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The sides of Hekla are deceivingly steep with loose lava stones making progress slow.
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Never underestimate a Suzuki. This little Jimmy uses its size to its advantage reaching as far up the mountain as any wheeled vehicle has traveled. A short wheelbase and track allows the little Jimmy to traverse all but the largest of obstacles.
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The long steep climb up Hekla led by a Dacia Duster piloted by an Austrian couple.
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A lovely view from part way up Hekla. The trail was fairly tame for obstacles although there were some challenging sections.
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The final push into the clouds produced a spectacular view of lava flows and flood valleys. (Part way up the mountain, green moss began to form on the black lava rock adding to the mystery of this place.)
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Ulrich Latzenhofer
Fimmvˆruh·ls
Seit 20.03.2010 ist auf dem Fimmvˆruh·ls ein Vulkanausbruch im Gange, der aufgrund chemischer Analysen der ausgeworfenen Materialen dem System des Eyjafjallajˆkull zugerechnet wird.
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Warning signs litter the turnoff for Hekla, don’t be bothered to drive in unless you’re willing to get dirty and wet.
Story and photos by Budd Stanley
Last year I had the pleasure of touring Icelandic glacier truck specialists, Arctic Trucks, to learn how the Icelanders get their off-road jollies. Unfortunately my timing was off, and I never did get to play in one of their spectacular Hilux or Landcruiser glacier trucks, but promised I would return to tell the story. Well, I kept my promise and returned to the land of fire and ice, however, many calls and emails to Arctic Trucks to test their unique machinery went unanswered. So with Arctic Trucks being MIA, I gave up hope of an epic cross-glacial expedition and settled with the challenge of hiking to the top of Mount Hekla to get my adventure fix for the summer.
Climbing Icelandic volcanoes is a particularly exhilarating experience, having ascended to the foot of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier (yeah I know, it’s a mouthful) last year to the site of the Fimmvörðuháls volcano, the prelude to the massive Eyjafjallajökull eruption that grounded European air traffic back in 2010. While that hike was on a mountain still steaming hot from the recent activity (hot enough to cook your lunch on the rocks) Hekla is all the more daunting as it is a steeper climb on a volcano that is three years past due on its regular ten-year release of internal energy. The active nature of Hekla is so great that the Vikings considered the mountain one of seven gateways to hell and would not approach the sleeping giant.
Undaunted by Hekla’s reputation, my wife and I set out on Iceland’s famously rugged back roads into the lava fields surrounding Hekla armed not with a flared out Landcruiser sitting on high floatation 44’s, but a miniature little Suzuki Jimny sporting a 1.3L four-banger and 215/60P15 snow tires wrapped around 15-inch steelies. No, it’s not what I had planned, but I do know that the Jimny is a particularly capable bit of kit, able to keep up to a Wrangler when things get rough.
Hekla is not particularly well marked with only the odd sign post giving a rough idea of direction, while the road was nothing more than a collection of tire tracks over the lava fields. You really are out in the wilderness here and Mother Nature was in a bad mood. A dreary, rainy sky echoed the black and grey landscape scarred from decade after decade of cataclysmic, fiery destruction. The clouds were falling into the valley covering our proposed destination, the peak of Hekla towering 1,450 metres above. A successful bid for the summit wasn’t looking favourable and to begin I first had to find the trailhead that was not so well marked on a map that was vague to begin with.
Before long, the bumpy road across flat planes of lava rock turned into a trail that began to climb into one of the many lava flows that spewed into the valley. As the trail began to ascend next to one of the major craters, the Jimny’s 4WD was called upon to stop the little balding snow tires from slipping on the loose surface. Past the crater I ran into two other rental SUV’s, an Austrian and Frenchman both consulting maps and travel books in search of the same destination as I. The trail had become quite light and rugged. After some brainstorming we decided to attack a large hill that was more challenging than two other routes but was more heavily traveled. With that, our small convoy of United Nations pressed on into the rainy and foggy landscape, traversing massive walls of black lava stones. At each obstacle or intersection, the group would come to a stop, consult each other, make a decision and continue on in the direction we thought would lead us to the trail head. Farther and farther into the mountainous abyss we crawled and it was beginning to feel as though the epic mountain expedition I thought I missed had indeed found me.
As the group crawled up onto a large plateau, the unique and mysterious landscape turned unworldly. Like a black Mars, the plateau was interrupted by invasive fissures and protruding rocks, jagged wall after wall fading off into the foggy distance. It seemed as though my Jimny had transported me to another planet, a place that belonged in a high-budget Sci-Fi movie. On the other side of the plateau was Hekla proper, a massive black wall with a couple of tire tracks that led up its menacing sides. After another consultation, we came to the conclusion that we had passed the trailhead long ago and were now driving up Hekla rather than hiking. With the driving rain, blowing fog and the odd concerned look from the wives seated in the passengers seats, driving was likely the best way to tackle Hekla on this day.
Onward we pressed in a quest to see just how high we could drive towards the top of Iceland’s deadliest volcano. The trail became steeper and more challenging with large elephant tracks pitting the trail where large-wheeled vehicles had begun to spin their wheels. The Jimny’s super short wheelbase walked through the tracks of the giants with little effort before the team needed to stop once again. The trail had stopped traversing and went straight up the side of a wall into the cloud ceiling. The Europeans were getting hesitant, so I decided to do a scouting run to see what was beyond the line of sight.
With 4-Lo engaged and the little 1.3L screaming bloody murder, the Jimny scratched and clawed its way up the volcano with us both nearly sitting on our seatbacks it was so steep. Just beyond the cloud layer I came upon a massive cliff on the ridge of Hekla’s spine. The wind was ferocious and would occasionally blow the cloud away enough to get a view of the massive drop and the lava valley before us. To my amazement, the two others followed me up, but it was here that we lost the Frenchman to the terrain and weather.
Austria and Canada would make a final push into the cloud however, inching along against the wind and rain, which seemed intent on our failure. Despite the challenges and Mother Nature’s displeasure, the decision not to turn back was confirmed as the right choice when the black volcanic surface began to lighten with a beautiful lush green moss covering the jagged rocks below. The rain stopped and the clouds dispersed as we clawed our way up the spine to a small rocky ledge. For a brief moment we had a magnificent view of both the lava flows to one side and the deep washout valley to the other where our journey began. The view was breathtaking; however the momentary gift of vision also gave light to the road ahead. There was none, only an incredibly steep wall of black sand that was void of any vehicle tracks, only the foot prints of those who scurried up on all fours for a final push to the summit just beyond.
The thought of finishing off the mission on foot was dashed when our little pocket of good weather disappeared. We may not have accomplished our goal, however, the challenging drive through the magically fantastic landscapes of Hekla at the wheel of my trusty little Suzuki Jimny made for an experience I will not soon forget. To climb a rumbling monster to the gates of hell at a time of uncertainty is the stuff of an adventure junkie’s fantasy. Although, the itch to conquer a glacier still resides inside me, I think I’ll try Arctic Trucks a couple more times.