Hiker Sturlaugur Eyjólfsson, 68, became the oldest person to have completed Glerárdalshringurinn, a 24-peak hiking tour in Eyjafjördur, northeast Iceland, on Saturday. He completed the tour with a group of hikers in 26 hours.
“I was damn tired after the walk. I don’t think I could finish another one right away,” Eyjólfsson told Morgunbladid.
Glerárdalshringurinn is a 50-kilometer long round-trip and its combined elevation is 4,000 meters. The hike includes the entire mountain ridge that forms Glerárdalur valley, summiting 24 mountains.
When asked whether he had made any special preparations for the hike, Eyjólfsson said, “I have just tried to walk a lot in the past years, especially in summer. My wife and I are for example going to walk Hornstrandir [in the West Fjords] next weekend.”
Eyjólfsson said Glerárdalshringurinn is an especially difficult hiking tour; parts of it are very challenging. “The distance crossed equals two climbs to Hvannadalshnjúkur [Iceland’s highest peak]. But this walk is much more difficult than going up there. One also gets tired more easily once one has become a legalized bum [retiree],” he added jokingly.
The highest mountain in Glerárdalshringurinn is Kerling, rising 1,538 meters above sea level. The lowest mountain is Hlídarhryggur, 1,100 meters high. Ten of the 24 summits on the mountain ridge are higher than 1,400 meters. Eleven thereof are among Iceland’s 100 highest peaks.
The Glerárdalshringur Hiking Tour was held for the fourth time last weekend and was considered a success. Sixty-two of the 94 people who registered made it all the way.
