After we finished our epic Norway trip, we flew straight from the Oslo airport to Rikshovik on the south side of the island. We had made arrangements to meet Icelandic Adventures and have them hook us up with a form of transportation. They drove us from the airport into town in a huge four-wheel-drive, jacked-up mini van. Looking around, everyone had similar vehicles. As soon as we stepped out of the van, we were hit by a blast of Arctic air which sent us scurrying for our winter jackets.

'Yee Haah' Icelandic Style

Jon, who picked us up, would become our guide for the rest of the trip and drive us all over the island. Our first stop after enjoying some natural hot springs that night was an incredible first descent. It was about an 8-foot falls, immediately followed by an over-40-footer, totally clean, except the first drop. Marrian, who had come from Norway to be on the Iceland trip, went first and stomped it. Ben went next and also styled it.     Nick Turner and I decided to put in just above the 40-footer because the top drop had some nasty consequences if you got off -line. Nick went first, then me, and we both had good rides. Next came Seth. We watched as Seth got off-line and sucked into the horseshoe-shaped cut in the rock ledge that formed the waterfall. He froze and plummeted straight onto rock. We knew something was wrong as soon as he rolled up and headed for shore. He just barely caught the only eddy above the 40-footer.

   After we pulled him out of his boat, we knew something was terribly wrong. Jon and I then carried him about a half-mile back to the car and got him into dry clothes. As soon as we got to the closest hospital, about an hour-and-a half-away, his ankle was swollen up to about three times its size and had turned totally black and blue. The doctor took one or two X-rays and told us he didnÕt have the training to help Seth. He then sent us to a hospital about another hour-and-a-half away. When we finally got to the second hospital, Seth had to go into surgery immediately. We later learned that he almost lost his foot because the bone he broke cut off all circulation to his foot. After three days, Seth had to be sent home for further treatment, accompanied by Ben Selzinick. The only American paddlers left were Nick and myself.

Seth Warren in some serious pain.

    From there we started heading to the opposite coast. Our first stop, Gulda Foss, was the cleanest 40-footer we had seen yet. Even the film crew would step it up and huck off of it. The only carnage on this drop was Jon, our guide, who ended up swimming after his skirt popped. He got sucked back behind the falls, but he was able to get back in his boat on a rock ledge, find a $400 paddle that Dan had lost there the run before, and get back out. After stretching our legs at Gulda Foss, we hopped back in the car and headed for the Icelandic rodeo.

    The rodeo turned out to be a big hit, with every boater in Iceland turning up, all 18 of them, along with some pros from Europe that turned up to witness the first Icelandic rodeo. Members of our group would place second, third and fourth in the rodeo; Nick Turner first, then Mariann and myself.

Iceland had never really seen a blunt before...

Grinding away

The trip was starting to come to a close with only four days left, so we tried to make the best of it. We ran a few more falls and a slide that I would seriously hurt my back on, and another slide that sent Nick to the hospital for a cast on his broken left hand and 10 stitches in his elbow. We partied all night in Richevik, then got on the plane and headed home after our amazing trip to Norway and Iceland.   -Tyler

Sack it up and huck