"Got tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks. Great success shooting the knife into the piano. The woodworms are so bad and eat hell out of all furniture that you can always claim the woodworms did it."
--Ernest Hemingway
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Brian Jenkins - Aug 23, 2004 1:22 am
Route Climbed: West Breach Date Climbed: July 25, 20042:30 pm Arrive at Herðubreiðarlindir. Attractive female warden advises since we have break in weather to climb now as it will be light all night. She says it will take 2 hours to get to the climb via trail and then 5 hours to climb it.
3:30 pm I set out through lava field.
5:30 Still hiking around base of mountain, still far from the climb. Cursing warden, even if she is hot.
6:30 pm Finally at west side and at base of climb. I must be some sort of wuss.
7:00 pm Climb is going much quicker than she said it would be. Doubt she's ever actually done the approach and climb. What's that weird fog to the south?
8:00 pm In the section of rock over hard crust. Kinda tricky and slippery here. This could suck if I fell. Making good time though.
8:45 At summit, cold and windy. Can tell it is not fog below now, but a sandstorm. Clouds rolling in too. Hmm, it might actually get somewhat dusky dark tonight for once.
10:30 pm Back down at base of mountain. Now I still have that suckass hike back to camp. Why did I not opt for driving the truck in and think it would be more of a climb if I did the long hike in. Hey, it's going to get kinda dark after all.
12:30 am Back at the northeast side of this mountain. It is light enough to see in front of me but getting hard to see the posts now.
1:00 am Hmmm, I lost the last post and can't see shit in this dusky light and flat lava field that I can't get a view up out of. Now I'm lost. Decide to bed down until it gets lighter. Can't believe it. It's been light 24 hours a day here until now. Must be a combination of the sand blowing around, the clouds and somehow it's the damn warden chicks fault too! Put on all my layers and curl up on a rock. Comfy. I must look like a dog curled up trying to keep warm.
2:30 am Hey I actually was able to fall asleep for a while. Kinda cold now. Too cold to sleep. Will sit here and wait for what passes for dawn here.
3:30 am Pinkish skies and it's lighter now. Can see back to the last post now. I pick up the next one and get back going again.
5:00 am Back at camp. I wake up the wardens to let them know I got back. They put a sign on their door saying "Dear American, Please let us know when you get back." Gee, they cared!
5:01 am Collapse in my tent. Oh good, other campers are starting to get up now.