There is no official or unofficial SHR mapset that is publicly available. The guidebook does include maps but they are inadequate for field use: they are black & white and printed on standard paper stock, and the scale is not ideal for technical navigation. (I believe that Roper included these maps to make the route…

General difficulty Mile for mile, the SHR is the most demanding 3-season hiking experience I have had. But Buzz and I were physically and mentally prepared for that challenge; we had also adjusted our expectations accordingly beforehand. The challenges of the SHR probably also, mile for mile, make it the most rewarding backcountry experience I…

Website The SHR is not an official trail and there is no official website either. (There is no promotional website for the guidebook either.) The lack of authoritative, comprehensive online content is what motivated me to put these pages together. There is a Wikipedia page with some general information and some links. Besides this website,…

Not long after I posted the description of my traverse route I was independently contacted by two Frenchman, , Olivier “Rando léger” and David Abadie, who informed me that it was indeed possible to get around Hofsjokul, on both its north and south sides. I have posted their contact info, excepts of our email exchanges,…

The availability and quality of Icelandic maps that are suitable for moderately technical backcountry travel (i.e. anything more complex than following vehicle tracks) was disappointing. I guess that with a population of just over 300,000 and a population density just 7 people per square mile, the demand for such maps is not high enough to…

Backpacking in Iceland Jonathan Ley | Offers excellent general information, route information, and photos from his north-south traverse of Iceland. Michel Blomgren | Contains some useful information from his north-south traverse of Iceland. Icelandic Touring Association | Responsible for managing and maintaining many of the backcountry huts and hiking trails in Iceland. Icelandic Mountain Guides…

I struggled to find credible, in-depth information about backpacking in Iceland while I was planning my trip. Thankfully Jonathan Ley, an accomplished American long-distance hiker and map-making guru, had gone in 2006 and had posted some very helpful information on his website. I interviewed him in late-April 2008 with some follow-up questions that I had.…

Below is an incomplete list of resupply options; the critical ones are listed, plus a few others. I personally only had 1 official resupply point, at Hveravellir. I snacked up at some of the other locations, some of which were a surprise to me. Icelandic Traverse Karahnjukar Dam. On the east side of the dam…

Near the ocean I would frequently encounter small flocks of arctic terns. One of the terns would dive-bomb me while the others flew away. I found that my trekking poles offered wonderful protection from this aggressor—I would hold one over my head and swing it back and forth like a pendulum. If I did not…

Trees are virtually non-existent in Iceland. In most of the country, it’s too windy and too cold for most of the year; the soil is too erosion-prone and doesn’t hold moisture; and centuries of over-extraction and under-replenishment have resulted in a diminished tree population. (The trees were used to build Iceland’s large fishing fleet, and…