2024 Iceland Adventure Ride

2024 Iceland Adventure Ride, Mon July 29, 2024

Day 4 — Hungurfit – Álftavötn

Between Glaciers and Geothermal Wonders

The Fjallabak region, meaning “behind the mountains,” is a land of wild and rugged landscapes with deeply incised valleys. As we ride through this otherworldly terrain, it feels like being transported to a Lord of the Rings story. Our journey takes us to the geothermal hot pools of Landmannalaugar, where we can relax and soak in the naturally heated water, surrounded by stunning multicolored mountains. Continuing on, we’ll ride through the Tungnaá River and enjoy breathtaking views of the majestic Vatnajökull Glacier and Langisjór Lake.

Then, we’ll make our way down by the Skaftá River, passing by a volcanic fissure stretching from Mýrdalsjökull Glacier almost to Vatnajökull, and finally reaching the awe-inspiring Eldgjá canyon. This 60 km long, 600 m wide, and up to 150 m deep canyon was formed during one of the largest volcanic eruptions in Iceland’s history in the year 934. It’s a remarkable display of nature’s raw power and an unforgettable sight to behold.

highlights:

Glaciers
Landmannalaugar Geothermal Area
Langisjór Lake
Eldgjá, a canyon, and volcano

Hungurfit horse farm hut to Hólaskjól Hálendismiðstöð - Higland Center

Ride Log

Time	Minutes	km	kph avg	Comment
9:45am	26.4	map
10:12am	15.9	15 km	56
10:30am	0.1	map
10:31am	9.0	6 km	38
10:40am	10.4	map
10:50am	12.5	10 km	50
11:05am	0.1	map
11:05am	4.1	3 km	41
11:18am	0.1	map
11:18am	3.7	3 km	42
11:24am	0.1	map
11:24am	17.2	12 km	43
11:43am	0.1	map
11:43am	10.8	9 km	52
11:55am	0.1	map
11:56am	11.5	8 km	42
12:11pm	0.1	map
12:11pm	9.8	9 km	54
12:23pm	0.1	map
12:23pm	1.5	1 km	37
12:26pm	21.7	map
12:48pm	8.1	3 km	24
12:56pm	0.2	map
12:57pm	0.1	0 km	10
12:58pm	0.1	map
12:58pm	20.6	9 km	26
1:22pm	0.1	map
1:22pm	15.7	10 km	37
1:40pm	0.1	map
1:40pm	12.4	7 km	34

4h15m	3h11m moving	105 km	33.0 kph	75% moving, 64 minutes of breaks

Unfortunately, this morning Christie is too sick to guide. He headed of by himself to ride to a hospital where he was subsequently diagnosed with gastroenteritis or Stomach Flu. This is common on cruise ships and situations where several people are living closely together. This time it was likely caused by norovirus which attacks your small intestine lining. Symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea.

Several people, including me, are beginning to feel sick at this point. We decide to split the group into a a slower, short-cut group for people not feeling well. I ride sweep for the slow group from here.