Story and Photos by Eric Evans

[Eric Evans and his wife, Tessa, and their ’97 Defender 90 SW, live in Naples, FL. The owner of a commercial landscape company, Eric entertained RN News readers when he bought his ex-MOD 109” from Rovers North and drove it to Florida. We’ve read of his explorations of Big Bend, TX, and his 45-day trip to Alaska, too. Here’s his account of a fall ’07 trip to Iceland –ed.]

In describing “The Happiest Places on Earth,” Eric Weiner noted that “Iceland is cold and dark for much of the year. It is isolated and, for goodness sakes, has the word ‘ice’ in its name. Not much happy about that yet these descendants of the Vikings are, statistically, among the planet’s happiest people.” What a challenge – we had to find out why for ourselves.

The internet provided a lot of information about touring Iceland by Land Rover but I also received significant help from Bruce Elfstrom at Overland Experts. He operates off-road tours all over the world and has done Iceland countless times. Of particular help were his comments and warnings about the famed F910 Route from Askja Volcano to Nyidalur in the interior, which was to be the highlight of our trip.

By combining travel insights from experienced expeditioners, like Bruce Elfstrom of Overland Experts, I finally produced a route map that would allow for stops at all of the locations and activities my wife Tessa and I were most interested in. More importantly – it provided maximum time off-road in the Defender 110!

While boarding our outbound flight from Boston’s Logan Airport, I suddenly found myself not only excited, but worried to the extent that I almost did not want to go. Will Tessa enjoy her first off-road experience? My thoughts quickly changed to food and an Icelandic beer as the in-flight service began. Our first taste of Icelandic food went from “this is good” to “I’m done!” in a matter of milliseconds when the flight attendant announced we were eating reindeer balls (I hoped they were referring to the shape of these bit-sized treats!)

After our late evening arrival at Keflavik Airport, we were whisked away via shuttle bus to our hotel in Reykjavik Our only agenda for this first day, and a highlight of the trip, was our visit to the famed Blue Lagoon. Unlike so many of Iceland’s wonders, this one is not natural. It’s actually a hot spring pool formed by the run off from a geothermal power plant that supplies the majority of Reykjavik’s heat and hot water.

I woke the next morning obsessed with the realization that I would be behind the wheel of a Defender 110 TD5 of my very own (at least for a week or so). We made our way out of town and within the first 20 minutes, we had spotted active steam vents on the roadside. Our first stop was at Geyser – the one all others in the world are named for. This was a new experience for us both and despite the touristy feel of the buses in the parking lot, it was everything we had hoped for in our first of Iceland’s wonders. We then drove to Gulfoss, another of Iceland’s treasures.

At the parking area, we met some fellow Roverphiles from Italy who gave us the low-down on the road ahead, including their experience with the F910! Further down the road, we took a detour to bring the Land Rover up close and personal with our first Glacier (Langjokull. Along the way, more hot springs, steam vents and thousands of free roaming sheep! It was nearly 11pm, dark and raining hard when we arrived at Osar. There our very gracious host (and Iceland Land Rover Club member) welcomed us in for a well needed night’s rest.

Akureyri sits at the base of Eyjafjorur fjord and is Iceland’s second largest city with a population of 16,000 people. It’s a smaller version of Reykjavik. We checked in at our hostel and climbed back in the Defender to fill out the day with some sightseeing to the east. Godafoss waterfall, located halfway between Akureyri and Lake Myvatn, was picture perfect and provided a backdrop for our new trip mascot Leif (a stuffed puffin).

Lake Myvatn comprises one of the most active volcano areas in Iceland (another major eruption is expected at any time). Signs warn you to stay on the walking path in order to avoid being boiled alive should the ground give way to the geothermal forces just below the surface! It’s truly amazing and a bit unnerving that at any moment the whole place could blow up around you. We chose to explore the Dimmuborgir, the 2,000 year old remains of a lava flow filled with pillars, caves and arches. Afterwards, we traveled off road to the nearby Hverfell crater. Looking for a challenge, I decided to make an ascent to the top. The steep trail leading straight up the side was tricky and I was exhausted by the time I reached the top. The sulphur lay thick in the air and the wind howled loudly; it was an eerie experience.

Tessa and I arrived on a farm outside of Husavik for a ride on Icelandic horses, small, stout, sure-footed and very clever. These horses are so revered by Icelanders that if one ever leaves the country, it is never allowed to return out of fear of weakening the breed. Our ride included a run down along the black sand beach. As we made our way down the cliffs, we attracted the attention of a group of a couple of dozen other grazing horses. They were apparently interested in us, or our horses, because they suddenly all began to chase us down the beach!

Pushing further toward the northeast, we made it to Kopasker, a small fishing town of only 184 people, and our stop for the night. This is the least visited area of Iceland. Though not nearly as isolated by distance, the landscape reminded me of my trip up the Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay Alaska. We reached our destination at the furthest point North in Iceland, the Hraunhafnartangi lighthouse. It sits just ½ mile south of the Artic Circle.

Returning to the South, we entered Jokulsargljufur National Park, home to Dettifoss (Europe’s most powerful waterfall). The track down the west side of the park was quite fun, but river crossings could definitely be hazardous during the spring and summer melt-off. Several we crossed would have been well above the windscreen of the Defender! As you approach Dettifoss, all vegetation suddenly disappears, leaving only volcanic rock and sand. It is like being on the surface of the moon. In fact, NASA astronauts trained here prior to their lunar expeditions. So I guess you could say I’ve driven a Lunar Rover!

The final leg of the day’s journey was to get to our farmhouse accommodations in the Central Highlands, several hours of off-road driving to the east of Askja Volcano and the start of our F910 route journey. After a great breakfast the next morning, we were on our way. The route west to the Askja area became increasingly barren and the coloration of the environment changed drastically and frequently. Climbing the track toward Askja, we finally arrive at a Rangers Hut, and his very cool Defender 130 with monster tires and all the necessary gear. To the right the track leads through the Dyngjufjoll massif – an enormous and very recent looking lava flow field. At the top, we dismount and start our long hike to the crater. The weather is quite nice as we start our roughly one mile hike from the parking area to the 715 foot deep (deepest in Iceland) lake of Oskjuvatn. The landscape felt moon-like; I felt as though I should be wearing a space suit. As we neared the lake, we encountered Viti Crater (Hell in Icelandic) and its steaming blue water. As I looked for a way to negotiate a path down to take a warm dip the weather changed – seemingly in an instant. Determined to get into Viti, I moved forward down the gully leading to the bottom. Just as I thought to myself “damn – forgot my hiking boots,” it happened. I hit a patch of thick peanut buttery mud and lost my footing. Down I went, sliding maybe 30 feet before I could stop myself. As I fell, I was unable to brace myself with my hands because I had our video camera strapped in my right hand and was holding my hat on my head with my left. The painful result was a dislocated right shoulder and a short video clip of the camera striking the ground with audio of the expletives that came out of my mouth.

We turned back – head on into wind, freezing rain and at one point snow. I have never been so cold. I gave Tessa my hat and we spent close to ½ hour making our way back to the Land Rover – the entire time staring at the ground because the wind was so cold on our faces. Safely back in the truck and in pain from the dislocated shoulder, we drove back down the lava flows to check in with the Ranger. He said he had not traveled the F910 in more than a week, but as long as the rivers were not too deep we should be ok. The F910 is widely regarded as the most hardcore off road route in Iceland, particularly if you take the more southern “old-road,” which is no longer “maintained.” Not really sure what they meant by “maintained” as there is no road, no trail. Perhaps what it means is that they no longer replace the plastic guidance poles located every 300 feet or so – sort of like channel markers for a boat. Anyway, the official route is just over 72 miles long. It crosses open desert, lava flows, rivers (no bridges), kisses the Vatnajokull Glacier and even climbs over and down a boulder strewn 2,000’ mountain before descending west from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge into the valley heading south toward Reykjavik.

The first section after leaving the Askja area is really quite cool, provided you keep up your speed and keep moving. It’s a long stretch of open, black sand desert and we were running at about 35-40 mph in the Defender. After about 20 minutes or so, thick chunks of lava began to appear again and we were forced to navigate our way through them, while following our yellow poles. Progressively, the lava got larger and the spaces between got smaller. Eventually, we found ourselves picking and choosing “lines” across the lava chunks ranging in size from a speed bump to a VW Beetle and taking full advantage of the D110’s articulation capability. My cheeks still hurt from all the smiling I

did in this section, despite the excruciating pain in my right shoulder at every shift of the transmission.

The next section we entered was the wash out plain from an old glaciated volcano that seemed to go on for miles. Our first crossing (we had to cross in two places) of this “river” was nearly ¾ of a mile wide. Fortunately, because of the time of year and to some extent the time of day, the water in this crossing stayed below the hubs. The trick was that the navigation poles did not exist in the river. We were lucky to spot one on a ridge as we came out of our second crossing so we could continue.

As we made our way up from the wash out plain, we encountered the massive Trolladyngja and the beginning of snow. Trolladyngja is the greatest shield volcano in Iceland and its lava flows are thought to have run all the way to the north coast near Akureyri (about 75 miles). For the Land Rover, at 2,000 feet above the surrounding area, this was a giant pile of gravel to be conquered. Boulders ranged in size from apple to small car and were all aiming for the sidewalls on the Defenders tires. Not surprisingly, we were worse off than the Land Rover at the end of it.

As the snow continued to come down even harder, we found it increasingly difficult to keep our eyes on the poles. We had brought our GPS, but it could not keep a signal unless the windscreen was facing south. At one point, nearing the Mid-Atlantic Ridge we lost track of the poles completely and had to turn back. The elevation changes are constant, rivers and streams seem to go in every direction and just about any direction you look in; looks like it could be the route. At one point, having not seen a navigation pole for quite a while, I determined that the only safe route was to keep the Vatnajokull Glacier close by and on my left, which meant we would be continuing in a Southwesterly direction. Finally, Tessa spotted a navigation pole in the distance and we were back on track.

Along the base of Mount Kistufell, we pass one of the emergency huts located in the interior for people who lose their way. I was hoping we would not have to use it. We climb and descend countless ridges and hills before finally arriving at the outpost of Nyidalur, the geographic center of Iceland. The F26 heading south featured basic dirt and gravel with plenty of washboard surface. In fact, the washboard was so bad at one point that the truck started going sideways and I heard a distinct hissing sounds coming from the back of the truck. A tire? No, a beer! 30+ miles of 6” washboard exploded a beer out of its can! No great loss, unless you are in Iceland where government controls alcohol sales and a six pack of tall boys costs nearly $30! So much for that “new car smell” too. As the miles of washboard dragged on, it became more apparent that we would not make our destination. By 1:00am we were both exhausted and ready to call it a night at the Highland Motel. We hit the sack and enjoyed a well needed rest.

Over the next two days, we traveled east along the Ring Road to Hofn at Iceland’s southeastern most point making stops along the way. We visited Jokulsarlon Iceberg Lagoon, which was very cool, although a bit touristy. It is an inland bay located directly between the Vatnajokull Glacier and the Atlantic Ocean. They have amphibious vehicles that take you out into the bay to view the icebergs and the seals.

As we headed back toward Reykjavik, we had one last challenge in front of us. Thorsmork is “Thor’s Forest” – even though there are no trees. Not only has it been recognized as one of the most intriguing places on earth, its also one hell of an off-road challenge! Three Glaciers, mountains and two deep rivers surround the “forest.” The route requires the fording the Krossa River dozens of times. The Krossa is cold, fast moving and deep. To add to the level of excitement, the river bottom is made up almost entirely of loose rocks and sand! Water levels can change dramatically throughout the day. I found myself more nervous than at the start of the F910 route.

Fortunately, we convoyed with a group from Scotland in a D110. Keeping in mind Bruce’s instructions on proper river fording technique, I entered the first deep crossing. There is no adjective to describe the feeling of the rear end of a Land Rover floating down stream as you attempt to push on and keep moving forward. It was like driving on marbles.

Heading back to Reykjavik for a couple of days of excellent meals, a few shots of “Black Death” liquor and a 4-star hotel, Tessa and I decided we also deserved another trip to the Blue Lagoon. So we headed off the paved road one last time on a shortcut to an afternoon of soaking and relaxation. Tessa and I hope to visit this amazing place again someday and we highly recommend it to anyone looking for adventure and the trip of a lifetime.

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