In August, I'll be setting off on a self-supported bikepacking journey across Iceland.
The expedition has come about through a month-long sabbatical awarded to me by Shackleton, where I've worked as a graphic designer, photographer and filmmaker for the past five years. When the sabbatical was announced, I knew almost immediately what I wanted to do.
I was going to Iceland.
For as long as I can remember, bikes have been a part of my life. I've raced them, fixed them, photographed them and travelled because of them. Photography came later, but the two have always seemed to go hand in hand. I learned how to use a camera at college, but I learned how to take photographs at bike races.
This expedition feels like a natural coming together of those two things.
Starting at Dalatangi in the East, I'll travel across Iceland's interior, carrying everything I need on the bike. The route will take me through some of the most remote landscapes in Europe; volcanic deserts, mountain tracks, glacial rivers and vast open spaces where there are often more miles between people than there are between settlements.
I'm not attempting to break records or ride the furthest or fastest route. The goal is simply to experience Iceland at a slower pace and to immerse myself in a landscape unlike anywhere else in the world.
Along the way I'll be documenting the journey through photography, film and writing. Not just the big views and dramatic moments, but the small details too: the weather, the people, the mechanical problems, the campsites, the long days in the saddle and even a once in a generation total solar eclipse.
I've always been drawn to stories of exploration, particularly those of Sir Ernest Shackleton. Not because they were about reaching a summit or crossing a finish line first, but because they were about curiosity, resilience and a willingness to venture into the unknown.
This journey is my own small version of that spirit.
Over sixteen days, I'll cross a country shaped by fire, ice and weather, carrying a camera and riding a bike, and hopefully return with a collection of stories and photographs that capture what it's really like to travel through one of the most extraordinary landscapes on Earth.