Page 55 - Wish Stream Year of 2017

siast. During a morning ‘technical skills session’, the lads, for the most part, struggled to get off the ground literally, as OCdt Martin turned into an extra from an R. Kelly music video, believing she could fly.
By this stage the team were all too aware that the clock was no longer on their side; the days wound down, and a night in Omis passed with an all too rapid blink, before we knew it, day six was upon us. We were now packing for a voy- age back to England – an all too brief and nos-
talgic ride across Split took us back to where it really began: the bike rental hut. From here we grabbed a final slice of pizza and made for the airport in similar spirits to those we arrived with, but now with a vault full of lifelong memo- ries, short-term bruises, and the spines of an untold number of sea urchins. After we handed the keys back to the rental staff we made for the departures lounges, and swapped stories on a soviet era steel stool. We were all exceptionally thankful for our expedition, our adventure, our ‘stretan put’, and our safe journey.
Exercise VOLCANIC BUMP CADET
EXERCISE VOLCANIC BUMP CADET was an overland expedition following the famous Landmannalauger to Skogafoss path. A few
hours after arriving in Reykjavik, we boarded the bus to Landmannalauger. As our destination approached, we sighted the rising plumes of steam from the geothermal springs. Having had a quick meal, we began the ascent into the moun- tains. Climbing through the smoke of the sulphuric vents, we reached our first volcano. The overpow- ering stench of brimstone, bursting colour in the landscape, and the coarse volcanic ash underfoot made it clear that this would be a truly unique experience that few are given the privilege of undertaking. Torches proved to be of little use dur-
ing the peak of the Ice-
landic summer, where the Torches proved to sun never seems to set. be of little use... After cooking our rations in the boiling geothermal springs, we packed up camp and set off over the volcano. A few miles further in, we plateaued on a hill to the welcom- ing sight of a fixed campsite. With the glacial river flowing parallel with us, we descended the steep slopes and into the green fields below. Reaching the camp, the weather became worse and we
decided to wait for the conditions to improve.
Tuesday was the beginning of what was to become a common practice for us: undressing every five hundred metres to cross the freezing rivers. The deeper the rivers became, the greater the numbing pain as we struggled to cross on foot. We trekked for hours, with our destina- tion on the horizon appearing to remain static. Our first glimpse of the blue skies revealed the beauty of the surrounding scenery.
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