Day 1:
We left Solheimar fairly early in the morning for a two hour
drive to Landmannalaugar. The
transformation of landscape was absolutely astounding! Unfortunately I did not have my camera with
me on the bus so the pictures of the landscape remain in my mind. We transitioned from the hills and fields
that we have become accustomed to into gravel roads and barren landscapes. Then the flat barren land became rockier and
rockier. People had told me that parts
of Iceland look just like the moon, but I had never really believed them completely. However, on Tuesday I saw the moon. It was such an alien environment and unlike
anything I have ever witnessed before while traveling. Miles and miles of ash and rock. It was unbelievable. Then, after the roughest bus ride on gravel
roads ever, we arrived in Landmannalaugar.
It was much colder there than in Solheimar, and we had an hour to wander
around. Some of us went to visit a
thermal bath that you could swim in. I
chose not to go in, but it was very cool to see. We also visited the Mountain Mall! This was two buses side by side in which you
could buy some food items, extra hats and mittens, postcards, and other hiking necessities. We then had a great lunch of cream of
mushroom soup, made some pb&j sandwiches, and headed on our way towards the
first hut. The first day we climbed
about 400 meters in elevation, and it was very cold and extremely windy. We packed tea and sandwiches for snacks along
the way which was great, because tea tasted much better than water while
hiking. It was so cold that the water in
my water bottles turned into a slushy ice over the course of 5 or so
hours. The landscape was of course
beautiful, and we had a chance to see many thermal vents in the mountain side. We
finally made it to our hut for the night which had no running water, but was
warm and protected us from the wind. We
had some Icelandic doughnuts and a warm dinner and called it a night.Day 2:
I started the day by getting some water for our group. To do so I had to climb down a snowy
mountainside to a pipe where we could collect drinkable water. Then after our morning porridge and cleaning
we were on our way. We had beautiful
weather on day two! We took a detour and ended up hiking about 16 km instead of
the marked 12. As part of the detour we
got to visit an ice cave. The layers in
the ice were so pretty, and walking inside was like a whole new world. It was gorgeous. The most challenging part of
day two was our mountain climb. Our
guides decided that if the glacier was
snowy enough that we would climb to the top of a nearby mountain to see the
view. Luckily for us there was enough
snow on the glacier from the storm that occurred over the previous few
days. It was very cool having the chance
to walk along the glacier, and also frightening. We had to put complete faith in our guides
that they would take us on a path where the ice was stable to walk on. I am very blessed that I had the opportunity
to do this. Once we made it to the other
side we climbed to the top. The climb
was hard and steep, but the view was absolutely astounding! From the top you could see the five largest
glaciers in Iceland. It was so
beautiful. We did not stay at the top
for long because it was cold and windy and we had to continue on with our
hike. On the way down we got to see a
spot in the glacier where it was caving in on itself due to the thermal vents
underneath. It really summed up Iceland
for me because I got to see the battle between fire and ice that is occurring on
this island. After a long hike down a
hillside we made it to hut 2. This hut
was very nice, however it was lit off of solar power, and due to low energy we
did not get to turn the lights on until late at night. Our guide, Pauli, told us ghost stories about
the land we were on, and we headed off to bed.Day 3:
Day three was very wet, however the scenery was still
gorgeous. The terrain changed yet again,
and we traveled through areas with dark, dark soil and bright, bright green
moss covered mountains. The contrast in
colors was stunning. We did a bit of a
detour this day to avoid an extra river crossing, although we still had to
cross one. This river was wide and at
the deepest up to right above the knee.
It was not too hard to cross, but the water was icy cold, and by the
time we got to the other side we could not feel our feet. It was a character building experience! At one point we stopped at an old hut that is
now locked. Pauli told us the ghost
story that is the reason why it is now locked.
On day three we also learned all about elves, trolls, and water
horses. It was a magical day in more
than one way! When we arrived at our hut
we were all very happy. It was very cozy
and the view was great. We could see a
nearby glacier, and got to see the weather change due to the temperature
changes over the glacier. It was very
cool to see.Day 4:
Our final day! We
left bright and early on the last 16 km of our trip. The morning was a little slow moving, but
after lunch we walked right into the middle of some farmers out herding sheep
out of the mountains. It was very cool
to see the farmers and the dogs try to round up the sheep. Some of the dogs ran over to us and we got to
pet them. It was great! It was also very interesting to be with Pauli
at that time because he writes articles about environmental protection and was
taking pictures of the event. He was not
happy to have them there, because it was the first time sheep had been allowed
on that land, and it was not good grazing land for sheep. Also the farmers promised to not put more
than 20 sheep on the land, and there were easily more than 40 there. It was neat to hear about the struggles from
an Icelanders point of view and inspirational to see him standing up for what
he believes is right for the land. After
another river crossing we got to walk through an Icelandic forest! There are very few trees in Iceland, so to
have that opportunity was very cool. The
trees were beautiful, and the views from the tops of the mountains were
breathtaking. It was a great way to end
our hike! Once we arrived at the final
hut we went to go cross a river to get to our bus, however the river was too
high and strong to cross on foot, so our bus crossed to come get us. We followed a tractor back across the river
to make sure we got across safely. It was
very ironic though because we had heard multiple horror stories of people
trying to cross the rivers in the areas in cars and having their cars swept
away and in one case someone died. It
was a bit scary knowing that we were about to try to cross in our bus, and we
did get stuck in one area, but the tractor tied a rope to us and pulled us the
rest of the way across. When we got to
the other side we looked back and saw a large rainbow over the landscape, and
it was a great way to see the land that we had just spent days hiking
across. It was an unbelievable
experience. On the way home we stopped
and ate pizza! It was a lot of fun!
The trip was great and I hope to get the chance to hike it
again in the future! This weekend has
been pretty relaxed. This morning was
very exciting because we went to a sheep herding event. At this event they put all of the sheep that
they had herded into a pen, and we had to sort them into the pens of the
farmers to whom they belonged. People
from all over were there and it was very exciting. After a few minutes in the pen we learned the
technique to gathering the sheep. To get
them you have to grab them by the horns or fur on their back if they have no
horns, and get them with their neck in between your legs so they settle
down. Then you could look at their tag
and see if they belong to the farm you are looking for. I was able to find one sheep that belonged to
the correct farm! When you find the
right one you keep hold of the sheep’s horns and keep it in between your legs
and walk it over to the entrance to the pen.
It was a bit of a struggle because there were sheep everywhere, and they
did not want to be held onto, but it was great fun! Everyone should have the experience of sheep
herding in my opinion! This week to come
holds a lot of classes and an open house at the end of the week for the
Solheimar community to come to Brekkukot where we live and meet all of us. It should be a great week! Bless bless!
Happy to hear you had a wonderful week, and so many sheep. They are beautiful and very wooly! Hope your week ahead is great.
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