ICELAND F88 F910 F26 DREKI NYIDALUR OLD GAESAVATNALEID

Crossing the original (old) Gaesavatnaleid route F910 from East to West on August 18th, 2016. Our vehicle was a 2014 Nissan Xterra X 4WD , and except for a complete set of aluminum skid plates covering virtually the entire undercarriage, and a modified rear axle vent, it was stock. The ground clearance on this vehicle is 9.1 inches. Most of trip was recorded via a Garmin GPS with a built-in camera. We encountered four vehicles between Dreki and the location where F910 intersects with Sprengisandur (F26), so you are pretty much on your own. As of August 2016, there were no conventional fueling stations from the Route 1 / F88 intersection in the North, until the Hrauneyjar Service Center on F26 , at least not on the tracks I took*. That is a distance of approximately 204 miles (328km). Technically, if you can't make the last river crossing on F910, and you don't want to wait (potentially several hours or longer), you will need a total range of approximately 261 miles (420km) to return to Route 1. Keep in mind that there are several times between Dreki and F26 where you will be driving approximately 2 mph (3.22 kph) for a few minutes each time, because the terrain is so rugged. If you avoid the outwash plain, and take the "lava route", it is even worse**. Furthermore, there are places on the "lava route" where the guideposts are so far apart that you can not see any obvious path forward. You may need to stop your vehicle and assess the potential route ahead - having binoculars is HIGHLY recommended. AT NIGHT OR IN POOR VISIBILITY, THE "LAVA ROUTE" IS BASICALLY IMPOSSIBLE. All of these factors will increase your vehicle's fuel consumption, so plan accordingly. About half way between Dreki and F26, we encountered a diesel powered Land Rover that was low on fuel. We had 21 gallons (80 L) of extra gasoline in tanks on the roof rack, but unfortunately that couldn't help them. The warden at Dreki advised me in 1999 that people taking the "lava route" do become disoriented, get lost, and panic. If this happens and the weather turns bad, your life could be in danger. Furthermore, as of August 2016, there was essentially no terrestrial cellular coverage along F910 from Dreki to F26. Virtually every time I checked my phone it displayed "NO SERVICE" and the few times it displayed one bar, I could not place a call. We did have an Iridium satellite phone which provided full coverage for the entire trip. When we got to the second to last river crossing before connecting with F26 we met an Icelandic couple in a modified Toyota Land Cruiser ( the version they were driving is marketed as the Lexus GX 470 in the United States ). The weather was excellent for our trip. It had not rained much just before, and there was no rain on the day of the journey, plus the temperature was relatively cool. As a result, the river levels were relatively low, and the outwash plain was neither deep nor exceptionally muddy. The boulders on certain parts of the track can be challenging. I don't remember the undercarriage ever scraping against a boulder, rock, or the lava, but we definitely came very close sometimes, and on a few occasions, we got out of the vehicle and pushed aside very large rocks and small boulders that were blocking our path. I crossed this route twice before, in 1999 and 2000, completely alone, in a 1995 Daihatsu Feroza (each time I took the "lava route"). The rivers were deeper and faster, but still, I made it both times. This is one of Iceland's most difficult journeys, but if you plan the trip carefully, get good intel on the conditions of the rivers and the outwash plain from the wardens, and have a capable 4WD vehicle, it is possible that you can make it all the way across. The big variables are the rivers and the outwash plain. They can change in less than an hour if the weather becomes rainy and/or hot. Some sections of the track are almost completely covered with large rocks and boulders and a high clearance 4WD will increase your chances of making it. NEVER cross a river that is too deep or fast moving for your vehicle. Just wait until it can be crossed safely - better 6 hours late than 6 feet under. If you don't want to wait and you have enough fuel, turn around and head back to civilization. People do lose their vehicles and their lives trying to cross rivers in Iceland. This journey can be a nice adventure, but it is never worth losing your life. I will post more videos of the challenging sections of this track soon.
* I noticed a transportable fuel tank at Dreki, however I don't know what type of fuel it contained or if the fuel is available to travellers.
** As a result of the 2014-2015 eruption of Bardarbunga, the "lava route" I crossed in 1999 and 2000 has been altered, check with the warden at Dreki for information on how the track has been affected.
Tel. #'s
Dreki: +354 822 5190 – Tetra: +354 641 0040
Hrauneyjar: +354 487-7782
Nyidalur +354 854-1194

Видео ICELAND F88 F910 F26 DREKI NYIDALUR OLD GAESAVATNALEID канала 1969FCS