KayakVagabond

the website of Greg Stamer

Search Results

Lost in Iceland Article Online

February 4, 2010

Translucent ice sculptures in Jökulsárlón lagoon

Lost in Iceland was originally published in the October 2008 issue of Sea Kayaker Magazine. The entire text follows below (you may need to click on “Read the full post” to view).

I will be visiting Newfoundland again this month and beginning work on a new article for Sea Kayaker about my solo circumnavigation of Newfoundland last year. With a new project on the way, and adequate time since it was published, I’m happy to finally share this article on my website.

Lost in Iceland was meant to be different — I forced myself to be uncomfortably honest and open, but I think that made it more human and hopefully, more interesting.  I have received more comments on “Lost in Iceland” than all of my other articles combined and its been translated into three additional languages for printing in various magazines and digests.  The version presented here is longer than the printed version and includes some text that had to to removed due to space considerations. I hope that you enjoy it.

Lost in Iceland

Greg Stamer

Lost in Iceland

October 13, 2008

My life has been a flurry of actively since the completion of my solo Newfoundland expedition, including teaching at the Qajaq TC Michigan Training Camp, Maine Island Kayak Company’s  New England Intermediate Rough Water Symposium and even returning to Newfoundland to visit again. This week I teach at the Delmarva Retreat (America’s largest Greenland-style event) and following I will be teaching in Sweden at the Escape Kajakcenter from October 23 – November 2.

I still haven’t even settled into home since my Newfoundland trip ended and am still dealing with all the re-acclimation issues that follow a long trip. It seemed to hit me harder this time — but that’s a story for another day…

The October 2008 Issue of Sea Kayaker Magazine contains my article, “Lost in Iceland” — about my record-setting circumnavigation of Iceland in 2007 with German kayaker Freya Hoffmeister.

I find most trip articles (travelogues) difficult to read, so this article was meant to be something very different. It is a very personal account of my struggle to bust out of my safe but confining “cubicle” in the corporate world, to seek a life that I am more passionate about. I found it a very difficult article to write.

New Iceland Gallery

January 31, 2010

I have created a new gallery album of images from Iceland. I am currently working to post the complete contents of my “Lost in Iceland” article , an account of my 2007 circumnavigation, that appeared in Sea Kayaker magazine. Please check back soon!

horn4.jpg

The “Horn” on a rare day without fog. Iceland 2007.

Iceland

March 28, 2008


“Lost in Iceland 2007” Iceland Circumnavigation

Greg Stamer / Freya Hoffmeister

Trip Stats:Iceland 2007, nightly stops

  • June 9th – July 11th 2007
  • 33 days total trip
  • 25 paddling days
  • 1007 miles (1620 km) total distance
  • 40.4 miles (65 km) daily average
  • 68 miles (110 km) longest daily distance
  • 56 miles (90 km) longest open crossing
  • Clockwise circumnavigation
  • 24 hrs of sunlight !

The blog entries of our trip are available on Freya Hoffmeister’s website.

Please see my Sea Kayaker Magazine article, “Lost in Iceland”, for a different kind of article that attempts to describe the mental, physical and emotional challenges that I faced on this journey.  View the article online.

Photo Album:  “Lost in Iceland” .

A big thanks to Nigel Dennis and Sea Kayaking UK for the use of an Explorer for the expedition, and also thanks to Þorsteinn Sigurlaugsson (Steini ) of Sea Kayak Iceland for working with Sea Kayaking UK to allow me to use a kayak from his stock, and also for logistics and hospitality after the trip was over. The Icelandic lamb that we had at Steini’s house was one of the best meals of my life!