Words, photos, and videos by Adrian James (@the_adventuring_ant)
Packed with stunning landscape shots, “Fire & Ice – A Bikepacking Trip Across Iceland” is a new short video that follows solo bikepacker Adrian James on a 12-day journey along the Iceland Divide route.
“Just be careful of the wind coming off the ice cap, it can get pretty rough around there.” Those were the parting words from the two helpful rangers, who had slowly materialised in their 4×4 from just a speck on the horizon. Those words reverberated with me for a couple of days as I rode further south towards the vast Vatnajökull ice cap.
“How bad can it be?” I asked myself. “There’s not been much wind so far.” I was in Iceland, and attempting to tackle the 550-kilometer Iceland Divide route, solo and self-sufficient—a much-needed escape from the continual news and restrictions arising from the pandemic.
The Iceland Divide is a fantastic ride—a smorgasbord of wild experiences from towering volcanoes and thundering waterfalls to seemingly infinite ice caps and mammoth glaciers. Undoubtedly one of the wildest experiences I’ve had on my bike, and one that will raise the bar for future adventures. It’s a tough ride and earns that reputation primarily through the potential for extreme weather variation—as I wanted to convey in this article. However, with good research, an appropriate selection of clothing, and the right equipment, you can enjoy this stunning route both comfortably and safely.
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