Iceland On One Wheel, Chapter III
True Companionship
No jeep, no maps and true adventures.
Iceland On One Wheel by Stephanie Dietze, Chapter III Iceland
It’s raining. Again. The wind is trying to turn our faces into icicles, like it did yesterday. And the day before. There’s a glacier we can see in the distance, when the fog is opening up for a couple of seconds. We have a car, we have two tents and nowhere to be but outside. So we put on our rain pants and rain jackets, pull brightly colored covers over our backpacks, grab our unicycles and head towards the ice.
As we walk on black gravel towards the white giant in the distance, we don’t talk much. But every time I look at Jesper, Giulia or Lutz, we smile at each other. Life can be more comfortable at times, but this is what we came here for. Breathtaking landscapes, harsh weather, lonely camp spots and homemade meals every night. Plus the occasional punch line Lutz is throwing in out of nowhere. “No jeep, no asphalt, no map. That’s what I call a real adventure.”
After years of traveling together,
we know each other well. Maybe too well.
I know who will smell the most after days without showering (me probably), who will stay calm if the rest is arguing (the Dane), and who will tell you the brutal truth about yourself, whether you want to hear it or not (Lutz). I can count on Giulia to not let us cook anything below Italian standards and Jesper to propose to make some pancakes right after we finished breakfast. We might make fun of each other’s cries when bathing in a cold river, but we’ll also keep a close eye on each other, taking care that no one is putting themselves into a fatal situation.
So even if we are late again and the back of the car is in chaos, I can’t help but smile, knowing that these are the humble human beings that are my match, who make anything fun, even if nothing is happening at all.
Pictures. Stephanie Dietze, Lutz Eichholz, Giulia Tessari and Jesper Andersen
Words. Stephanie Dietze
Map. Ángela Palacios
Traveller/s
Stephanie Dietze
Freelance Copywriter and Mountain Unicyclist
Stephanie is a freelance copywriter based in Berlin. Her heart beats for rocks, roots, trails, and the mountains, which she explores on her mountain unicycle and her green VW camper van. As of now, Stephanie and her unicycle have gone on adventures on six continents, allowing her to be the hopeless nature romantic her parents have made her during long camping trips.
@stphn_dtz
