Up at the top pond, daylight was beginning to show over the horizon.

Gammelnok thought there might just be time for one more story.

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I struggled on day after day and finally reached what appeared to be a giant frozen river waterfall. 

I remember folks in my old village talking about a giant ice expanse called Svartisen or Black Ice. Could this be it?

If so, they must have seen it at night, because what I was looking at was a brilliant blue. It was huge and awe inspiring.

It was probably easier to cross it than to walk around it, but either way it would take a lot of effort.

I started out, digging my clogs into the ice and snow. After several hours, looking back I saw a long trail of straight footsteps. Happy to see I was not walking in circles, I silently thanked my mother for the invaluable gift of the magic haversack.

I had a compass, food and warm clothing when I needed it. 

As the sun neared the horizon, it became a lot colder and I started to worry about the night. I needed to find shelter, but in this vast ice and snow landscape, nothing looked remotely like shelter.

Remembering my mother's words: 'my little Gammelnok, whenever you need something desperately, it will be in the Haversack'. I dug in and found an ice pick, a saw and an idea formed.

Marking a circle in the hard snow, I made holes for the saw to bite. Cutting out blocks of snow, I then built the wall while at the same time digging myself into a hole. Soon I had a dome covering my dugout and all I needed was an opening for ventilation. 

I slept well in my new shelter and by morning did not want to leave. But I had no choice, the winter was still a long way away from spring and reaching some friendly habitation was a must.

So, on I went heading north and building a new igloo every night. Some days later the landscape changed and rock and scant vegetation began to appear. 

It was now impossible to build more igloos as there was not enough snow nor ice. But it was not as bitterly cold either.

Gammelnok's Igloo

Gammelnok's Igloo