On June 18, following the IAT AGM in Reykjavik, Iceland, representatives of the International Appalachian Trail from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean traveled to the Mid Atlantic Ridge in Thingvellir National Park, and bridged the geological divide between North America and Europe. Monday’s full-day of touring began with a one-hour bus drive from Reykjavik to Thingvellir, where ITA President and park warden Olafur Haraldsson – a renowned arctic explorer – gave a guided tour through the park, from the ridge (aka Mid Atlantic Rift) to the historic Althing outdoor assembly, held on the plains of Thingvellir beginning in 930 AD.
At the Althing, a banner of a Mid Atlantic Pledge was unveiled to mark the occasion, which British Geological Survey Team Leader and IAT Scotland representative Hugh Barron aptly described as the IAT uniting what the Mid Atlantic Ridge divided.
Left to right: IAT Europe Geologist Hugh Barron; IAT Europe Vice Chair Magne Haugseng; IAT North America Geologist Walter Anderson; IAT Maine President Don Hudson; ITA President and Thingvellir Warden Olafur Haraldsson; IAT Founder Richard “Dick” Anderson; IAT Chairperson Paul Wylezol; and IAT Recording Secretary Caroline Swan
For more on the IAT Bridging the Divide at the Mid Atlantic Ridge go to www.iat-sia.com.
