“Iceland and I Have a Relationship”

ACCLAIMED PHOTOGRAPHER CHRIS BURKARD’S PENCHANT FOR ADVENTURE REPEATEDLY BECKONS HIM TO FORMIDABLE PLACES AND UNFAMILIAR ROUTES

- Pooja Naik

Early in August, accomplished American photographer Chris Burkard and his crew of three Canadian friends—which included two-time Olympic mountain biker Emily Batty, former professional mountain bike athlete Adam Morka, and adventure sports photographer Eric Batty—set out to bike across Iceland’s farthest eastern point in Dalatangi to the farthest western point in Bjargtangar. The itinerary looked straightforward, but never-before-attempted routes seldom are so. Burkard’s brainchild was put to test after a year of planning. Over the course of nine days, the team traversed 975 kilometres with nearly 40,000 feet of elevation gain, while slicing through the heart of the Nordic island nation. They encountered impassable river crossings, gravel- and sand-filled rocky roads, glaciers, hot springs, volcanic ashes, lava fields and even a moonlike terrain that was once the site of NASA’s astronaut training ground—all while lugging with a 40-kilo bike each. The adventure enthusiasts charted the uncharted, and it was no mean feat.