Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.06.2009, Qupperneq 39

Bookings:
Send e-mail to mountainclimbing@mountainclimbing.is
or call +354 891 7074.
Guided hikes for Esja and Helgafell
Information:
www.mountainclimbing.is
27
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 5 — 2009
Travel | Activities
Climb Every Mountain
The handsome, looming monstrosity of
Mount Esja emerges from the sea, and
sits, keeping watch over Reykjavík. It is a
very good mountain to admire from afar,
like a secret crush whose house you just
“happen” to drive by. Then comes the
actual first experience, in person (yes,
in person!) of talking to the crush: the
sweaty palms, the avoidance of eye con-
tact, the dry mouth, all the usual signs
of studied familiarity, yet unknowing
expectancy.
Luckily, I had a guide from Mountain
Climbing to initiate communication and
ease me into really getting to know the
mountain. She picked my fellow intern
and me up at 9:30 in the morning. Not
so bright and early – it was a dismal,
rainy day, not exactly what I had pegged
as the weather I would have on my “per-
fect” hike. Luckily, she had thought
ahead and provided us with some more
suitable pants which ended up being
very necessary. We drove about 30 min-
utes to reach the base of the mountain.
My confidence waned a little as I saw the
mountain grow in front of my eyes; it
was much larger than I had anticipated –
914 meters of volcanic rock to be exact.
“Hell, I could have been
smoking a cigarette”
After a look at the map, we started on our
way. The beginning twenty minutes of
the walk were easy enough, as we walked
on a slowly inclining gravel path. Hell,
I could have been doing it smoking a
cigarette. Then the stairs began. And the
rocks. And the inclines. I was left puff-
ing hard behind my colleague and guide.
I kept looking down at my feet in slight
defeat and embarrassment as I walked
along; I was pretty convinced this moun-
tain and I weren t́ clicking so well.
My guide knew exactly what to do. We
stopped a few times as she told us about
the landscape below, and the plants and
trees in the area. She regaled us with
stories of the early settlers in the area,
of the hidden people, and many other
tidbits that made the hike amusing, and
helped me acclimate to the unfamiliar
surroundings. The obvious respect my
guide had for the history of Iceland and,
specifically, the mountain, pushed me
onward. A little shot of positive outlook
was what I needed.
Like fucking Rocky!
As the hike continued, we stopped a
few more times to take in the views.
The immensity of black rock swelling
up around us was overwhelming. But
my view was on the upper final destina-
tion. The path faded as we reached part
of the summit, and there were large and
loose rocks between us and the destina-
tion. We trekked up this area as quickly
as possible, and the ending rock was in
sight. When we finally reached it, after
a short incline, I felt like throwing my
arms up like fucking Rocky. Instead, I
looked around. The views were impos-
sibly pristine, and seeing the land I had
just traversed was pretty insane. We took
a long breather, heard a few, longer tradi-
tional stories about Esja, and signed our
names in a guestbook located next to the
end rock (another tradition).
In the time we took at the top, the
skies had opened up in the unpredict-
able, lovely Icelandic way. The hike
down seemed like a cinch; any previ-
ous nervousness gave way to full-on,
carefree hiking. Smooth sailing, if you
will. Once we reached the bottom, our
guide treated us to a snack of f lat bread,
or f latbrauð, and cheese. It was deli-
cious, especially after the three-hour trip
up and back. On the drive back, it was
clear that the mountain and I had estab-
lished something past far-off, unknow-
ing glances, with the intercession of my
guide, of course. I was glad I got to know
the backdrop of the city up close, and it
was (relatively) painless in the end. If
there was any doubt of my new relations
with the land, I received my certificate
within the week, stating: “By participat-
ing in the Esja tour of Mountain Climb-
ing, you have made this dream yours and
you have made it come true. Congratula-
tions!”
Why, thank you.
— JOYcE GUZOWSKI
Puffing And Panting Up The Esja
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