellent
<3°
Reykjavtk 1
KeflavíkJ
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jeep track over Hellisheiði to
Fljótsdalhérað. A view finder
dial is well situated on Mt.
Burstafell for a magnificent
view over the district spanning
from Vopnafjörður and to the
outer reaches of
Fljótsdalshérað.
Weather. The Eastern Fjord's
fog rarely reaches north to
Vopnfjörður. Southerly
breezes are most often warm,
and when flowing from that
direction Vopnafjörður is usual-
ly the warmest part of lceland.
Accommodation. A hotel is
open year around, and farm
holiday accommodation is also
available. During the summer
sleeping-bag accommodation
is made available, and a camp
range of services; shops, post
office, auto repair garage,
bank, pharmacy, medical cen-
ter, swimming pool, gymnasi-
um, solarium and a filling sta-
tion with a kiosk.
Leisure Activities. Very good
salmon fishing (the Hofsá, Selá
and Vesturdalsá rivers). Trout
fishing in lakes and rivers,
ocean angling, horse hire,
swimming, museum, beautiful
hiking routes in the mountains
and along the imposing coast-
line. Boating excursions.
History. During the time of
emigration from lceland to
north America, 1873-1914,
some 1100 people from
Vopnafjörður left to settle in
the "New World".
Vopnafjöröur
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