Hiking Trail Workers Get Help from Helicopter
The helicopter, over Esja mountain yesterday. mbl.is/Kristinn Magnússon
Outdoor enthusiasts will no doubt welcome a project underway in the slopes of Esja mountain, near Reykjavík. A muddy part of the hiking trail in the mountain is undergoing major improvement.
The mountain has long been among the most popular destinations for hikers in the capital area, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has enjoyed unprecedented popularity, since people who normally get an outlet for their energy at fitness centers and swimming pools, currently closed, have flocked there, too.
On social media, proud hikers have in recent weeks posted numerous pictures of themselves, smiling broadly in front of a rock in the mountain, marked Steinn (meaning ‘rock’), which is at the end of the trail that’s being worked on.
Yesterday, material was transported to the mountain slope by helicopter, Morgunblaðið reports. “Without the helicopter, this would have been impossible,” states Helgi Gíslason, manager of the Reykjavík Forestry Association, which is responsible for maintenance of trails in Esja mountain.
In addition, there are plans to build a new 2-km trail at the base of the mountain, from Esjustofa by Mógilsá river to Kollafjarðará river, where a parking lot, hiking paths and mountain bike trails were recently built. This was done to spread the flow of traffic and offer options for different types of activity.
The projects are partly funded by the Tourist Site Protection Fund.
