An Icelandic Saga: trekking around Skaftafell - Scene 3

After traversing through the mountains in part 1, we finally found a river that could not safely be crossed in part 2 of the trek. Consequently, we entered a new and unplanned phase of the trek.

Part 3: In Iceland expect the unexpected (14.15 miles)

So the weather defeated us at every stage, it caused a change in route for the beginning of the trek and brought the second part to a complete full stop. In order to make the most of the early arrival at Skaftafell (we had expected to walk here on day 8) we had a hike up from the campsite to Kristinatindar. Unfortunately, due to ice the upper path was officially closed so we made do with contouring around below the summit. The views into the mountains and glaciers were spectacular and we were able to identify the route we would have made given better weather conditions earlier in the year.

Svartifoss

Admiring the view

The final day saw us go out to a nearby glacier and at least put the crampons we'd carried on the trek to good use. Although not exactly what I had envisaged when signing up for the trek, it at least went some way to compensating for our disappointment.

After the arrival of our Reykjavik bound minibus, we took a detour out to Glacier Lagoon to look at the 'icebergs' (large chunks of glacial ice) floating there and those fragments that were making their way out to sea. Evidence of the melting ice and also our guide had pointed out how far back the glacier we visited had retreated within his living memory.

Glacier Lagoon

Glacier Lagoon

Our guide - Hörður

The final task was unloading the group kit at the Trek warehouse and collecting our luggage. Then we were dropped off at our hotels/hostels to enjoy the comforts of a soft bed & curtains to block out the never ending daylight. I had one final da in Reykjavik before flying home and made a brief visit to Viðey a small island opposite the city. This provided a peaceful and easy walk and opportunity to see the Imagine Peace Tower, which is illuminated between the birth and death dates of John Lennon (9 October to 8 December) and at New Year.

Our walks plotted on Open Source Mapping for Iceland
Part 3 is the dark brown routes marked on the right of the map

The problem of the gluten-free vegetarian!

This trek was to prove the limitations of Icelandic trekking food and the ability of the company to adequately plan ahead. While the other team members had access to dried food designed for treks such as ours, I was given bulky gluten-free pasta and gluten-free packets of soup. these were low in calories but high in carbohydrates and little else in terms of balanced diet. That these took three times as long to cook as everyone else's food meant I needed to hog a stove for the entire evening!

With the promise of restocking when we changed team members at the half-way point I had hopes for something better. Sadly the supplies were rather limited and completely neglected vegetarians and gluten-free vegetarians. Luckily we had access to a nearby supermarket, but beyond gluten-free bread and biscuits the rest of the shop was out of bounds. I managed to find some rice, but on site this never reached the point of being edible despite boiling for over an hour. The only addition was the remains of the soup packets!

At Skaftafell we received a special food delivery from the Reykjavik office, but again little thought was given to gluten-free vegetarians. True there was bread and biscuits, but these only go so far. There was something in plastic that even our guide had no idea what it was, let alone what was in it. So my experience of this trek was seriously marred by the complete lack of thought given to my requirements, despite paying a surcharge for the 'privilege' of being a gluten-free vegetarian.

To be fair to the company on my return to England the owner phoned me to personally apologise and explain what happened. He wasn't offering this as an excuse and I genuinely believe this is unlikely to happen again with this company in the foreseeable future. It does however make me wary of blithe promises by such companies and I may be forced to bring my own supplies with me next time. I will need to make sure I'm covered during the Tanzania treks next year.

Final thoughts

It took 30 years to get to Iceland and I'm glad I finally made it. The first part of the trip with Sophie enabled us to explore and enjoy a small part of this fascinating island. The second part, while not exactly as I had hoped was still a great experience. It has given me the confidence to consider coming back and doing my own treks as with my experience and mountain leading qualifications I could handle most of what this trek threw at us. The final point is that I have much to take forward for my treks through Tanzania next Summer. Especially to never take things for granted and always have a back-up plan when you have dietary issues.

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Since March I have been undertaking my Tanzania Challenge to cover the equivalent distance between London and Dar es Salaam (6,614 miles) and this trek contributed 106.5 miles to this total. During my time in Iceland (19 days) I walked and ran a total of 244.6 miles! If anyone fancies sponsoring me in my bid to raise funds for Raleigh International why not visit my Justgiving fundraising page.