No, she hasn’t really.
But I am off to Iceland tomorrow. Not the frozen food shop, but the land of the now-famous volcano.
And I can’t wait! I’mm really excited about this expedition. Jumping around with excitement.
I had worried about the prospect of being on top of a remote glacier far from a TV with England playing in a world cup final.
But in hindsight I shouldn’t have really worried.
My original packrafting partner, Andy, has unfortunately not recovered from a knee injury in time to come along.
We had a great time on our last trip together – crossing Scotland by foot and packraft. But I’mve had to recruit a new mate for Iceland.
No, not him (sadly). A friend of mine called Chris.
That’s not him either (sadly), though it’s his picture. Chris is an excellent photographer and a good friend. I met him when I turned up bedraggled on his doorstep in Almaty, Kazakhstan a few years ago.
Now we’re teaming up to cross Iceland together.
The plan is simple:
We will walk from the coast to the Hofsjökull glacier. Cross the glacier and find the source of Iceland’s longest river.
Then we inflate the packrafts and paddle to the sea.
The reality is likely to be more complicated than that, of course. But that’s the appeal, isn’t it?
There’ll be no roads or resupplies.
Just us, our tent, and our rafts.
Like I said: I can’t wait.
I’mm afraid there won’t be any blogs or photos being beamed out.
We’re going low-tech to try to reduce the weight of our packs which are going to be stupidly heavy already holding a month’s food and equipment.
So until August I’mll leave you with these photos of our Scottish trial run back in January.
And this video.
Panic ye not: I have written enough blog posts to keep the site ticking over until August.
Thank you for all your support and encouragement on the new-look site in the last few months.
I’mm looking forward to sharing all the photos and Canon 5D Mkii / GoPro HD videos when we get back.
See you!
And why not try out some of these other sites while I am away – all well worth a look:
Amnesty International – Andy Kirkpatrick (climber) – Andy Ward (adventurer) – Ben Saunders (polar explorer) – Chris Herwig (photographer) – Colin Angus (adventurer) – Digital Explorer – Revolution Cycle – Economist – Felicity Aston (polar explorer) – Flickr– Mark Gillett (adventurer and photographer) – hIrSch (cyclist) – Hope & Homes for Children – Jason Lewis (adventurer) – Jerome Starkey (war correspondent) –Jim Shannon (photographer) – Karen Darke (adventurer) – Karl Bushby (adventurer) – Kate Harris (cyclist) – Mark Twight (climber) – Martin Hartley (photographer) – Olly Hicks (adventurer) – OSM (sport) – Outside – Paul Deegan (climber) – Phil Packer (soldier) – Primal Journey – Rob Lilwall (cyclist) – Roz Savage (rower)– Tom K-D (hungry cyclist) – Howies– Big Picture (photos) – Mikael Strandberg (explorer) – Revolution Cycle
I would really like to see Iceland one day! Splendid pictures!!!
Have a great time Al! Wish I could go with you.
Good Luck with the trip Al, look forward to reading about it when you get back.
Good luck!. Please could you bring back a Vienetta and some frozen party food?
You call yourself a motivational speaker, however I would questin how motivating it is for employees of Iceland Foods when you label it a ‘nasty’ store. Just because it’s not for you, doesn’t mean it’s not perfect for lots of others. Just a thought…
Apologies to any Iceland employees who read my blog.
Yes, come on Al, their frozen party food is great!
Great post Al. Hope your rucksack research pays off. Good luck!
Great post! Love the many pictures. Have a great time–sounds like an interesting adventure!
Cool photo essay, and happy travels!
Long time reader and fan of your blog, first time commenter. I wish you and Chris many exciting adventures and warm wishes for a safe return. May the winds be fair and the conversation enlightening.
Thank you!