The plane banks low through the clouds revealing the pastoral patchwork of farms outside Akureyri, Iceland’s second largest town and the start of our thru hike across the interior of the country. Over the next three weeks Keith and I plan to walk south across the island nation, ending in Skogafoss, one of Iceland’s most iconic waterfalls on the southern coast. My chest flutters full of butterflies as we come in for a landing and the one thing I have been aching to do is finally here: it’s time to hike.
Getting to this point has been months of logistics and details. From the creation of our own route to planning how we will resupply ourselves across 200 miles without a grocery store or restaurant in sight, nothing about this hike has been given easily. When I first conceived of this hike it wasn’t with an eye towards planning but instead with a question born from a longing to know what was inside Iceland.
On my previous two trips to the country I had driven her coast and now longed to see what lay inside this wild and captivating land.
Our hike for today consists of six miles on a bike path heading south out of the city until the buildings start to fade and the grazing pastures full of fluffy white sheep dominate the landscape.
Definitely will be an adventure. How long do you anticipate it will take. Xo
The plan is for it to take us about 2.5 weeks.