Abandoned Iceland - The DC Plane Wreck

I knew that some trekking is required to reach the desolate beach where the DC plane landed some 45 years ago. But man, what a trek that turned out to be! I wasn't prepared for what greeted us at the improvised parking lot: a huge desert of black lava sand and stones laid before us with something that resembled a trail in the middle of it. As I turned the engine off, we could hear the discouraging whistle of the wind and the raindrops hitting the roof of our little tin box; the wind was so intense that the car shook like an aircraft going through turbulence. We looked ourselves in the eye and nodded to each other. We were doing it.

At first, it didn't feel like it will be much of an effort, but my initial impression changed quickly while moving forward through the desert. The cold raindrops were hitting us fiercely from the left, and halfway through, I could barely feel or move the left part of my face. My waterproof boots started leaking, and the gloves were soaked completely. Not only that but my nose was running like a tap because I was still recovering from a cold (or flu, who knows). We stopped for a moment to look around. The parking lot was nowhere to be seen, nor was the beach with the plane wreck. It felt like we are in the middle of nowhere without any shelter or protection. The only way was forward.

On the way, we met several people coming back from the beach - all with strained red faces and without having any desire or power to look at us or say Hi. They were strangers in a strange place. After about 40 minutes, a small silver structure appeared on the horizon with a tiny black dot next to it. There it was - the famous DC plane wreck! The small dot turned out to be another photographer who was getting ready to leave. There was a positive aspect to the bad weather – we had the wreck to ourselves!

It's hard to believe that the fuselage has been standing on that beach for so long. I assume the engines were removed and the holes sealed after the emergency landing.

The artifacts in some of the images are actual raindrops that accumulated on my lens. I carried my camera in my hand without any protective bag whatsoever. That was a good test for its weatherproof capabilities. Honestly, I will never again consider buying gear that doesn't have protection from the elements.

Once, that used to be a cockpit.

My wet shoes.

Do you have any idea what this might be?

@agniese's autofocus assist light in action.

The fuselage provided some shelter from the merciless rain, and we were able to rest a bit and recharge our batteries before heading back to our car. You can see the raindrops in the next shot.

I like the photos that I took, but I am not proud of them; the plane wreck has been captured hundreds of thousands of times from all possible angles. However, I am proud of myself for committing to this challenge and stepping out of my comfort zone! And I must say that having @agniese as a companion helped a lot. She never gives up.

Would you consider trekking in such weather?

Thank you for stopping by!
Dan

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