A turbo day!

Maður er manns gaman, says an old Icelandic proverb. I experienced a living proof of that today.

At work, I spend a lot of time outdoors, all alone, investigating my mountain just outside of town. I really like it and am starting to know every nook and cranny there. However, disciplined scientific work sometimes gives way, for a while, to musings about the ravens flying around, or a pretty flower in fading autumn colors, or the simple beauty of the rocks and the surroundings. When the wind is blowing really hard it´s also nice to bundle up on the leeside of a boulder somewhere and listen to the wailing concert of the high-voltage electricity lines running through the land. I´ve found weathered bones high up in the mountain, on a rock ledge so exposed that an alert and agile animal such as the mink or the arctic fox shouldn´t be there in the first place, let alone a significantly less agile creature such as me . Did they fall to their death? Or did they starve? (And how on Earth will I ever get away?!?) You see, when you look closely there are so many things to wonder at and about out there off the beaten, asphalted track.

Today was different, let me tell you. A girl from the U.S. accompanied me today; she´s here for a year studying Katla volcano and wanted to get out of town. She agreed to become my secretary for a day, taking care of the notebook. She also operated the altimeter, and understood all my ramblings and muttering and soliloquizing. Together we practically ran up the mountain, did one major log and two minor ones, took samples (so finally my office looks like there´s a geologist here, with rocks all over!) and, in general, just "rúlluðum þessu upp", as you say in good Icelandic. I´ve never done so much in just one day myself! I could use company like this every day.

Do I hear anyone volunteering??