Why should a 4-day trip be a road trip? Before our Wacky Wheels adventure in September, I decided to go for a trip on foot: the famous Laugavegur track in Iceland.
The odd thing of this trip is that the entire route is known at the start, even before solving a single puzzle. Basically the only puzzle there was, was following the blue GPS arrow on your mobile screen. And as if that could be too hard a challenge, at each junction the organizers had even put clear signs, pointing exactly in the direction you need to go.
Where this puzzle-with-free-clues part was a bit disappointing, they had made up for it by putting mesmerizing views along the way. It was like walking for days through Game-of-Thrones scenery. “Behind the Wall”, but without Wildlings.
You may start to think that a clearly posted route without Wildlings is too simple, well, there is one particular challenge introduced multiple times along the route: bridges. Or better the complete lack of it. You arrive at a vividly streaming river and the trail just bumps into it and continues at the other side. And to make it worse they poor gletcher-cold icewater into these rivers.
Despite all I can truely say it has been one of my best hiking trips ever. Being taken away from wifi, roads, cars, electricity, a bed, showers, supermarkets, trash bins and television, your life changes a bit. Just you and those magnificent surroundings.
Route details:
12 July: flight to Reykjavik
13 July morning: bus to Landmannalaugar
13 July afternoon: hike to Hrafntinnusker mountain hut (10.3 km)
14 July: hike to Álftavatn mountain hut (11.3km)
15 July: hike to Emstrur mountain hut (16.2 km)
16 July: hike to Langidalur (Þórsmörk) mountain hut (16.2km)
17 July*: hike to Skógar via the Fimmvörðuháls mountain pass (27 km) and hitchhiking back to Reykjavik
* I loved it so much, so I attached a fifth day which turned out to be a killer with its 27 km and 1000 meter altitude difference.
Does this trip sounds too far away from home, and would you miss your car, friends, team spirit, phone charger, competition and puzzles to discover the route with a 3-day quest to unravel, then Wacky Wheels is more something for you. Otherwise go for it and let me know below how you liked it!
