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
