Expedition to Iceland by Ben Esse

Over summer 2012 I took part in a two week expedition to Iceland. This involved living out of our rucksacks for nine days and within this we had a five day trek from Landmannalaugar to Thorsmork national park, which lay in the shadow of Eyjafjallajoekull, the volcano that erupted in 2010. This trek would take us over lava fields, past volcanic, sulfurous vents and through some of the most stunning scenery I have ever seen. We first spent two nights in the Thingvellir nation park, camping within 200m of the Mid Atlantic Ridge, where we spent time running final checks on our equipment, along with cursing the masses of flies. For the trek we would be carrying all our kit, so a quality rucksack was a must. I used the Deuter Aircontact 65+10L bag, with an assortment of Exped fold drybags to ensure my kit would stay dry in the changeable weather. For the majority of the trek we would be walking on rocky ground (there was little or no living things for the first two days) which turned out to be no problem for my Scarpa Trek boots, which handled the terrain with ease. This also meant that the ground was often covered in stones and rocks, however I had no problem sleeping with my Thermarest mat keeping me warm and comfy. From Thingvellir we took a bus to Landmannalaugar, stopping to view some of Iceland’s iconic landmarks, Geyser and Gullfoss. We were also shown an old volcanic crater that had been filled with rainwater to form a lake, which was beautiful. Upon arrival at the campsite, it began to rain, so we quickly pitched our tents, using rocks to secure the guide ropes in the rocky ground. Thankfully the rain slowed to a persistent drizzle and after cooking tea we gladly relaxed in the local natural hot springs.


The next morning we were up early and packed to go. The first section of the day would be navigating the lava field, then a 500m climb up to 1000m in the mountains. The lava field was an amazing start, with towers of jagged obsidian surrounding us as we passed through. On the other side, the rain returned, with a vengeance. In Iceland, there is a saying: ‘If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will have changed’ and I was thankful to my North Face shell and Sprayway overtrousers for keeping me as dry. The climb was steep and hard going, but once we were at the top, the view was phenomenal. The wind and rain stayed with us throughout the day, but our spirits never fell. However, near the end of the day we came across a memorial to a walker who had been caught in a blizzard in summer 2008, which really brought home to us the seriousness of the conditions. We were thankful when we finally reached the campsite, although I have never been anywhere so barren. The pitches were surrounded by makeshift walls of obsidian rocks, to keep the tents from the worst of the wind and the site itself was on a stony mountainside. There was nothing living in sight.

The next day we set off again, now coming out of the mountains and onto a flat plateau. The second day was easier going than the first, though the weather was still the same. But, again as the Icelandic say, ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad equipment’ and my Fjall Raven Karl trousers and Sealskinz gloves kept me warm from the wind. I was really pleased with how both performed under the conditions. We reached the campsite and pitched the tents, thankful to be sleeping on grass again.

On the third day, we left our tents pitched and went for a day walk through the valley in which we were staying. The weather was much better, the rain and wind dropped and the sun came out, making it a pleasant walk.

The next morning was a very early start, as we had received news of a storm coming in from the Atlantic. The pace was set a little higher as we crossed an ash field spanning miles. It was hard walking on the loose surface, but it was flat and so we made good time, getting into camp before the storm. That night the wind was vicious, but luckily we were in a steep valley out of the worst of it.

Having gotten through the night in one piece we set off on our last day. By this point, we were tired and worn out from the trek, however my feet copped with the walking thanks in part to my Bridgedale Comfort Trekker socks. The final leg of the journey took us through a forest, which was a stark contrast to the lifeless slopes in the mountains, and down into a wide floodplain valley. Towards the end of the day, a light drizzle came down, but my Tilley hat had no problems in keeping off the rain, and keeping my visibility up. We finally reached the campsite, where we settled down to rest for the next two nights. The scenery was picturesque and we enjoyed two short walks the next day in the surrounding landscape.

From this trip I really learned the value of good quality kit, as it could easily be all that separates you from serious problems or death when the conditions turn bad. Not only this, but keeping warm and dry makes a trip much more enjoyable, no one likes being cold and wet all the time! I have found that the experience you gain from going out there and enjoying it is worth the preparation involved.

Which walking boots are the best?

One of the questions we get asked most at Trailblazer Outdoors is “Which walking boots are best” the answer to this is not usually one the customer is expecting because we generally say “The one that fits the best”.

When we say fit, it is meant in two ways, the first way is how the walking boot will fit on the foot, because if it isn't right that they will not be comfortable and there is nothing worse than an uncomfortable walking boot as anyone who has had blisters or bruised toes will testify too, the second meaning of the word fit is, fit for purpose, so we will ask you are you going to Everest basecamp? Walking along local towpath down by your local canal? Are you venturing off the beaten track on tough mountainous terrain or are you just walking along the local footpaths and bridleways in your local area. Of course there's nothing to stop you buying a boot that could get to the summit of Everest and just walking along a local canal path or even buying a boot that is designed for lowland valley walking and then venturing off into the high mountains of the Himalayas, but as with most things in life is important to get the right tool for the job. The right walking boots will perform best in the environments they have been designed to perform in, this will give you the user a much more pleasurable experience and also help to prevent injuries including slips or turned ankles, so when it comes to walking boots fit is king.

At Trailblazer Outdoors we have a specialist boot fitting area upstairs away from the shop floor this calm environment gives our customers time to reflect on the walking boots the are trying on.

At Trailblazer Outdoors we generally measure the size of your feet, which is something most customers have not experienced since school. Before foot measuring takes place we will ask you to select a try on sock from our range of Bridgedale socks as this will alter the size of your foot. Measuring your feet may seem like a strange thing to do, however, feet change throughout your life, generally speaking feet get longer and often wider with age this is not a growth issue rather spreading out of your foot, as our feet are very basically a bag of bones, cartilage and tendons surrounded by skin, you would be amazed how many people are wearing the wrong sized shoes and walking boots.

Once we have measured your feet we can then start trying on boots that will actually perform well for you in your chosen environment. It is important when trying on walking boots not to get too hung up on the exact size of the boot as they vary tremendously from style to style and manufacturer to manufacturer, if possible we will get you to try on a half or a whole size above and below the one that was indicated when you were measured. Take time to try each walking boot on, walk around for a while try our incline board, which simulates going up and down a hill. This is very important as gravity will push your foot forward slightly and the last thing you want to experience is pressure on the ends of your toes, which can lead to bruising and even lost toe nails, again from our experience walkers will often buy boots that are too small for them leading to this and other problems. Throughout the trying on process we will continue to offer advice and helpful hints on subjects like lacing of boots and aftercare so please talk to our friendly and helpful staff. Remember to take your time, we are not in a rush you can take as long as you like to choose the right walking boots for you, we only want you to be happy customer and to really enjoy your purchase.

So remember when you're in the market for a new pair of walking boot; fit is king! Fit for the purpose and the fit on your foot, if you take these things into consideration and use our staff to guide you then you shouldn't go too far wrong.

We look forward to seeing you soon, and remember to ask for your FREE boot aftercare product when you buy your next set of walking boots or shoes from Trailblazer Outdoors!

First Day Out With The North York Moors National Park Ranger Service

This Year I decided that it was a good idea to do some voluntary work and the National Park Rangers service for the North York moors seemed the ideal thing as I could combine walking and volunteering at the same time.

I completed the initial training weekend a fortnight ago and decided that this Saturday was the first available day I had to go out and do some rangering. Initially this is done with a ranger that has had some experience from previous years. To this end I was told to meet an experienced ranger at 10 AM at Saltergate carpark near the Hole of Horcum.

I arrived at the Hole of Horcum in plenty of time and was greeted with a winters scene, the wind was blowing and the snow was falling at quite a rate, the gritter lorry sailed passed on its  journey through to Pickering. Shortly after my partner for the day arrived and so we set off on our walk to inspect the footpaths and to meet and greet any brave souls that had ventured out for the day.

We set off from the car park and walked along the footpath into the bottom of the Hole of Horcum this bowl has been scoured out by millions of gallons of water alot of which was created by the melting of ice from the last ice age. I learnt that most of the rock is Jurassic likestone and sandstone. We then passed Low Horcam farm, which was destroyed by an avalanche in the late 60s, further on is High Horcum farm which has now been converted to what can only be described as the workds biggest bird nest box by the National Park, particularly for swallows to nest in. It has no mains electric, water or sewage to it so it must of been a hard life when it was a working farm.

We walked from there to Levisham village and along to Newtondale eventually resting for awhile at Skelton tower.

From here we walked along the escarpment top back to the rather forlorn looking Saltergate Inn, it would make a great southern North York Moors National Park base, and then back to the car park.

Throughout the walk we only passed four people, which given the weather conditions is four more than I imagined.

I returned to the car warm and dry thanks to my Paramo clothing and Scarpa SL Activ boots which I have to say are the best walking boots I have ever owned.

I am now looking forward to my next day out as a Prospective Ranger sometime in April, maybe the weather will of improved by then.