Lögberg-Heimskringla - 17.03.1995, Page 12

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 oO 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 Continued on next page

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