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.
ReplyDelete