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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>I know this is a bit off-topic, but there
might be some interest here. I just got back from </span></font><font size=2
color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'>Iceland</span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> – a hike N->S
from coast to coast + a week of driving the ring road around the country. The
hike & landscape was absolutely amazing, it’s almost impossible to
summarize or describe in a quick e-mail. In a way, the whole country is like
the top of a mountain – no trees, lots of wind, tiny little plants, lots
of volcanoes, thermal oddities, gigantic glaciers and landscapes that go
forever. It was really quite unlike anything I’d seen before – like
a cross between </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Hawaii</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'>, </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>New Mexico</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'>, </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Yellowstone</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'> and </span></font><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Alaska</span></font><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'>, if that makes any sense. None of the mountains are too high, but
the country is so far north, they sure seem really high, and there is a fair
amount of steep relief when you’re looking at them. The route was mostly
flat-ish, which was welcome, but not exactly easy. It was about 350 miles or so
(we think), and took about 18 days. It was a combination of cross-country,
faint two-tracks, roads of various types, and hiking trails. We had every kind
of weather, from nice sunny days, to fierce wind, snow, sideways rain, clouds,
etc (did I mention the wind?). Sometimes we got everything in a single day.
All-in-all we got really lucky with the weather, as the worst of it came at
convenient times. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>I’ll be updating my web site with
various photos and a storyline over the next few weeks, and will post again
when that’s done. It may take some time since I have a lot of catching up
to do with various things back at home. I have like 1000 photos to go through,
from both the hike & the drive afterwards!</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Nice to read the various updates from the
CDT!</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Jonathan</span></font></p>
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