Iceland Summer

An island is a world out of time and place, separated by literal and figurative oceans, where the confines of reality are tenuous and magic may be possible. Icelandwith its relative isolation, enchanting mythologies, creative people, and the otherworldly wild beauty of its glaciers, geysers, volcanos, and fjordsencompases this special magic in the minds of many, including writer Kurt Caswell. Vividly illustrated by Julia Oldham, Iceland Summer recounts Caswells journey traversing the country by foot and bus accompanied by his lifelong friend Scott. The pair set out from Reykjavk and travel clockwise along the Ring Road, stopping along the way for backcountry walking trips. Caswell immerses himself in the natural beauty and charming eccentricities of the tiny island nation. With his drinking and hiking buddy by his side, and fueled by a steady diet of Brennivn (fermented grain mash) and pylsur (Icelandic hot dogs), he explores the Hornstrandir peninsula, walks to the famed Dettifoss waterfall, waits for a glimpse of the lake monster Lagarfljtsormurinn at Egilsstair, visits the worlds only penis museum, and pays homage to centuries of Icelandic literary tradition at the rni Magnsson Institute. Writing in the tradition of other pairs who have traveled in Iceland, like W. G. Collingwood and Jn Stefnsson, and W. H. Auden and Louis MacNeice, Caswell meditates on the value of wild places in the modern world, travel as both pastime and occupation, the nature of friendship, and walking, food, and literature. Scott is the Sancho Panza to Caswells Don Quixote, offering a ribald humor that grounds Caswells flights into the romantic. The two travel well together and together arrive at the understanding that what anchors them both is their lifelong friendship.