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seduniablog · 6 years

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8 fabulous reasons to rock Iceland on your next vacation

When you think about Iceland, a rational picture of a country with unending sheets of ice, snow and freezing cold is likely. However, this is only partly true and quite an unfair representation of the real treasures of Iceland. The people are warm and welcoming, the land itself is magical in every turn. It is a land of myth and legends, and the diverse landscape from dramatic rocky beaches, impressive mountains, black volcanic deserts, spectacular waterfalls to rugged glaciers. Here are some fab reasons why you should rock Iceland on your next vacation. Read on and get inspired!

written by Ilona Chin

Iceland is the safest country in the world

According to the Global Peace Index, Iceland is the safest country in the world for the 5th time in a row since 2011. Iceland has been number one at the list every single year! Iceland consistently ranks high in those “quality of life” surveys, it’s in the top ten based on the United Nations World Report and top five on the World Database of Happiness.

There is no 'class system' in this peaceful country, some people may be richer than others but they all live side by side and go to the same schools, no army and the lowest ratio of citizens in jail. Iceland is also number one in gender equality. With a comfortable living standard, a strong social safety net and a beautiful environment, it’s no wonder that Icelanders seem content.

One of the best countries to hunt the Northern Lights

Iceland is one of the best places on the planet to witness the Northern Lights. This surreal natural phenomenon paints the night sky in swooshes of dazzling colours. It is a mystical sight to behold. The phenomenon known as Northern Lights or by its technical name Aurora Borealis is a magical phenomenon.

These lights are said to appear when the upper section of the atmosphere is struck by supercharged electrons that generate by the solar wind. With Iceland’s location at the top of the world, the country becomes the best spot to view the full wonder of the Northern Lights. September to April is the perfect time to seek the glory of the Northern Lights in Iceland.

There are countless picturesque Waterfalls

Iceland may be one of the smaller nations in Europe, but it happens to be the location of many of the continent's most spectacular waterfalls. Waterfalls are a standout feature in Iceland and there are plenty of bewitching waterfalls in Iceland. Háifoss is the second largest waterfall in Iceland, and definitely one of the most stunning.

Take in the incredible views of Seljalandsfoss waterfall from the top of the Skógar waterfall located on the Ring Road in South Iceland. Dettifoss is the most powerful waterfall in all of Europe, located on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, it’s part of the Diamond Circle. Nature puts on a stunning show here. Capture the essence of the beauty in Iceland with the water cascading majestically over lava rocks and foliage providing a picture-perfect backdrop.

There are numerous hot springs to warm you up

Iceland has more hot springs than any other country on the globe. There are several hot pools in Iceland and its abundant use of geothermal power demonstrates this fact. However, one picturesque pool takes the prize home and has earned international fame, the Blue Lagoon.

The water is geothermal heated and it is warm all year round, Lava rocks with an extra appeal thanks to the endless field of glaciers that taken over years add to the spectacle. Indulge yourself in the hot springs water with a high content of sulfur and silica elements is refreshing and healing to your skin and spirits.

Iceland has abundant ranges of Volcanoes

Situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is home to over 130 active and inactive volcanoes. The mountains ranges in Landmannalauger are famous for its multihued peaks which made from rhyolite rock result of volcanic activity, you feel like hiking on rainbow-coloured glass made of pink, green, black, brown and purple and yellow colours. It's simply amazing!

Do you ever think of hiking on the glacier of a volcano in Iceland? Hiking on a glacier is definitely among the most unforgettable adventures you can have in Iceland. This unique experience is possible on Sólheimajökull, an outlet glacier of Mýrdalsjökull ice cap and home to the enormous Katla volcano. The volcanic eruptions formed the glacier with ash and crevasses, making the contrasting landscape a perfect Instagrammer spot.

Meet Iceland’s adorable native land mammals

11 per cent of the land in Iceland is covered in glaciers, some have resulted in big icebergs creating a great platform for unique wildlife. The Arctic Fox changes its fur colour according to the season. White in winter, brown in summer.

Speaking of adorable critters, take a look at the cute little puffins. The best places to see puffins in Iceland are Akurey and Lundey Islands near Reykjavík, the Vestmannaeyjar Islands in South Iceland and Dyrhólaey cliffs in South Iceland.

Iceland’s green landscape is dotted with thousands of Shaggy Icelandic horses, no bigger than a large pony, this hardy, stout, spirited native breed is well adapted to its surroundings and has a special skill of being able to cross the rugged rough terrain of Iceland.

The rare phenomenon only happens in Summer

This is another magical phenomenon in Iceland, with a perfect location just under the Arctic Circle giving plenty of sunlight to the land of ice and fire during Summertime. The Sun remains visible nearly 24 hours a day, creating a phenomenon known as the ‘midnight sun.’ These never-ending days can be experienced from May to late August.

During the peak of the summer solstice on 21st June, the Sunsets in the midnight and it rises again before it is 3 am. You can enjoy those additional hours of daylight to party all night long in the Northernmost capital of the world-Reykjavík. The Icelandic capital is the closest to the Arctic Circle, making the city the most accessible location to see the midnight sun.

Unique Lava Black Pepples Beaches

White sandy beaches? Yes, they’re nice. What about a lava black beach in Iceland that has risen from the ashes? Iceland is one of the few countries in the world that boast of some truly unique black pebble beaches, the black sand beach of Reynisfjara on Iceland’s South Coast is one of the most iconic and spectacular beaches in the world.

This black sand beach is a geologist's wet paradise with hosts of incredible rock formations and features. Rising up out of the sand are amazing cliffs formed of basalt columns, known as Gardar. Perhaps the most recognisable feature of Reynisfjara is the huge basalt sea stacks of Reynisdrangar. These are home to a considerable number of seabirds such as fulmars, guillemots and puffins.

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topfygad · 5 years

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Iceland tips: Iceland for the adventurous

Within the Þórsmörk valley is a bit restaurant and a really primary meals retailer, in addition to shelters, tenting areas and a 4×Four bus station for many who need a fast return to civilisation. Those that are nonetheless filled with power will discover one other 26km hike alongside the spectacular route of Fimmvörðuháls, which leaves the valley behind and heads in direction of the Mýrdallsjokull and Eyjafjallajokull glaciers, crossing a phantasmagorical subject of lava, born from the world-famous 2010 eruption. Though this final stretch is extra demanding than the earlier ones, the landscapes take the time price it from the very first slope up till the final lengthy descent, alongside which we are able to admire a complete quantity of 24 sensational waterfalls.

The legendary waterfall Skógafoss would be the end result of this unforgettable journey that may be carried out from June to September and is marked each summer time with yellow posts. Nonetheless, if the climate is dangerous or misty, you may not see a factor. That’s the reason we advocate you carry a GPS gadget that traces the route, though you must take into consideration that it could fluctuate barely from 12 months to 12 months, particularly in the case of crossing rivers.

Iceland Ideas 3/6: Trekking By means of The Canyon

Within the northern a part of the Vatnajökull Nationwide Park, just a few kilometres away from the geothermal space of Krafla and lake Mývatn, the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river flows via a powerful canyon. When it reaches the Detifoss waterfall, 100 metres extensive and 44 metres excessive, an astonishing half one million litres of meltwater thunder down each second, making a gigantic cloud of spray that the timid rays of sunshine flip into fabulous rainbows.

The spectacular waterfall with the largest quantity of stream in Europe is effectively price visiting, however as soon as right here you’ll really feel the inevitable temptation to observe the waters on foot, via the Jökulsárgljúfur gorge, strolling alongside a slim and vertiginous path that stretches between wild waterfalls and intimidating basalt partitions that appears like ghostly trolls that have been turned to stone.

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Till reaching the exhuberant Ásbyrgi gorge, the stroll is 38km lengthy and ultimate for a two-day hike, sleeping over within the tenting space at Vesturdalur, which is within the route’s midpoint. Regardless of being a waymarked hike, it doesn’t depend with any sort of service, which means you must carry your personal meals, water and clothes. There’s a 4×Four bus that connects the beginning and ending factors with Mývatn.

Half one million litres of water thunder down the Deitfoss waterfall each second.

The gorges of Jökulsárgljúfur are a route that may be lined in two days.

Iceland Ideas 4/6: Swim In A Volcano

Askja’s inhospitable crater is no doubt the true coronary heart of the Icelandic Highlands. It’s superb to assume that this barren space was fashioned solely 140 years in the past within the wake of a dreadful pyroclastic explosion that catapulted rocks all the way in which to continental Europe and poisoned the north of the nation’s livestock with its ashes, forcing many Icelanders to to migrate to the American continent.

To achieve Askja you must observe the F88 alongside the western financial institution of the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum, which overflows each every so often, partially submerging the highway. Throughout the summer time, there’s a 4×Four bus that drives you from lake Mývatn to Dreki’s shelter, passing by the attractive and simply recognisable mount Herðubreið, identified by Icelanders because the “King of the Mountains.”

In Dreki you’ll discover the start of a marked 9km one-way path that goes via a extremely photogenic volcanic space. The stroll ends on the shores of a big sapphire-coloured lake: Öskjuvatn. Some metres away lies the flooded crater of Viti. You’ll be able to take a swim in its white sulphuric waters; the temperature is often about 22ºC. For those who journey by bus, you’ll be able to go and are available again in lower than 24h, however you’ll discover tenting areas each in Dreki and within the oasis of Herðubreið in case you wish to additional discover the encompassing space.

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Iceland Ideas 5/6: Pedal Alongside The Westfjords

Besides the nation’s desert inside, the Westfjords are probably the most remoted, solitary and inaccessible a part of Iceland. The realm’s dangerous popularity is because of its unforgiving climate, even in summer time, and nice variety of unpaved roads. This all bestows these lands with an virtually mystical aura that retains them free from overcrowding, though it’s laborious to know for the way lengthy. That’s the reason, similar to 20 years in the past the panoramic Ring Highway was a touring bicycle owner’s paradise, now it’s time for the winding roads of the tough and rugged Westfjords coast to bask within the limelight.

Biking via these latitudes ensures virtually empty roads and full contact with nature. To plan a biking route we extremely advocate you go to the state’s official roads web site Highway.is and, after all, the nationwide climate service Vedur.is.

To achieve the Westfjords, it may be a good suggestion to start out pedalling in Borgarnes, which might be reached by bus from Reykjavík. You can begin by crossing the Snaefellsness peninsula to then take a ferry from Stykkishólmsbær to Flókalundur, stopping over on the small isle of Flatey. When you’ve reached the Westfjords, the route invitations you to proceed in direction of the cliffs of Látrabjarg, Europe’s westernmost level, the place we are able to observe a colony of pleasant puffins up shut. We then maintain skirting the coast to make our method to Bíldudalur and Hrafnseyri, stopping at sizzling springs equivalent to Reykjafjarðarlaug and the spectacular Dynjandi waterfall. The trail then takes us to Ísafjördur – the area’s capital –, the seal colony at Litlibaer and the thermal peninsula of Reykjanes. The route that crosses the Westfjords ends in Staðarskáli, a service space of the Ring Highway the place you’ll be able to take the bus again to Reykjavík.

Puffins might be seen in Hornstrandir, but in addition in Látrabjarg.

Thermal pool in Reykjafjarðarlaug.

Iceland Ideas 6/6: Arctic Foxes In The Hornstrandir Pure Reserve

No person lives there apart from forest rangers, birds and arctic foxes. The Hornstrandir peninsula can solely be reached by boat and is the northernmost level of the Westfjords, in addition to probably the most remoted and barren level of this distant area. Past the port of Hesteyri – the place you’ll be able to sleep over on the outdated physician’s home, inbuilt 1901 – there aren’t any retailers, eating places or resorts. Solely primary tenting areas. Subsequently, the Hornstrandir Pure Reserve is unique to nature lovers who’re used to outside life and the whims of arctic climate. Some companies, equivalent to West Excursions, organise guided climbing excursions that final Four or 5 days.

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wikitopx · 5 years

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Considering the sheer variety of experiences available in Iceland,

picking and choosing how to spend your time and budget, can often be a difficult period in the pre-holiday organization. Thankfully, having tried and tested every tour, adventure and cultural experience available in the country, we here at Guide to Iceland are an authority when it comes to choosing the best means of filling your time in Iceland.

[toc]

1. Go on a Whale Watching Tour

The most common species sightings are Minke Whales and Humpback Whales, though there is always the possibility to see rarer animals, such as Killer Whales and Fin Whales. As with many tours in Iceland, whale watching guests will also spot a variety of seabirds, including Skuas, Arctic Tern, Guillemots and even the colorfully billed Puffin.

Whale watching tours depart from three primary locations: Reykjavík, Akureyri, and Husavík, which is considered Iceland’s whale watching capital. This is due to the abundant animal traffic that passes through Husavík’s fjords, a consequence of the fruitful feeding grounds found off Iceland’s northern coasts.

2. Go Horseback Riding

In fact, the Icelandic horse is so unique as a horse class that it is forbidden to breed outside to maintain its unique genetics: any animal leaving the country can never spin. come back.

By choosing to partake in a horse riding tour, visitors guarantee themselves a tried-and-tested method of experiencing the Icelandic nature. This is not just the case recently, but has been throughout the centuries, during which time the original Norwegian breed metamorphosed into the animal we know today.

3. Have a Night Out in Reykjavík

Downtown Reykjavík is awash with bars, coffee houses, restaurants, and social events, the vast majority of which will see a decent blend of local Icelanders and outside visitors, thus ensuring a night of interesting conversation.

To alleviate any stress put on the wallet—a “night out” in Iceland will do that, sadly—most establishments offer 'Happy Hour' for, at least, three hours, and will often offer other discounts and incentives to keep you happily drinking.

4. Visit Lake Mývatn in North Iceland

After all, there are, quite literally, clouds of the winged heathens buzzing and whizzing around the lake shoreline, making the utilization of netted-hats and long sleeves an absolute necessity.

Winter absolves that problem completely, and even in the summer, the flies can do little to detriment the sheer gorgeousness of the lake’s surrounding area.

5. Relax in the Blue Lagoon Spa

The Blue Lagoon holds the privilege of being Iceland’s most famous spa, perhaps because of its close proximity to the airport, or its healing silica mud, its warm and soothing water, charming surrounding and billowing steam stacks. Whatever it is the Blue Lagoon is selling—a surefire way to beat jet lag?—locals and visitors alike are eager to eat it up.

6. See Dettifoss Waterfall in North Iceland

Falling 44 meters from the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, Dettifoss crescendos with a mighty crash of mist clouds and thunder into the Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon below, creating one of the most spectacular and impressive natural locations are available to visit in Iceland.

Dettifoss is accessible by Route 862 and makes just up one part of the Diamond Circle, the northern counterpart of the more famed Golden Circle sightseeing route. Alongside Dettifoss, visitors to the Diamond Circle will also visit such attractions as Húsavík, Ásbyrgi Canyon and Lake Mývatn.

7. Visit the West Fjords

Like Iceland’s far east, the Westfjords is a region less frequented by international guests than the south, southwest, and north. Known for a rich history steeped in folklore, mysticism, and magic, the Westfjords is as beautiful as it is culturally fascinating.

From the towering bird cliffs of Hornstrandir to the tumbling Dynjandi waterfalls, the Westfjords has something for everybody.

8. Enjoy Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

It is, after all, a still lake decorated with a silent procession of glittering icebergs, groaning and crunching against one another as they make their way from Breiðamerkurjökull glacier to the Atlantic Ocean.

Whilst some visitors choose to partake in a Zodiac boat tour, others are content to sit on the shoreline and watch as the playful seal colony dips and dives around the heaving chunks of ice.

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is increasing in size each year due to the ever-growing effect of climate change on the Icelandic glaciers. In a century, it is thought that the spot of the lagoon will instead be overcome with an entirely new fjord. Whilst this might sound unlikely, Iceland's glaciers are already melting at an astonishing pace.

9. Have a Dip in a Natural Hot Pool

Iceland is a young country, geologically speaking, meaning that much of the landscape is still geographically active. Guests here have popularised the pursuit of churning mud pools, steaming volcanic vents and erupting hot strings, such as Strokkur, on the Golden Circle sightseeing tour.

10. Do the Golden Circle with Snowmobiling or Snorkelling

Many visitors choose to undertake the Golden Circle in a morning, while others spread the route out over a single day, even adding a snorkeling or snowmobiling tour for added excitement.

Þingvellir National Park is important to Icelanders for a number of reasons, least of which is its aesthetic beauty.

Alongside being the birthplace of a nation—the world’s first democratically elected parliament was formed here in 930 AD—it is also home to Silfra Fissure, one of the top 10 snorkeling spots worldwide, as well as the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, standing exposed from the earth.

More ideals for you: Top 10 things to do in Ohio

From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-iceland-703822.html

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anadventurousgirl · 6 years

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In June 2018 I headed to Iceland with the hope of running across the country. Alongside three other people I was to fly to the east of the country and run around 500 miles to the west. Ultimately, due to a teammate falling ill, our trip was not completed. In the six days we were on the road we had some pretty huge experiences.

This is part two of the diarised story of our trip, for part one click here. But there is much more emotion beyond what we did achieve, so I have also written an article on dealing with the feelings on the aftermath of our trip. To read how I dealt with the failure of our challenge click here.

The Run, Day 4 – Tue 5th June

I wake up in pain. Everything seems to hurt. I make a list; thighs, calves, feet, neck (soreness and sunburn), back, lips (more sunburn), stomach (hunger). Hunger is easily dealt with via porridge and lumpy tea. This and a good wash in the river makes me feel a little more human. We are learning to avert our eyes from each others morning routines.

I hang my still damp socks from my pack and we set off. The surroundings are truly epic. I feel stronger now as we climb and climb (and climb) before descending into the lava desert. From now on our trail is tyre marks in never ending black sand. I am running a lot more today and get into a good rhythm using my poles to take some of the weight. The animal tracks of yesterday have disappeared now. There is nothing for them to eat in this barren moonscape. I raise my eyebrows at the sight of a large snowfield ahead. Then nod in amusement as it disappears on my approach. It was a mirage.

We re-group at a crossroads – this is basically a road sign in the middle of the sand – and agree to push on a little until we reach a river at 16-17 miles. Ruben and I feel strong and push on. My Garmin shows me where the next river should be but there is nothing there but sand.

It is 18.3 miles before we get to water. All of us are quiet as we eat lunch. At one point I stand to move away for a pee. We have all removed our shoes to allow our feet to dry having walked through the river. The others aren’t looking as I hit my foot on a rock and am sent tumbling to the ground by the pain. My little toe has gradually turning into what I call a blister hood today. All of the skin on the toe has lifted into a hood and hitting it against a rock in incredibly painful. I am grateful no-one saw me tumble but this knock is to have consequences.

It must be unlucky five minutes for me. As I crouch down to pee a jeep appears from nowhere. We haven’t seen anyone for hours. This time everyone laughs at me and I laugh along. We don’t see another vehicle all day.

After lunch I start to struggle again. My feet are becoming incredibly painful and the sun seems at its highest in the late afternoon. It blazes down on us now. Sophie is struggling also. She is getting stomach pains and they seem to be getting worse.

On the upside I learn a new skill! I hate taking my pack off. It’s still so heavy that I really struggle to get it back on each time. This is a pain when you need a pee. There is little cover to pee privately in the desert and to be honest we’ve given up trying to be subtle. I now discover that, with the help of a walking pole, I can keep my pack on and stay standing. Probably not a skill many people would boast of and maybe not one to use back in England but I’m pretty happy with anything that makes life easier!

The next river is at 27 miles. This one is a roaring beast with a bridge leading towards a majestic flat topped peak in the distance. The water is cloudy with grit and minerals but beggars can’t be choosers and we need to replenish here. Large, flat slabs of volcanic rock sit amongst the sand and we choose this as our campsite for the night.

Each day so far has been twelve hours of walking and running. Despite the impressive miles we are covering and the fact we are pushing hard, we are slipping slightly behind schedule. I have chatted with Ruben about this during the afternoon and we agreed that adjustments may need to be made. We are prepared to go through tough times but we still need to get enjoyment from this trip.

I tentatively mention to the others that we could change our route to finish when we hit the west coast, instead of carrying on until Iceland’s furthest point. We didn’t start at the easternmost point and it will still be a coast to coast. I’m glad to see the relief on my fellow runners faces. Even with the revised route we will need to cover 25 miles a day but it will make all our lives better.

We all take some time by the river this evening, admiring our surroundings and reflecting on progress. We may be in pain but laughter still comes easily as we cook, eat our gritty food and head to bed.

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The Run, Day 5 – Wed 6th June

This is getting silly now – once more our day starts with clear blue skies and sunshine. If we were on holiday this would be perfect but we really need shade.

I inspect my feet. My little toe is swollen and purple. I have other blisters but this one is something else. It is weeping slightly but I think it’s just fluid from the layers of blister. We are concerned however that it may get infected. With all the river crossings there is no way of keeping it clean and dry all day.

The team gather around my foot for a full inspection and it’s decided that we consult others. We still have a weak internet signal, very surprising when we are so far from civilisation. Working for a sporting national governing body has a big advantage here. A picture of my toe is sent to one of the coaches at our work, he forwards it to the team doctor, I also send it to a friend. Advice comes back quickly. Sophie points out that in the end decision is mine alone. I want to carry on.

In my medical kit is some iodine spray, I give the toe a liberal squirt, dress the blister on my heel and get walking. Or maybe I should call it shuffling. The toe and heel are giving me a lot of pain and I lean heavily on my poles.

Before we came to Iceland I went to the doctor and he prescribed me some Zapain (a paracetamol/codeine mix painkiller). Can we take a minute here to admire the naming of this drug?! I can just imagine the conversation in the lab now; ‘Hey, I’ve got this painkiller and I need to name it. Any ideas?’ ‘What does it do?’ ‘It zaps pain’ ‘Zapain?’ ‘Boom, you’ve cracked it!’

These beasties are pretty strong and I have been holding off using them but now I give in. Ten minutes later I am skipping merrily along proclaiming ‘I love painkillers!’

We reach our first water source for the day, the river Kreppa, but there is a slight problem…a steep drop down a sandbank. It would be a risk to reach it and as with the river from the night before, it’s filled with black sand water. We are not in need of water at the moment so decide to press on.

Each time I stop and start the pain in my feet comes back. I have to shuffle for a few minutes before my pain receptors accept that I’m not going to listen to them. The workings of the human body and mind are pretty amazing. Our nerves send pain signals to tell us there is an issue and we should stop what we are doing. But, if we don’t stop our body accepts that the pain is no longer useful, the mind overcomes it (to an extent), allowing us to carry on.

I am not the only one who is slow today. Sophie seemed brighter this morning but as we travel through the desert her stomach continues to get worse. Steph mentions to me that we may have to stop and make camp if she continues to deteriorate.

Coming across an unexpected lake we decide to stop for lunch. As we settle on the black sand beach of the lake Sophie pulls her coat over her head and goes to sleep. We all know Sophie is a pretty tough cookie and we know it’s not good to see her like this.

Another pain killer and I am ready to go again. I am starting to believe that this run might be possible after all. If I can just nurture my feet for a few days they will hopefully settle down. I am hungry all the time, save for ten minutes after each meal and carefully rationing my treats. I have around 2200 calories a day to eat and we are burning over twice that. My body seems to be adapting well though.

After 15.5 miles we reach the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river. This is the second longest river in Iceland and another powerful beast containing roaring, glacial melt water. We have been warned against drinking the water from glacial melt rivers as the minerals can cause stomach upsets but for the last two days we have had no choice.

Consulting the map we can see this is possibly the last water source until tomorrow lunchtime. We have no choice but to collect as much of this gritty water as we can carry. I have a 1 litre water bladder inside my pack and an additional 3 litre one attached to the outside. I fill them both and haul my pack on.

My pack had been feeling marginally lighter due to the food consumed over the last five days. Now I have loaded an extra 4 kg to it and my back and feet protest strongly. The water also takes up the sleeping bag space so i have to carry it, meaning I can only use one pole. Ruben offers to carry the bag and I stubbornly say I am fine. Eventually he just takes it from me. I am relieved.

Sophie’s condition has deteriorated. She has to make a big decision. We are heading to a crossroads in the desert. We are due to turn left, further into the highlands. If we turn right we will have a three day hike out to civilisation. If we turn left each step will take her further from help. When Sophie ran across Scandinavia in 2016 she ended up very ill in hospital with a ruptured stomach ulcer. We could not take risks here.

The tracks we are following are designated as roads but vehicles are only allowed along them at certain times of the year. These ‘roads’ are not due to open for another ten days. There will be no vehicles along here.

We were going to keep going until the crossroads but the wind has picked up, Sophie is struggling and life is uncomfortable. For the first time we make camp with no water nearby. We try to use the few rocks as shelter for our tents as we make camp on the black sand. That evening, for the first time, all four of us huddle in the porch of the tent Sophie, Steph and I share (Ruben has a seperate tent). As we shelter from the wind, using solar panels to protect our cooking stoves from blowing out, we chat through options.

As there are three of us sharing a tent it would be very tricky to split the group. Sophie suggests her going alone and the three of us carrying on. There is no way we would allow her to hike out alone.

The run is over.

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Getting Out, Day 6 – Thur 7th June

I hardly need to tell you that we woke to sunshine. As we eat breakfast Ruben tells us that he is going to pack up and get moving. He has had an upset stomach in the night and is low on water. I offer him some of mine but he says he will be fine. He is only carrying a 0.5 l bottle and wants to hurry to the next water source.

We are going to aim for a mountain hut tonight. It may well not be open but it is beside a river. When we get there we can decide whether to walk further today. Ruben tells us he will wait there for us.

I leave pulling on my trainers until the last possible moment. When we are resting I wear a pair of Sealskinz socks I bought with me. They have been a godsend on this trip. Too thick to be worn with my trainers they have proved their worth in other ways. Sealskinz are waterproof so they have been perfect for strolling around in at lunchtime and evenings. During the day they have been stuffed under the straps of my backpack, giving my shoulders extra padding and much needed relief.

The first few minutes of walking are painful again. My blisters are simply not getting a chance to heal. When I get going and the painkillers kick in I feel as though I could walk forever again.

It is around 3 miles to the crossroads and another 13 to the mountain hut. As we reach the crossroads Sophie says ‘this is it’. This is the moment we turn right and leave our planned route. It is not easy for any of us.

We move on, the scenery never changes. We have all come to despise one sand mountain which has been in our eyeline, from various different sides, for the last two days. We joke that it will haunt our dreams for many years to come.

To pass the time Sophie starts us on her alphabet game. We have played this most mornings. She suggests a topic e.g. bands, puddings etc. We work our way through the alphabet, each coming up with an answer for each letter. The puddings one makes us all hungry.

Black sand is all around us and in everything we eat and drink. We pour it out of our shoes. At one point I use the mixture of sweat and sand on my face as an exfoliating scrub.

Steph is struggling with the lack of shade again and walks with a towel draped over her head. Sophie has peaks and troughs. As the water goes down my backpack finally feels a more manageable weight and my back hurts less. That could be due to the painkillers but I can also feel new muscles developing in my shoulders.

The sun is so high in the sky that even the few rocks dotted about cast no shadow. We stop for lunch and Steph tries to protect Sophie from the sun with a ‘tarp’ constructed from walking poles and a sleeping bag liner. She proclaims this a great success. I’m not so sure.

As we pack up our gritty lunch kit I hear a noise. In the desert we have all hallucinated noises. At one point I heard something drop from my pack into the sand. I looked and looked but there was nothing there. This time however the noise is real. ‘A vehicle’ I shout. We all gawp as the jeep flies towards us, kicking up dust in its wake. We’re so shocked that we almost let it go by but Sophie raises her hand at the last minute.

It is the people who look after the mountain huts. They are out to do a recce of the huts and roads. ‘No’, they tell us, ‘we don’t come out every day. Probably not for another week or two after today’. Sophie tells them she needs a doctor and they willingly agree to collect us on their way back in an hour or so. But they have a question for us ‘How did you get here?’. We tell them we have come from Eskifjörður. ‘But how did you get here?!’ They are baffled. We have come 130 miles in six days.

We tell them we have a fourth member of the party waiting at a hut back the way they came. They have seen Ruben and even spoken to him but he didn’t mention us. Instead of sitting under Steph’s excellent tarp and waiting we decide to carry on walking until the guys come back for us. I have run out of water now and am keen to find a river.

An hour and a half later we reach said river and are just restocking on water when our rescuers come back. There is such relief in our faces as we sit in the back of the pickup. But there are certainly mixed feelings inside.

We collect Ruben from the hut. He has had a bad day. Dehydrated and suffering he can’t believe he didn’t ask our rescuers for help when he saw them. Since then he has had a chance to drink and swim in a mountain stream and is feeling revived. As the four of bounce along, jammed against each other in the vehicle he suddenly says ‘Stephanie, can you smell the chocolate in my pants?’ and is met by roars of laughter!

An innocent question to Ruben, due to having got melted chocolate down his running trousers, sounds very different to us. Especially as he had an upset stomach this morning. Perhaps we are all a little delirious!

During the journey out to the ring road it becomes apparent just how tough hiking out would have been. We would have had at least one day without any water source.

Our saviour’s stop a couple of times to show us the sights, including an area where Tom Cruise filmed one of his movies. These guys really are lovely people. They are concerned about having too many passengers when they reach the main ring road but decide they can’t abandon us. Instead they drop Steph, Ruben and I at a campsite in Mývatn, taking Sophie on to the next big town, Akureyri, where she can see a doctor.

At the site we can finally relax. In Iceland you can only buy alcohol over 2.5% in the town liquor store or a bar but the campsite is selling 2.5% beer. Ruben, Steph and I collapse onto the grass with a cold can each. We still can’t believe our luck at the rescue but I am feeling terribly sad that we will not be running tomorrow.

There is no denying that our first shower in six days is a much wanted and needed one. This trip has taught me many things but something I have really enjoyed is my lack of reliance on makeup and other beauty products. In the desert there was no judgement and no mirrors!

As we head to our tent for the night I start to think that I should have gone on. That somehow I didn’t fight hard enough to keep going. Now we are out it would be a three day walk/run back in and we would be days behind schedule. It is going to take some time to process this.

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Akureyri and beyond

The next morning Ruben, Steph and I get a bus to meet back up with Sophie in Akureyri. She has an appointment to see a doctor in the afternoon. He doesn’t examine her much but prescribes antibiotics for a suspected water infection. She will need to get checked out more thoroughly when she gets back to England.

We spend a night in Akureyri, where I get engaged again. This time to a rather exuberant Icelandic guy. I’m not sure either of my engagements are going to work out but it’s good to have choices. That evening I also discover I have arm muscles! Six days of hauling the pack, assisted by poles has made my arms more toned than ever before.

The decision is made to hire a car and spend a few days driving around Iceland before heading back to Reykjavik. But before we leave Akureyri we need clothes! We only have the ones we had been running in and quite frankly they smell! Anyone who knows me knows I love a good charity shop bargain and now we head to the local Red Cross shop to get outfitted for the next few days. I also purchase flip flops; a blessed relief for my poor battered feet!

Over the next few days we have a great time on our road trip of Iceland. Plans are made and changed as we go and we see some wonderful sights. I am aware that my heart is not really in it though and I am not always easy to be around. Mentally I am struggling with the loss of the trip we had planned and trained for over six months. I also struggle to be around people all the time. Back at home I love to be sociable but also happily spend a lot of time on my own (except for Brew Dog).

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Sophie and Steph are very close friends and sometimes I feel like an outsider as I retreat into my own thought process. I know it is important that I keep running. It always helps my mental wellbeing.

I have rebooked my flight to come home nine days early and Steph will be flying back two days later. Steph and I discuss going back to work. We work together and our colleagues were incredibly supportive before our trip, giving us a great send off. We joke about being shunned for our failure and our embarrassment at walking back into the office a week early but there is real emotion behind our jokes.

On my last night we go for a meal at a lovely Vietnamese restaurant in Reykjavik before meeting up with the lovely Mel Moore, an ex-pat and travel writer who contacted us through the Facebook Adventure Queen’s community to offer us support whilst in Iceland. I swear I’m going to bed early but Mel is great company and it’s well after midnight when I roll into bed.

My alarm goes off at 5 am. It’s time to start the long journey home. I whisper good-byes to Steph and Sophie before heading to the airport. There I say good-bye to Ruben too before heading off to spend my last few Icelandic krona on a strong coffee.

Time to go home.

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But what next?

When we were unable to complete the run the messages of support were wonderful. The one thing we all found hard was when people said ‘you can always go back and try again’. At that point we really couldn’t think about going back. The six days had been fantastic in many ways but also so tough. We were all brought close to breaking point. Even my trainers had had enough and were falling apart!

Back in the UK I was greeted by my parents and a very happy Brew Dog. I didn’t know what to do but keep running. Sometimes we try too hard to come to terms with things, when really we need to just give them time. I knew I was disappointed in our failure and decided to give my mind a chance to process. At that point I wrote my article Turning Failure Into A Win.

There is great power in letting go. Holding negativity inside you never allows you to move forward. I wish we had completed Iceland but I am ok that we didn’t. Maybe one day I will go back, this time with a support vehicle and try again.

In the meantime new challenges are on the horizon. I am waiting for my map of Luxembourg to arrive. Perhaps I can run across a country this year after all!

Run Iceland 2018 – The Diary, Part 2 In June 2018 I headed to Iceland with the hope of running across the country. Alongside three other people I was to fly to the east of the country and run around 500 miles to the west.

#adventure #challenge #diary #run iceland 2018 #running #trail running #travel

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northsouthnorth · 7 years

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Waymarking in the heart of Iceland

Finally, the week had come for the Blue Team to dive into the highlands. We were going to start in Askja, which definitely is one of my favorite spots in Iceland. Not only because it is in the middle of nowhere; it is also just such a rough place with a pretty amazing landscape. On our way there, we went on a mission to find the hot waterfall that is hidden somewhere in those highlands. I had been there before and I had a ranger describe the location to me, but it still took us some u-eys to get to the right spot. We just had about 15 minutes in there before a massive Icelandic family showed up. Time for us to drive (and sometimes drift) on through that desert and on to Askja. Literally meters after entering the national park, we found our first off-road driver. The guy got pretty pissed off when I took his license number and gave him a rake to clean up his tracks (which I secretly enjoyed loads, even though he let his wife do the job). Eventually we made it to Askja, by which time the weather had turned pretty bad. Also, the campsite at Askja is definitely not the friendliest campsite to pitch a tent on, so we were pretty relieved when the hutwardens gave us a room in the hut.

I headed over for a quick meeting with the head ranger in the area to see what our week in the highlands would look like. The plan was that we would take 2 days to waymark the popular trail from a parking lot to the caldera of Askja, then maybe do some more marking on the road before moving over for a few days of work at Kverkfjöll. However, when I told the team about this plan, we basically put ourselves up for the challenge to be done with that first waymarking job before lunch on Monday. And so we set off from the parking lot, all geared up in our waterproofs and with all the waymarkers we could carry. We walked through the mist towards the caldera, dropping off our waymarkers on the way, ready to be smashed in the ground on our way back. That smashing started off easy, where driving a waymarker into the ground would not take more than a few hits, but as we got further away from the caldera, the ground became pretty rocky in places. So if you ever go there and you see the occasional waymarker that looks like the Hulk had a go at it– that’s probably one of ours. Lunch was pretty late that day, but at least we managed to win our own challenge. We didn’t think about the fact that this would leave us without any fun tasks in the afternoon, leaving us to pick garbage out of the river.

On Tuesday we drove down the road that leads even further into the highlands, where we did some more waymarking. Alistair once told me that when he had waymarked that road a few years ago, some lava decided to flow over the road just 2 days after they had finished. Needless to say we were hoping that that would not happen to us this time. Whilst the boys and Ekaterina armed themselves with sledgehammers and safety goggles to start widening the road leading to Nýidalur, Laura and I did the waymarking. We did get pretty delayed though, since apart from waymarking, we also tried to “rescue” the old waymarkers that had been sinking down in the sand over the years. There were a couple where we ended up digging deeper than our spades could get, resulting in us nearly falling face-first into the holes we had just dug ourselves.. By the time we got back to the others we needed to get some lunch inside our stomachs before we could help them out smashing up more lava rock to widen the road. And Askja wouldn’t be Askja without raking some off-road tracks!

One more day left in Askja – a stormy one, again with more waymarking of a trail. Once again, we drove over to the caldera, from where we would walk and mark the trail heading over the mountains back to the hut. We lost Teo for a little while though, when he stripped down and hopped in the warm water, but were then on our way. The trail ducked from at the caldera down into the snow, but then got more challenging as we had to hike further and further uphill with our waymarkers and tools. On top, we ended up on an incredibly windy ridge – not optimal when you are wearing waterproofs that basically function like big wingsuits. The downhill part of our trail became pretty miserable when the rain came in, so it was very nice when we eventually got back to the warmth of the hut for lunch. That afternoon we headed over to our second location of the week – Kverkfjöll. Not only a beautiful location with a very cozy hut, but also Elvars workplace. And what did he make us do? Yes, more waymarking! We walked up to one of the higher tops near the hut, the Bishop Mountain, jamming sticks into the rocky soil as we went. No nice sunny weather at the top for our lunch break, but the rain and wind added even more to that amazing, mysterious atmosphere of the area. Whilst Elvar, the girls and I did the last bit of waymarking on that trail, the guys ran ahead to go and get the car, which I basically head-dived into when they got it to us. Also on Friday, we had to mark a trail in the morning, but we had the afternoon off to actually hike a trail in a nearby area called Hvannalindir, finally without having to carry loads of sticks on our backs.

Saturday was our last day in the highlands, and finally we had the weathergods on our side! We found our way from the icecave to the origin of the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum, that we would meet the next day again near Ásbyrgi. To get there, we had to cross another pretty icy glacial river. The video I took of Max, swearing as his feet were turning into ice clumps whilst wading through the river, still makes me laugh every time I see it. That river wasn’t the biggest problem though –it was the smaller river that we met on our way back where we simply couldn’t find an easy way to cross over. All of us made it eventually, and we could start to prepare for our journey out of the highlands and up to Ásbyrgi for our final week.