Making no promises, but I might be turning into a backpacker...

Photo by Adarsh Thakuri

As a note, the proper reaction to a statement like that coming from me is "WHAAT!?!?! You, backpacking??? On Purpose!?!?!?!"

Seriously. That's what is going through my head right now.

Despite the fact that I am absolutely NOT a backpacker, I am planning on a 7-day trek through the mountains of Peru as a birthday present to myself the year I turn 40. I'm also planning a return visit to Paris that year, but that is completely irrelevant to this post.

So in preparation for the trek to Machu Picchu, I'm looking into what the best boots will be, what camera it makes sense to take, what backpack would work best... and then I found an article on backpacker.com that is called "The Perfect Circle: Hiking the Annapurna Circuit" and I'm reading it thinking "That would be a great follow-up to both Machu Picchu and my tour of Iceland..."

And then, it lists all these other famous backpacking treks you can go on, and how they can almost compete with the Annapurna Circuit, and lo and behold, I have a list of hiking trips and multisport vacations I want to go on! Also, now that I know that such a thing exists, I think my plan for Iceland fits the "multisport" vacation definition.

1. Machu Picchu
2. Annapurna Circuit

• New Zealand - I'm not sure that this qualifies as a trek, but at the very least, I've added it to the list of places I want to go, and I envision my trip here being a little more like the tour I have planned of Iceland, where you do a little bit of everything, including backpacking.
• Grand Canyon (low on the priority list - I was just there this summer)
• Sweden’s Sarek National Park
• Tour Du Mont Blanc
• Spain’s Valencia region - also possibly more of a regional tour than a strictly backpacking trek
• Italy’s Alta Via 1
• England’s Pennine Way

Iceland Highlights

Based on my research so far, it seems that a road trip of Iceland will be mostly waterfalls, hiking, and driving through scenery. The planned highlights will be whale watching, a boat tour of the Glacier Lagoon, and a day at the Blue Lagoon hot springs. Knowing me, if I'm not careful about how many waterfalls I plan to hike to, after 10 days, I'll be completely bored and tired of stopping just to hike to another waterfall. I have also noticed a horseback riding tour, which might be interesting, as long as I get a REALLY easy horse to ride, and there are some islands that it might be possible to visit by ferry for a day here and there. The trick when planning a trip like this is to make every day just a little bit different, and I'm a little concerned that if I follow the National Geographic tour, or even Rory's itinerary, I won't enjoy myself the entire time.

This will take some very careful planning.

Further notes:

• Gentle Giants whale watching from Husavik; 50-100 EU/person.
• Ferry to Grimsey - Arctic Circle. Departs from Dalvik at 12:00 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Departs at 16:00. (~71 CAD)
• Westman Islands - Ferry leaves from Landeyjarhöfnmore 4x daily; $32/person

Iceland - Officially on my list!

Part of the series: Planning

I have been wanting to add Iceland to my list of places to go for a long time now, but never could quite figure out where to start.

I found it today. It's called the Ring Road, and it goes all the way around the island, with lots of scenery to see on the way.

• Reference: Where the Hell is Rory

Rory's Itinerary:

Days 1: Fly into Reykjavik. Walking tour(s) of city.
Day 2: Golden Circle Tour: Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, Haukadalur, Kerio Volcanic Crater
Day 3: Reykjavik to Vik: Seljalandsfoss waterfall, Eujafjallajokull volcano, Skogafoss falls (hike up above falls), glacier (unnamed)
Day 4: Vik to Hofn: Laufskalavarda, Fjadrargljufer gorge, Gigjukvisl Bridge, Skaftafell National Park (Jokull Glacier), Jokulsarlon (glacial lagoon), Glacial River Bridge (information office, boat tour through lagoon, black sand beach)
Day 5: Hofn to Myvatn: Drive through Fjords along coastline, Geothermal pools @ Myvatn
Day 6: Myvatn to Akureyri: Drive around Myvatn Lake, Skutustadagigar, Dimmuborgir (lots of hiking paths), Hverfell crater (hike to top for view), Grjotagja, Namafjall, Dettifoss falls, Halfragisfoss falls, Husavik (whale watching), Godafoss falls
Day 7: Akureyri to Reykjavik: Western coast of Iceland

More to come.