Park rangers in the highlands have had to assist far too many exhausted and poorly prepared hikers Páll Guðmundsson the manager of the Icelandic Touring Association tells local news service Visir.is.
Foreign hikers don‘t seem to realize what they are getting into and fail to pack appropriate clothing, sufficient provisions or tents that can withstand the elements of the Central Highlands. Rangers have been forced to carry exhausted and crying hikers to highland lodges after they were defeated by the elements and the mountains.
Foreign hikers don’t seem realize what they’re getting into
According to Páll the problem is that far too many foreign travellers who embark on the highlands are not at all prepared for the conditions they are bound to encounter. Hiking in snow and snow-melt, which covers many trails at this time is challenging. Still, rangers have met people who are wearing clothing which neither protects against wind or rain:
Travellers buy these trips into the highlands, but fail to take into account Icelandic conditions. The temperature can easily drop below freezing. And once they get wet, cold and beaten down by the elements, they get scared and frighten and then start crying.
Fortunately, Páll adds, the rangers are posted at lodges throughout the highlands and can assist hikers.
Hiking in Iceland is not for the unprepared, unequipped
Hiking in the highlands is certainly not for untrained or poorly prepared tourists, and can be very challenging, even for trained and experienced mountaineers. Weather conditions can be extremely harsh, and can change on a moment’s notice. Páll points out that the central highlands are usually only accessible to tourists in July and August. However, the tourist industry has been have been extremely successful in marketing Iceland, and many foreign travellers who visit Iceland don‘t know what they are likely to encounter:
People [in the tourism industry] have to be responsible and inform travellers of the conditions they are likely to encounter if they are traveling early in the summer or late in the fall.
Prepare well, ensure someone knows your schedule
We at Iceland Insider would add that tourists also need to be proactive and responsible: Do not embark upon any hikes in the mountains or Central Highlands without proper hiking gear and appropriate clothing. Check the weather and local conditions and ensure that someone knows where you are headed and what your schedule is, so that rescue teams can be alerted if you anything comes up.
Park rangers in the highlands have had to assist far too many exhausted and poorly prepared hikers Páll Guðmundsson the manager of the Icelandic Touring Association tells local news service Visir.is.
Foreign hikers don‘t seem to realize what they are getting into and fail to pack appropriate clothing, sufficient provisions or tents that can withstand the elements of the Central Highlands. Rangers have been forced to carry exhausted and crying hikers to highland lodges after they were defeated by the elements and the mountains.
Foreign hikers don’t seem realize what they’re getting into
According to Páll the problem is that far too many foreign travellers who embark on the highlands are not at all prepared for the conditions they are bound to encounter. Hiking in snow and snow-melt, which covers many trails at this time is challenging. Still, rangers have met people who are wearing clothing which neither protects against wind or rain:
Travellers buy these trips into the highlands, but fail to take into account Icelandic conditions. The temperature can easily drop below freezing. And once they get wet, cold and beaten down by the elements, they get scared and frighten and then start crying.
Fortunately, Páll adds, the rangers are posted at lodges throughout the highlands and can assist hikers.
Hiking in Iceland is not for the unprepared, unequipped
Hiking in the highlands is certainly not for untrained or poorly prepared tourists, and can be very challenging, even for trained and experienced mountaineers. Weather conditions can be extremely harsh, and can change on a moment’s notice. Páll points out that the central highlands are usually only accessible to tourists in July and August. However, the tourist industry has been have been extremely successful in marketing Iceland, and many foreign travellers who visit Iceland don‘t know what they are likely to encounter:
People [in the tourism industry] have to be responsible and inform travellers of the conditions they are likely to encounter if they are traveling early in the summer or late in the fall.
Prepare well, ensure someone knows your schedule
We at Iceland Insider would add that tourists also need to be proactive and responsible: Do not embark upon any hikes in the mountains or Central Highlands without proper hiking gear and appropriate clothing. Check the weather and local conditions and ensure that someone knows where you are headed and what your schedule is, so that rescue teams can be alerted if you anything comes up.
