This report is about the tour: Laugavegur Trek
Diary of a hiking in Iceland in the summer of 2018.
This was already my third season in Iceland and I had become shamelessly accustomed to its incredible beauty. What does this mean for you, the readers? On the one hand, the text will not contain those inspiring delights that seize a traveler upon his first acquaintance with any more or less outstanding exotic. On the other hand, one can hope for some sobriety of reasoning... By the way, do you know what I wrote down in my diary as the main conclusion of this trip? Be sure to take waterproof dumpsters! I wore them every evening, even if it wasn't raining - just for warmth and protection from the wind.
So, greetings from sunny Iceland! It rained all night in Reykjavik and in the morning my tent began to cry. Immediately before the trip, an additional guy was added to it, and it was precisely in this place that it began to leak, despite subsequent treatment. I had to go (in the rain, of course) to a hardware store and buy silicone. Now I’ll lightly dry the tent with paper and re-smear the seams for waterproofing.
The terrible word Laugavegur in the title of this opus is the name of the most popular route in Iceland. So there are 9 km left before the start of this track. Our bus made a stop at a lake in an old volcano crater, just so we could take pictures.
If you go to Landmanalaugar (I remember all these names!) not by bus, but by your own car, then the adventure begins much earlier. I envy the guys.
We walk lightly through the “colored mountains” of the Landmanalaugar National Park. The tourists are still full of energy and are climbing every rock they come across to take photos.
I looked through the photos from the first 2 days of the hike in Iceland and found only 2 sunny frames. Both were done in the first 2 hours of the hike...
When hiking in Iceland, it is not very common to see living creatures (sheep don’t count). This partridge also seemed glad to meet him and was in no hurry to run away.
On the way down this hill, Katya slipped, fell and thoroughly cut her arm. Washed, wrapped, smeared. Upon returning to the campsite, she stopped by the local aid station, where she was praised and told to keep up the good work (washing and bandaging).
The Laugavegur trek has begun. A difficult and rather bleak transition across a relatively high plateau. A year ago, in this very place, I was languishing in the heat (although there was no less snow). Now the mountains are inexorably covered with clouds - there is no smell of heat, and soon nothing will be visible.
The parking lots near the Hraftinnusker shelter (Iceland) are completely covered with snow. We categorically did not want to spend the winter here (in July) and we pushed forward to Swan Lake. As a result, the daily mileage exceeded 20 km and we successfully passed the standard for walking in wet shoes.
10 hours after leaving the camp we arrived at the same Alftavatn (Swan Lake). The bridge to the “camping” island has been removed, so all the tents are crammed into the low area. But mobile Internet works well.
Typical Icelandic weather, typical Icelandic camping. Everyone is asleep, it's completely boring))
In the morning we went to a radial trail on a rock overlooking Swan Lake. We were almost exhausted (because we were in a hurry again), but the rain saved us.
It turns out there is a legend about a certain “Loch Ness monster” living in this lake... Terrible stupidity. Swan Lake is shallow and most likely freezes to the bottom in winter. No plesiosaurs will survive here. But there are plenty of fairy-tale heroes in Iceland. We have been hanging out here for a long time and feel great))
On the Iceland trek there are only 4 rivers that need to be forded. And the depth is not higher than the knee, and the current is not strong. But the water is so cold that you don’t actually feel the cold anymore. This is pure pain without any temperature nuances.
We arrived at the Emstur-Botnar campsite relatively early - at 17:30. But despite the simple terrain, everyone was terribly tired - the volcanic desert absorbed all their strength. As a result, we not only postponed the radial trip to the canyon, but also did not play “crocodile” in the evening.
Iceland is Mordor. You need to come here with a lot of optimism and waterproof clothing. In our group this is all right and we continue to smile. Come))
P.S. in the photo there is the Markarfljótsgljúfur canyon and us
I didn't particularly remember the transition to Thor's forest. But most likely there are other opinions on this matter.
Katya started playing doctor again - her knees rebelled.
Lupines were blooming in the forest of Thor! No one wanted to look for mushrooms.
As we passed this parking lot, we were wildly envious of its inhabitants - they had already arrived and could rest, but we still had a whole hour of travel ahead. But tomorrow (if we survive) we will have a head start.
Today a lot will depend on the weather. And of course, from the very morning the volcano, through which we must cross, is densely shrouded in clouds.
No matter how gloomy these photos may look, we were very lucky with the weather - while we stormed Eyjafjallajökull the skies did not shower us with hail and snow, but only sprinkled them with rain a couple of times.
Lunch was held at the Pyramid shelter. Oddly enough, the caretaker of the shelter disappeared somewhere.
On the descent we met a mega-jeep, which “sat on its belly” in deep snow. We tried to help the driver, but nothing worked... Maybe it was the caretaker of the shelter?
There is also a lot of snow in the valley of the waterfalls. There are even a few snow bridges. But there is no desire to check their reliability.
There is greenery around again (and sheep), but it is not getting any warmer yet. An icy wind blows from the mountains, and in the morning there was frost on the tents.
At the famous Skógafoss, half of the group bundled up in raincoats and purposefully walked into the heart of the storm. Yes, exactly there - to the foot of the waterfall, where streams of water and clouds of aquadust leave no chance for even the most waterproof clothes.
While we were having lunch, we decided how to use the day we had saved at Swan Lake. We'll head to Glacier Lagoon for a couple of hours. Bus tickets are really expensive, but people want more tin and more ice! I understand this desire very well... and I take out a second pair of pants and a puff jacket from my backpack.
Glacier Lagoon is clear and cold. The wind gets through even in a powder coat.
Our guys went amphibious rides, and I photo-meditate on the ice.
In the evening we arrive in Vik. It's much warmer there, but it rains constantly.
In the morning we went to a radial trail on a rock where there are puffins. The weather is nasty, there are few birds. After lunch we drive to Reykjavik.
The hike in Iceland (the same Laugavegur) will soon end and then we will probably even miss the black sand, leaden sky, cold rains and icy rivers. Over time..))
Kirill Yasko, March 24, 2020