On foot · Þakgil, Iceland · August 2025
The big Þakgil loop
A hike Christian had been talking about for months, in its long version, the one that doesn't really leave a choice. More than 18 kilometres and a good 1,000 metres of climbing, among canyons, plateaus and glacier. Hard, but rarely have we seen such a show.
- Date
- August 2025
- Distance
- 18 km
- Elevation gain
- 1,000 m
The route · indicative
The climb
The canyon and the glacier
We wake under a sky that is blue, really blue. A playful start with two fords to cross, then the climb into splendour. From the hut it goes straight up a grassy slope, not one to try in wet weather, and there are passages where your mind has to be your friend, with 400 metres of drop on each side.
We look down into a magnificent canyon with the glacier at the end. Three sheep look at the camera, then turn their backs just as it clicks. And as a gift, a little arctic fox. From small summit to small summit, facing the immensity.
The return
The descent
A refill of pure water from a stream, glowing mosses, and a sea of clouds at whose edge we walk. Here the climbs go straight up, then up and down again with vast plains in between.
Immensity in its simplest form, a rock arch, a last gentle plateau, then the steep descent, which has to be handled by trusting yourself. Down there, the goal. Phew, we're getting close: once again, veni, vidi, vici.
