Iceland; Postponing the Dream

Back in January, I was lucky enough to be accepted onto a two week volunteer project in Iceland helping to maintain a long distance trail, the epic-looking Laugavegur trail, in the Thorsmork area in the south of the country.

Today, I should be flying to Reykjavik to start this two week trip – one that I’ve been looking forward to for around six months, and dreaming of for longer.

Instead, I’m hobbling around in discomfort, a seemingly permanent dull ache and restrictive movement, the result of straining something playing softball last week. Something seemingly innocuous, I didn’t notice anything was wrong until the following morning when I could barely move. According to the doctor, it’s probably a muscle in my lower back.

‘Mr Webb, you should avoid heavy lifting or any strenuous activities for the next 3-4 weeks.’

The words echo around my head with a crushing disappointment and realisation.

I’m gutted, but there’s not really any option other than to cancel the trip, or hopefully re-apply for next year. The thought of being in the middle of nowhere, camping in the middle of Iceland, is the appeal. The thought of aggravating something out there whilst moving a heavy stone isn’t.

The bonus is I’ve now got some extra time free for a trip later in the year. The research begins, and the dream awaits again.