Rott

en S

hark

Bec

kons

Story and Photos by Doug Evilsizor

iceland

On Ic

elan

d’s

Glac

ier Reykjavik is one of those places few have

heard of and even fewer can spell. I didn’t know what to expect while waiting in the airport for the arrival of our guide, Bruce Elfstrom from Overland Experts as well as a few of the other six adventurers from the US taking part in the 10-day journey, but “rotten shark” and Cocktail Vomit were certainly never blips on my radar. I soon learned that you may never know what you will fInd—and enjoy—while driving on the edge of the earth in Iceland.

In Michigan where I grew up, they say, if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and

it will get better. However, in Iceland, wait five minutes and it is sure to get worse. But I

had no need to be concerned. Riding in a Defender 110 on 38-inch tires, piloted by local

guide Gudmundor (better known as Gummiey, which sounds like a cross between “gummy”

and “gooey”), and the back-seat co-piloted by Bruce, aka “the voice of God,” who has traveled

the world in nearly every type of 4-wheel-drive vehicle ever made, we were ready for whatever

Mother Nature was going to throw at us.

Actually, the common thread in conversation between my two Icelandic adventures began

with a devilish grin and a wish for snow. “We may have some fun today,” Bruce proclaimed

more than once while clouds gathered in the distance and engulfed the mountains. What Bruce

meant by “fun” was, apparently, a blinding snowstorm in which the only tool for navigation

would be the GPS on the dash. As the conversation moved from sunny skies, to snow-laden

clouds, to the wish for a blizzard, Bruce explained that if you are caught in the middle of a

whiteout, you lose all sense of motion. Looking through a hole cut in the floorboard is the

only way to get perspective. “It’s like flying by instruments; you have to trust the GPS to see

if you are moving,” Gummiey adds in. He has had more experience in these conditions than

everyone in the group of ____ number from ____ area combined.

I could sense sweaty palms adding moisture to the cold dry air as we approached the

______ glacier. Tension was high in the lead Land Rover as Gummiey had just privately

relayed a message to Bruce from someone who had recently been on the glacier that

conditions were dangerously icy. It was doubtful the trucks could safely traverse the off-

camber slick entrance onto the glacier. And the last thing our leaders wanted was for this

to become the “do you remember when . . .” story everyone talks about, complete with

photo documentation of how a Defender slid uncontrollably off a glacier.

There are few places in the world where you can take a vehicle on a glacier, but

even fewer opportunities where you can actually drive on the glacier yourself. It’s no

place for amateurs. It’s all seemingly fun and games ’till a thin snow bridge crossing

a crevasse breaks free, swallowing you and the vehicle whole. Happily, we were

not headed in that direction with both Gummiey’s experience and that of

All trails that go up must come down. And this one comes straight down Red Cone on the other side.Ipissim nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volesto consend

Story and photos by Doug Evilsizor

our (insert #) drivers, who all had undergone training prior to the trip on

Bruce’s specially designed off-road course to learn the nuances of superior

off-road driving.

Bruce has a perspective on off-road driving shaped by years of experience

in real world expeditions. “The vehicle is your life support,” he explains. It’s

one thing to be in Moab, UT and use more skinny pedal than wisdom and

break parts. It always brings the laughs with the guys later that night, and

UPS isn’t far away. But it’s self-evident that when you are in the middle

of nowhere, breaking the most important tool you have for survival or

doing something stupid up here on a glacier can mean death—and it has.

Gummiey begins to point out the crevasses we are driving over that have

been carefully packed with snow. He continues with a “remember when”

story of a Toyota Land Cruiser piloted by a driver adventuring in places

he shouldn’t have been, and the tragedy that ensued when a snow bridge

over a crevasse opened up under the weight of the vehicle. At that point,

recalling the crevasses Gummiey had just pointed out that we were driving

over, I decided to take my chances positioned outside and behind the

vehicle. My 175 lbs vs. the 2.2 ton Defender, I knew what would go down

first. Fortunately, my camera does more than take great pictures; it also is

a great excuse.

There is no better innovator than necessity. In the United States, Land

Rover owners generally modify their vehicles to have more fun. In Iceland,

they modify in order to build a tool to save lives and reach seemingly

unreachable locations when necessity calls.

Snory _____ of Iceland Rovers is the master innovator of taking Defender

110’s and modifying them for extreme snow travel. The Defender’s stock

model already is perfectly suited for the snow where low weight, weight

balance and overall capability is paramount. However, once Snory

completes the conversion for 44-inch tires, moves the rear axle

toward the rear for better snow travel weight distribution,

creates a double hydraulic assist steering box to control

the big tires, adds an auxiliary

fuel tank, changes

gearing, adds an

auxiliary diesel burning heat ___, an auxiliary rear heater, and numerous

other modifications that are unnoticeable to the untrained eye, these

vehicles can travel on snow, mud and ruts, sand, as well as on-road. A

Defender 110 with 44’s will take you far further than Terrain Response ever

will. But like all tools, you need to know how to use it properly.

Training for US travelers starts at the Overland Experts (OEX) training

grounds in Connecticut, where Bruce Elfstrom will give you the experience

behind the wheel in a semi-controlled environment so you are ready for the

real deal in Iceland. OEX is more than a tour company; it is an expedition

training company first and foremost, so when you travel to remote parts of

the earth you will have the experience necessary to get home alive.

Proper deep snow driving technique is something you never learned

in drivers training class. The conventional wisdom in snow is to break out

the chains for traction. Reality is that this is the worse thing you can do.

Gummiey explains it like this. Think about a cross-country ski; it’s long and

narrow, yet it will float on top of the snow. Deep snow travel needs a tall

tire, aired low, to create a long footprint to float the vehicle on top. With

that in place, it’s up to the driver.

“Don’t spin, don’t spin, don’t spin,” Bruce yells over the FRS radio as one

of the Defenders sinks to its axles in snow. The most difficult part of snow

driving is driver discipline. Americans have a passionate love of horsepower.

The instinct when sensing a loss of traction is to give it gas. But that only

causes the tires to spin and dig in, and the vehicle to sink even

further. Gummiey explains,

“You’re moving along

and feel the vehicle

slow down,

“Don

’t sp

in, d

on’t

spin

!”

ABOVE: ll trails that go up must come down. And this one comes straight down Red Cone on the other side.Ipissim nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in LEFT: nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volesto nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volesto

There are few places in the world where you can take a vehicle on a

glacier,

but even fewer opportunities where you can actually drive on the glacier yourself.

It’s no place for amateurs.

I couldn’t imagine a better place to dine on sharkmeat

on a toothpick, followed by a Brennivín chaser.

Where

do I

get a

Land

Interesting Facts:• 4.5 hours to reach Iceland from the northeastern USA

• 800 hot springs

• 4:1 ratio of sheep to humans

• 0 people in the Icelandic military

• 10,000 waterfalls

• 23 hours of daylight during the peak of summer

• 4,500 square miles covered with glaciers

• 4/5 is uninhabitable

• 15 active volcanoes

• Square miles/relative space to a US state?

Facts courtesy of 66°North www.66northus.com

How to Get There:Iceland Air has flights from the US to Reykjavik. Departure cities

include Baltimore, Boston, New York’s JFK, Minneapolis, and

Orlando. Flights from Boston are only 5 hours long, while flights from

Minneapolis are 6. www.icelandair.com

Where to stay:• Hotel Plaza is a three-star hotel located off the main plaza square in

Reykjavik where we spent three nights, one at arrival, and two before

leaving. Rooms are small, but in accordance with European standards,

including high-speed Internet. If you want to people watch, ask for a room

on the square. If you want to sleep, ask for one away from the square. It is

an ideal location from which to explore the city. www.plaza.is

• Hotel Rangá is a four-star log cabin countryside hotel; it is a must-stay

and a great location to see the Northern Lights. See story on page __.

www.icehotels.is

• Country Hotel Hofoabrekka is a modest country hotel that provides

good food and a restful night’s sleep. www.hofdabrekka.is

• The Touring Club of Iceland manages Iceland Mountain Huts, thirty-

four huts available throughout Iceland that are wonderful rustic

accommodations. Each has a large cooking area, dishes, multiple

bunks with mattresses, and showers. Some, like Landmannalaugar,

where we stayed, have

warm geothermal

pools. Pórsmörk has an

interesting photo journal

of the many vehicles

lost in the river that you

must cross in order to

reach the hut. Most huts

accommodate 50-150

people. Booking requests

are required. Visit www.

fi.is and click on English

if your Icelandic isn’t all

that good.

sinking in. By releasing the throttle and maybe the clutch, you will feel the car lift”

as it rises back on top. Bruce supports him, “When you begin to spin, you lift your

foot. It should be instinct,” he adds. On the snow, controlling wheel spin is the

difference between driving out and pulling out the winch line.

As Gummiey was route finding in the lead Defender, he drove directly in an

off-camber downslope snowdrift, I could feel the Defender slowly slide to the

deepest part of a hole. I reached for the radio, preparing to ask for help. The soft

snow was at least 5 feet deep, drifted into a hole that we were now in the middle

of. We were, seemingly stuck. But in a careful rock-and-pack maneuver, the tires

of the Defender packed 3-4 inches of snow in a forward motion. Gummiey

rocked the truck back, and then moved forward once again, packing another

3-4 inches. The sound of thump, thump, thump, could be heard as the tires

compressed the cold artic snow. Never did the wheels spin, as that would have

torn up the snow road he was building. He looked over and declared, “Patience,

it just takes patience.”

Amazingly, the vehicle slowly climbed out of the drifted hole as the tires

finally grabbed harder snow and eventually lava rock, and we were free. There

are no fewer egos in Iceland than there are in the States: Gummiey’s eyes told

me that he didn’t want to see the winch line come out. But for him, it was an

exercise in discipline rather than horsepower.

On the glacier, the Defenders lined up on the edge to air down tires. “Five

pounds on the left, three on the right,” Gummiey declared. A little less pressure

on the uphill tires would help on the icy side slope. In the lead vehicle, we

TOP LEFT: ll trails that go up must come down. And this one comes straight down Red Cone on the other side.Ipissim nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in MIDDLE: nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volesto nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volestoBOTTOM: nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volesto nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volesto

Nam

e of

Wat

erfa

ll?

carefully proceeded forward and tested our tires on the ice, and tension

released from the faces of Bruce and Gummiey. There was a nice dusting of

snow on top; there was traction. “Slow and steady,” Bruce radioed to the

others, “No bouncing. Keep it nice and smooth.”

We were on. Tension turned to energy. The sharp contrast of wind-

sculpted snow, green countryside, and the bright sun reflecting off of

the snow under us and the blue North Atlantic Ocean in the distance

was a dazzling combination the human eye can process but cameras

will never fully capture. The expanse was overwhelming and the beauty

breathtaking.

While we are standing on the glacier during lunch, the rotten shark

and Brennivín (a noxious liquor also know as Black Death, to give you a

clue about what is necessary to distract you from the shark) are broken

out—both of which are Icelandic custom. I couldn’t imagine a better place

to dine on sharkmeat on a toothpick, followed by a Brennivín chaser. But

surprisingly, either the “rotten” shark wasn’t all that bad or the endorphin

high of the place overshadowed the taste. A toast to Iceland and life.

There were other toasts throughout the week, generally while gathered

around a festive table after an eventful day. There was one to Gummiey

for the amazing roasted lamb that Brian, a fellow participant, enjoyed so

much. Another to Shelly, one of our seven companions, for saving Bruce’s

feet after a poorly planned hot springs run without shoes, and numerous

others for a splendid day behind the wheel.

Each day traveling and exploring unveiled a new aspect of Iceland and

its history.

— The first settlers arrived in 874 AD, give or take a couple of years. In

930 AD, the first parliament was formed at Thingvellir, which we visited the

first day traveling. Used for over 300 years, Thingvellir was where Icelanders

settled disputes and elected leaders.

— The only Icelandic word used in the English language is “geyser,” after a

single geysir in southwest Iceland. Although “Geysir” is more temperamental

than the US counterpart “Old Faithful,” there is a nearby brother, Strokkur,

which shoots off every five minutes. And unlike Old Faithful, you can get

right up next to Strokkur, which we did, and you don’t have to elbow out

throngs of other tourists.

— There appears to be no such thing as water rights in Iceland. Water

is everywhere, and so are waterfalls. The Gullfoss, or “Golden Falls,” is a

powerful falls that you can literally walk right into. And when the sun

shines, there is little question where the name comes from.

— 80% of household heat comes from geothermal energy. It’s

understandable that this renewal energy source is so plentiful in Iceland

when you realize Iceland is one of the most active volcanic countries in the

MIDDLE: nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volesto nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volestoTem vel dunt at alit ip eraesenim vullam niam dolore eraessi.Elit praessi blametum nulpute magna adiat, veros ad essequam, voloreet ipsum vel ulput wiscing elit el dolobor erosto consequis auguer ating etue dolut dolobortis dunt iuscincipit lutatueros nim aliquis alit nos nim dolesto con venim autatue dolut augue commodigna facipsustrud tem

world. While eating lunch on the top of ____, we could see the plumes of

steam rising from numerous boiling, bubbling pots scattered as far as the eye

could see across the frigid snow-covered landscape.

— As the US still searches for cleaner fuels, Iceland opened its first

hydrogen fueling station back in 2003, which is part of an overall plan to

create the first hydrogen economy by 2030. Icelanders maybe isolated, but

they are innovators.

— Nearly everyone in Iceland is family. With a population of just 300,000,

80% of residents can be placed genealogically on a family tree. A company

named deCode Genetics is taking it one step further by mapping the DNA

of the Icelandic population for medical research.

— Icelanders know how to party all night and all nights. There is no need

to come out before midnight, but plan on staying up until six AM. And

like clockwork, the street sweepers are out cleaning up the previous night’s

festivities by eight.

Iceland is a forward thinking nation. The intelligence and global

perspective of the population was evident in our guide Gummiey, as well

as in conversations with various individuals on the streets of Reykjavik. The

diversity of the landscape and the ever-changing weather provides for a new

experience every day, even when covering ground previously traveled. The

waterfalls, glaciers, and steam vents remind us that we inhabit a living earth,

one that is both powerful and fragile. Iceland is a world of contrasts and a

world that needs to be explored.

As a unique capstone to our adventures, our final nights in Reykjavik

happened to coincide with the annual Iceland Airwaves festival that

brought musicians from across the world for four days of concerts.. An

Icelandic band named “Cocktail Vomit” was one of the concerts I caught at

the Pravda Club one evening. The main producer, Thor, is a cornerstone in

the Iceland music scene, and Cocktail Vomit’s music is described by others

as a blend of 80s pop and Italo disco, with a splash of House. Another band

our group saw was Steed Lord, which was shaking acid grooves with a raw,

colorful performance, topped by a twist of gangsta and fairy dust sprinkles.

These musical experiences seemed to fit in perfectly as one more piece of

our wide-ranging adventures.

Exiting the Plaza Hotel in downtown Reykjavik and seeing four Defender

110 TDI’s sitting on 38-inch tires ready for adventure will make your heart

miss a beat. Experiencing the full beauty of Iceland—the people, terrain,

geothermal energy, changing weather, and the innovations—in the driver’s

seat of the Defender is what we were built for. Brennivín cheers to Iceland

and a return trip soon.

TOP: nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volesto nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volestoCum-RIGHT: sandrem volenit velis alisi eu feumsandre faci et

Where do I get a Land Rover?If you want to sit in the driver’s seat, Overland Experts will put you behind the wheel of a

modified Defender 110, while they take care of all other logistics, except for airfare and a

couple of meals. www.overlandexperts.com

Budget car rental has modified Defender 110s for rent, which were running around $300 a

day when we checked. www.budget.is

The Weather:Iceland may not be as cold as you think. The Gulf Stream keeps Iceland temperate, cool in

summer (average around 12°C) and fairly mild in winter (average around 0°C). However, the

weather is very changeable, and when the wind picks up it can be downright cold. Be ready for

anything.

Where to Eat:Quality food is plentiful in Reykjavik, but the hands-down must-do is Vid Tjörnina Seafood

Restaurant (www.vidtjornian.is). This quaint home serves up five-star entrées in a friendly

atmosphere. We are still talking about the kryddlegnar gellur ad hætti hússins, which is

marinated codchins à la maison. We were unsure of exactly what we were ordering, but we

do know this was a meal we will remember for years to come.

If you want to try your hand at making traditional Icelandic rotten shark, here is the recipe:

www.simnet.is/gullis/jo/shark.htm and let us know how it goes.

The Money:The currency is known as the krona and is abbreviated ISK. We were getting 65 ISK to the US

dollar from the banks at travel time. Credit cards are accepted nearly everywhere; however,

multiple members of the group had difficulty with transactions being declined for security

reasons, so be sure to bring a couple of cards, just in case. And be sure to exchange any surplus

money at the airport before you leave, as not all banks deal in kronas (that is if you have any

money left at the end of your stay) as Iceland isn’t known as a destination for the cost-conscious

traveler.

Moving There:Iceland’s population is only 300,000, but the number of foreign citizens is booming. According

to Iceland Review, the percentage of foreign citizens has nearly doubled from 2.6% in 1999 to

4.6% in 2005. An interesting blog by a US expatriate living in Iceland can be found at www.

reykjavikharbor.blogspot.com.

Iceland Airwaves Festival:Held in downtown Reykjavik, this festival has a reputation for cutting-

edge music, all-night parties, and a hangover party with the bands and

ladies you fell in love with the night before at the world famous Blue

Lagoon (www.bluelagoon.com). We’re talking more than 200 bands,

solo artists and DJ’s from around the world in seven venues over five

days. Two bands we saw and were duly impressed by, both of which are

from Iceland: Cocktail Vomit (myspace.com/coctailvomit) and Steed Lord

(myspace.com/steedlord).

TOP LEFT: nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volesto nostisl il ut endignit, quipit in volestoCumRIGHT: sandrem volenit velis alisi eu feumsandre faci etMIDDLE: volestoCumRIGHT: sandrem volenit velis alisi eu feumsandre faci etBOTTOM volestoCumRIGHT: sandrem volenit velis alisi eu feumsandre faci et

The diversity of the landscape

and the ever-changing weather provides for a new experience every day.

56