Climb Every Mountain

With Stuart’s firm promise that today he would see and experience something truly spectacular in Skaftafell National Park Nigel was sat on Johann’s vunderbus before everyone else was up, with his manly Icelandic sandwiches packed safely put away at the bottom his back pack, so eager was he to get going.

Once all were on board it was only a short ride before Johann’s aforementioned vunderbus duly stopped at the bottom of, what looked like to Nigel a most mahoooooosive mountain …….

…….. it’s fair to say he was apprehensive, tres apprehensive ……

……. and not a little worried about contracting altitude sickness and the availability of oxygen, should he need it…….

……. but in the end he decided he had to go at his own pass, keeping his head down so he couldn’t see what seemed to be the unending climb in front of him, but occasionally turning around to see how far he had climbed to give himself a pat on the back ….. and spur himself on to greater things …..

But when,  after almost 2 hours of upward toil he reached the top …… OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG  …………………

…… he couldn’t believe his eyes, Stuart was true to his promise,  Nigel was on a rocky cliff was looking down on the most biggest and most beautiful glacier he had ever seen, (well, the only one he had ever seen to be honest!).

His little face was a picture ……

….. and all thoughts of aforementioned altitude sickness long forgotten …… he was filling his lungs with pure fresh air …….
This was too wonderful for words ……….. and Nigel realised how very tiny and insignificant he was in the scheme of things ………

…… and how unbelievable nature was! Never had a mahoooooosive Icelandic cheese and continental meat sandwich tasted so good  ……

……. when eaten on top of that “world”,  looking down to down on that magnificent glacier.

Nigel’s only small regret was not having a little flag with him to plant to mark his conquest …… but this was yet another glorious Icelandic memory that would last Nigel a lifetime!