júní 1, 2014 Live from the road

Kaldidalur - Langjökull

Reported by Uddipan Brown 16.0 km

On the final day of the Iceland 2014 Peace Run, we looked out of the window of our accomodation towards the Langjökull Glacier.

Síðasti dagur Friðarhlaupsins á Íslandi 2014 og við litum út um gluggann og sáum jökulinn sem við áttum eftir að heimsækja í dag.

This was where we would be running today.

Hingað myndum við hlaupa

Deeptaksha preparing our lunches for the day.

Deeptaksha undirbýr hádegismat dagsins.

We bade farewell to our very generous host. At this stage the weather was quite clear...

Við kvöddum Sæmund Ásgeirsson, hinn góðhjartaða eiganda Gamla Bæjar. Á þessum tímapunkti var veðrið bjart...

.... but it worsened as we ran towards the glacier.

...en svo byrjaði að rigna áleiðis að jöklinum.

This road was closed due to bad road conditions, from the melting of the glacier....

Vegurinn á Kaldadal var lokaður vegna færðar vegna bráðnunar jöklanna...

... so we found another way to the glacier.

...en við hlupum eftir Langjökulsvegi sem var greiðfær.

The running was tough and soon we were soaked to the skin.

Það leið ekki á löngu þar til við vorum orðin hundblaut.

Getting close now.

Síðustu metrarnir að jöklinum.

We ran as far as we could go to the edge of the glacier.

Við hlupum eins langt og við gátum að jökulröndinni.

Nobody home.

Enginn var heima í skálanum.

From here on it was time for the truck.

Og þá var tímabært að setjast upp í ICE Explorer trukkinn.

We joined our fellow glacier watchers and set off.

Við tókum okkar sæti ásamt öðrum jöklaferðalöngum og áfram var haldið.

On the glacier.

Á jöklinum.

After several attempts to get on to the glacier's edge, our truck finally succeeded. It was deep watery snow at this point and only very skilled driving saw us safely through.

Það var enginn barnaleikur að koma þessum 20 tonna trukki yfir blauta jökulröndina og það hversu vel tókst til sýnir hæfileika bílstjóra okkar, Guttorms Björns Þórarinssonar.

On the top of the glacier, conditions were brutal. Driving sleet and very cold, with almost zero visibility.

Á jökultoppnum voru aðstæður krefjandi, slydda, kuldi og nær ekkert útsýni.

Running on the glacier was a new experience.

Það var ný upplifun fyrir okkur að hlaupa á jöklinum.

Our truck was in its element and totally at home in the deep snow.

En trukkurinn okkar virtist kunna vel við sig.

The driver had deflated the tyres so that the truck sat on top of the snow.

Búið var að taka loft úr dekkjunum svo að trukkurinn gat setið á snjónum.

We could barely see in the driving horizontal sleet.

Það var vart hægt að sjá út úr auga í slyddunni.

Our new friends joined us with the banner. Our truck driver is holding the torch.

Hinir jöklaferðalangarnir hópuðust saman með okkur og bílstjórinn okkar, Guttormur Björn Þórarinsson, heldur á kyndlinum.

Heading back down the glacier.

Keyrt niður jökulinn.

Very beautiful and very dangerous.

Afskaplega fallegt og afskaplega viðsjárvert.

Our tracks.

Hjólförin okkar.

Once we got off the glacier, the weather improved.

Þegar komið var niður af jöklinum tók veðrið að skána.

Our photographer lines up another shot.

Og hér gefur að líta ljósmyndarann.

On the road back to Reykjavik.

Farewell Iceland, your oneness-heart is as vast as the sky. You welcomed us with open arms and while we are sad to leave you, in our own hearts we know that we'll meet again some day.

Útsýnið frá Kaldadal.

Torch carried by
Anne Leinonen (Finland), Apaguha Vesely (Czech Republic), Danival Toffolo (Iceland), Deeptaksha Mihaylov (Bulgaria), Indu Tamborini (Switzerland), Suren Suballabhason (Iceland), Uddipan Brown (New Zealand), Zuzana Klásková (Czech Republic).  
Photographers
Apaguha Vesely, Suren Suballabhason
The torch has travelled 16.0 km from Kaldidalur to Langjökull.

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