アイスランド縦断ハイキング 575km / 18 days by ホイットニー・ラ・ルッファ #01

As the pandemic restrictions began to loosen and it became feasible to travel overseas again safely, I craved a trip combining two of my loves: traveling overseas and hiking. For many years, I had dreamed of going to Iceland, a land known for its extreme weather, glacial ice, volcanic activity, and geological wonders. When a friend suggested going to Iceland for a thru-hike, I couldn’t resist finally seeing the land of Fire and Ice.

Now that the seed had been planted to go thru-hike, the typical decisions had to be made: when to go, which direction to hike, which route is the best, what is my resupply strategy, what are the logistics for getting to the start and then back to Rykevajik at the end.The to-do list for any trip like this seems endless, but luckily, this would not be my first thru-hike or my first thru-hike overseas.

Over the next few months, we worked the list methodically, picking a task and checking it off once it was complete. We decided to do the Jonathan Ley Iceland Route that goes North to South; our start would be at Hraunhafnartangi Lighthouse at the Northern Tip of Iceland, and our endpoint would be Skogafoss, a stunning waterfall on the south shore of the island nation.

As planning progressed, most parts went smoothly; we arranged flights from Portland, OR, where I live. Luckily, Iceland Air has a direct daily flight from Portland to Reykjavik. We arranged for an inter-Iceland flight up north, lodging along the journey, and a shuttle to take us to the start. The one area where we started having issues was around resupply strategy.

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The information we used to plan resupply was based on other previous hikers’ blogs. We read online about where to buy resupply items along the route and where to send a box. We studied how much food you could bring into Iceland from home and what to buy once we arrived. We read about the bus companies that carry tourists all over Iceland, including the interior, and how we could arrange for the bus company to deliver our boxes for a small fee, around $25 USD.

A month before I was headed to Iceland, my good friend Ryan “Dirt-Monger” Sylva completed the same traverse. I sent him a note asking a few questions, and we scheduled a call, which was when we learned that our resupply strategy was a no-go. After the pandemic, Iceland saw a significant influx of tourism. As a result, the bus companies could no longer provide resupply delivery services. We decide to change our entire strategy and buy food along the way for all but 1 location. In the middle of the hike, we had to decide whether to carry 12 days of food through the interior or arrange for a private delivery service to get our box to the halfway point at Nyidalur Hut. After many emails, my hiking partner Naomi found a 4×4 excursion company that could deliver our three boxes for a staggering amount of $ 1500 USD (226,000Yen).

While the 3 of us didn’t want to spend that much money, after a long debate, we decided to use the service. The prospect of carrying 12 days of food, plus all the extra layers and gear we needed for Iceland, was just too much weight to carry and still be able to enjoy our time hiking. So, with our resupply strategy finally worked out days before we left, it was time to go to PCT Days and then off to the hike.

PCT Days is the annual go-to hiking event for all things Pacific Crest Trail, and it takes place in mid-August each year. Since I work in the outdoor industry, this is my last direct-to-consumer event for the year, and my hiking season begins when it ends. This PCT Days was extra special because it is where I met Tony from Trails, and he even came in second place in the pie-eating contest we hosted.

Monday, mourning found us being dropped off at the Portland airport by my wife, Suzy. I was still a bit groggy from the long weekend in Cascade Locks. We settled into our plane seats and drifted off for some much-needed rest.

I awoke an hour or so before we landed and was gitty with anticipation about what lay ahead. We quickly went through customs, retrieved our luggage, and hit the duty-free store before exiting. Pro-tip for Iceland: buy any alcohol you may want for your time at the duty-free store. Alcohol in Iceland is astronomically expensive.

We arrived so early that our only option to get into Reykavijk was to get there by taxi (a 45-minute ride), which cost around $120 USD. We dropped our bags at a lovely apartment we had rented for the night and walked up the street for breakfast. We ordered a patte and bread to split, and each ordered a traditional Icelandic breakfast pickled herring 3-different ways: potato salad, rye bread with butter, and rye bread ice cream. When the bill came, it struck us just how expensive Iceland is; the total for three simple breakfasts and coffee was $140 USD.

Our time in Reykavihk was a little crazy. After breakfast, we walked around the downtown area, taking in the sights as we waited for the grocery store to open so we could get our resupply items and mail the boxes off. After completing my town chores, I treated myself to an afternoon at the Sky Lagoon. This was my first time experiencing the bathing culture of Iceland, and I thoroughly enjoyed relaxing in the hot volcanic water, cold plunging in between soaks, and getting some much-needed time in the sauna.

In the morning, we packed up and caught a local flight to Akureyri, Iceland’s most northern city. From there, we took a bus an hour and a half north to Husavik, where we connected with two friends who were also starting the same hike on the same day. We enjoyed dinner in town, and after everyone turned in for the evening, I walked up the road to the GeoSpring Lagoon for one last round of soaking before the hike. The GeoSea is a fantastic lagoon with saltwater hot springs. I sat in the water, looking at a fjord, and contemplated the hike that was about to begin.

We loaded up early in the arranged shuttle ride and headed north to Hraunhafartangi Lighthouse. The driver was extremely knowledgeable about the trail ahead and shared his wisdom with us and some good points of areas of interest and safety tips. We arrived at the Northern tip of Iceland and were dropped off on the side of the road. We took a group photo, walked a few hundred meters to the lighthouse, and then set off towards the south shore.