Landscape Iceland traverse

Iceland traverse · **4 Likes**

Hi all, a collection of shots from my Iceland Traverse in June 2015.

I walked solo from Ásbyrgi in the north, through the highlands to Skógar near the south coast, a journey of about 500km (I think, I wasn't keeping track) and 21 days.

This is easily the hardest long-distance route I've done, and I've done a few. There was a lot of late season snow left over, which meant that the staffed cabins through the highlands were all closed. This made resupply impossible for a lot of the route, and in the end I carried enough food to be self-reliant from Mývatn to Þórsmörk, a section of approximately 16 days. For 12 days through the highlands I didn't see a soul.

Shot mostly with the GR, and a few with the EM5 and m.ZD 45mm.

RoxnDox · 07-11-2017, 08:44 PM

Wow, epic journey and wonderfully recorded! Iceland is on my bucket list, would love to do the two week drive around the island and visit the ancestral homeland like my mom and sister did a couple of years back.

**dwalker19** · 07-11-2017, 09:22 PM

Wow. Amazing on every level. Great photography and an amazing trek. Well done.

FreeSpirit9 · 07-12-2017, 04:20 AM

Amazing landscapes, thank you for sharing.

versatile · 07-12-2017, 09:25 AM

Simply stunning!

CreationBear · 07-12-2017, 10:46 AM

Where d'ye think they keep the trees?

Epic indeed, and some inspired photography along the way--too many really to mention, but I hope the sixth and ninth of the set found their way to a wall somewhere.

photoptimist · 07-12-2017, 12:17 PM

Originally posted by CreationBear

Where d'ye think they keep the trees?

Epic indeed, and some inspired photography along the way--too many really to mention, but I hope the sixth and ninth of the set found their way to a wall somewhere.

There are almost no trees in Iceland besides Hallormsstaðaskógur. I'm not sure if its the climate, the volcanic soil, removal by the last Ice Age, or if they were all harvested by people a thousand years ago.

All of this leads to a joke:

Q: What should you do if you are ever lost in an Icelandic forest?

A: Stand Up!

------

Awesome photo series and what a wonderful adventure!

**Clarkey** · 07-12-2017, 07:26 PM

Awesome.
For sure, that's a long traverse without resupply (and solo?!). The GR provides...... some great shots in there.
I thought I was adventurous doing ~100km traverse and with a mate in Japan last year over 5 days (admittedly quite a bit of up and down), but you must have been moving along.

nickthetasmaniac · 07-12-2017, 07:27 PM

Originally posted by photoptimist

There are almost no trees in Iceland besides Hallormsstaðaskógur. I'm not sure if its the climate, the volcanic soil, removal by the last Ice Age, or if they were all harvested by people a thousand years ago.

A bit of all of the above I expect... During my trip the only area with any kind of 'forest' was through Þórsmörk in the south, although even then, it was more what we would refer to as scrub in Tasmania... For much of the trip, especially through the highlands, pretty much the only growth was lichen and moss.

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07-12-2017, 07:26 PM	#8
Clarkey Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Brampton, ON, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,456	Awesome. For sure, that's a long traverse without resupply (and solo?!). The GR provides...... some great shots in there. I thought I was adventurous doing ~100km traverse and with a mate in Japan last year over 5 days (admittedly quite a bit of up and down), but you must have been moving along. Last edited by Clarkey; 07-12-2017 at 07:27 PM. Reason: my bad - you said took EM5 and 45mm.

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07-11-2017, 08:44 PM	#2
RoxnDox Pentaxian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Gig Harbor, Washington, USA, Terra Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,494	Wow, epic journey and wonderfully recorded! Iceland is on my bucket list, would love to do the two week drive around the island and visit the ancestral homeland like my mom and sister did a couple of years back.

07-11-2017, 09:22 PM	#3
dwalker19 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Colorado (Front Range) Photos: Gallery Posts: 455	Wow. Amazing on every level. Great photography and an amazing trek. Well done.

07-12-2017, 04:20 AM	#4
FreeSpirit9 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Queensland, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 557	Amazing landscapes, thank you for sharing.

07-12-2017, 09:25 AM	#5
versatile Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Berlin Posts: 18	Simply stunning!

07-12-2017, 10:46 AM	#6
CreationBear Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 2,415	Where d'ye think they keep the trees? Epic indeed, and some inspired photography along the way--too many really to mention, but I hope the sixth and ninth of the set found their way to a wall somewhere.

07-12-2017, 12:17 PM	#7
photoptimist Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2016 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,128	Originally posted by CreationBear Where d'ye think they keep the trees? Epic indeed, and some inspired photography along the way--too many really to mention, but I hope the sixth and ninth of the set found their way to a wall somewhere. There are almost no trees in Iceland besides Hallormsstaðaskógur. I'm not sure if its the climate, the volcanic soil, removal by the last Ice Age, or if they were all harvested by people a thousand years ago. All of this leads to a joke: Q: What should you do if you are ever lost in an Icelandic forest? A: Stand Up! ------ Awesome photo series and what a wonderful adventure!

07-12-2017, 07:27 PM	#9
nickthetasmaniac Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 2,361 Original Poster	Originally posted by photoptimist There are almost no trees in Iceland besides Hallormsstaðaskógur. I'm not sure if its the climate, the volcanic soil, removal by the last Ice Age, or if they were all harvested by people a thousand years ago. A bit of all of the above I expect... During my trip the only area with any kind of 'forest' was through Þórsmörk in the south, although even then, it was more what we would refer to as scrub in Tasmania... For much of the trip, especially through the highlands, pretty much the only growth was lichen and moss.