It's been a crazy year of adventure travel for the Gear Junkie. (By that, I mean me.) South America and the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race took up most of my February, then it was a trek in Nepal to Mount Everest for three weeks in April. Now, this week I am heading to Iceland.

International adventures have been a part of my life for the past few years. But with wife, kids, and a "normal" life in Minneapolis, I try and take a long trip only once a year. 2010 has been different. The opportunities keep coming, and it is difficult to turn them down.

Photo: (C) www.mountainguides.is
Climbers on Hvannadalshnúkur

For Iceland, I will join a group for a unique Nordic adventure: We plan to climb the tallest peak in the country. While we'll be staying far clear of Iceland's infamous Eyjafjallajokull volcano, the country's high point of Hvannadalshnukur, also a volcano, should provide ample adrenaline in itself.

At 6,922 feet, Hvannadalshnukur is not a huge peak. But remember that this is a small island nation. Elevation gains are counted from sea level, not high mountain plateaus. Hvannadalshnukur is a volcanic peak about 100 miles from the smoking Eyjafjallajokull. (Dare: Say that sentence five times fast!) It is the highest point on the island and a part of Skaftafell National Park, which is a popular wilderness area for adventure travelers in Iceland.

Our group will climb with Icelandic Mountain Guides on the daylong adventure. Talus slopes, snow, ice, hidden crevasses, and roped glacier traverses are part of the 15-hour roundtrip to the top.

Photo: (C) www.mountainguides.is
View of Hvannadalshnúkur

Stay tuned next week for a post including some narrative on my adventure up Hvannadalshnukur. I will post a slideshow of photos from the climb. . . that is if I don't get stranded in Reykjavik from an ash plume clouding the sky.

Bless! (Means "goodbye" in Icelandic, apparently) Off to catch a plane. . .

--Stephen Regenold

05/24/10