Thórsmörk Trail Volunteers | Thórsmörk Trail Volunteers

Jan 7

Trailteam volunteering in 2023

Our first days back at work this week have been busy with volunteer applications and interviews for the summer Trailteams and we are delighted to receive so much interest in our programme.

It has been very exciting to start putting together the teams and meet some of our new volunteers as well as catch up with old friends who will be joining us again in Thórsmörk this season. Interviews and placement allocations are now well underway and we are looking forward to another Trailteam summer.

The teams are already starting to fill up so if you are considering joining us, please do get in touch. Full details about our summer placements including dates and application forms can be found on our website. Applications will remain open until January 31st.

Volunteer opportunities

Dec 17

Food at the volunteer camps

During the summer Trailteam projects, domestic tasks at our volunteer camps are shared between the teams. Our volunteers take part in organising the food and preparing the meals.

Facilities at our volunteer camps are basic but our volunteers are inventive and make some delicious food.

We have begun the search for volunteers for 2023 and applications are now open. Dates, details and application forms are available here… Volunteer opportunities

Here are some pictures from last season…

Grilling fish at Básar (Sarah Callow)

Homemade soup (Amy Summers)

Snack time at Langidalur camp (Ellis Wiersma)

Stir-fry night (Pavla Maljkovic)

Dining outside (Judith Herrmann)

Icelandic fiskibollur and salad (Dyfan Goode)

Nov 17

Celebrating 10 years on the trails!

When we first arrived at Langidalur to begin work on the hiking trails in June 2012, it was impossible to imagine that we would still be there more than 10 years later.

Following the success of the pilot project in 2012, the Icelandic Forest Service (Skógræktin) created the seasonal Trailteam programme to help maintain and improve the area’s hiking trail network. Volunteer camps were established at both Langidalur and Básar and a 3-month summer programme of practical group projects has been developed. Although the focus of the work has always been trail-building, our teams are also involved in landscape restoration and tree-planting tasks.

Since the Trailteam programme began in 2013, approximately 420 international volunteers have joined our groups and together we have completed more than 2000 weeks of trail maintenance and nature conservation work throughout Thórsmörk and Goðaland. Returning each summer has allowed us to steadily develop trail building techniques that are suitable for the area and to improve our practical skills along the way.

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has joined us out on the trails and supported us over an incredible ten years. There is still a huge amount of work to be done and we look forward to returning to the trails with our volunteers in 2023 and to many more Trailteam summers.

Pictures from last summer…

Building log steps on the Elf-Church trail.

Trail repairs on Valahnúkur (Tobi Krumm).

Timber platform construction on the Fimmvörðuháls trail (Izzy Cadec)

Information about our 2023 programme including placement dates and application forms will be available here on December 15th. Placement applications will be open from December 15th – January 31st.

Volunteer opportunities

Apr 12

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Returning to Thórsmörk

We made an early start to the season this week with our first trip to Thórsmörk.

As well as delivering equipment ahead of the volunteer teams, it was a valuable opportunity to take a look at conditions on the trails and in the forest as the snow clears, and to make some final decisions about our work priorities for the season.

It was very nice to back at our volunteer camp at Langidalur (it felt like returning home), and exciting to begin preparations for another Trailteam summer. Our first international volunteers will be with us in less than 6 weeks time and we are looking forward to getting back on work on the trails.

Pictures taken at Langidalur volunteer camp on April 11th.

Feb 20

Summer ready

After weeks of applications and interviews, our summer teams are now finally (just about) ready.

Once again, this year we received a lot of interest in the placements with many strong applicants and there were some difficult decisions when making the selection. A couple of new teams were added to the programme so that we could include as many as possible.

Our 2022 teams are made up of participants from 18 countries and include first-time volunteers, returners and others with placements that were deferred due to travel disruption last summer. We are delighted that several of our most experienced volunteers will be returning as team leaders this summer and we very much look forward to working with them again.

We plan to return to Thórsmörk for preparations and trail survey tasks in April (when conditions allow) and our first volunteers will begin the practical work in May.