By Steve Heye, OS Pulaski Chapter Outings Chair
Around the world, there are trails that are so profound that they are part of any walker’s bucket list. One of those trails is Iceland’s Laugavegur, known as “the hot spring route” in Icelandic, from Landmannalaugar to Thorsmork. In August, nine members of the Ozark Society hiked the trail and experienced the wild volcanic area that is the Laugavegur.
The nine members started gathering over a few days in the capital, Reykjavik. On Friday, August 16th, we all met up at the BSI bus station with 7 other hikers and our guide at 6:30am. The members of this hike would be led by Steph Matti, a guide from the Icelandic Mountain Guides, sponsor of the trip. The Ozark members on the trip were Stewart Noland, Marcel Jones, Roger Keesee, Martha Morris, Ray Hanley, Danna Blubaugh, Linda Van Blaricom, Steve Heye and OS President, Brian Thompson.
The group total was 16. Of the other seven trekkers, six were from the U.S., but one member, Helga, came from Munich, Germany. Lisa and Liz came from New Mexico and Baton Rouge. Wayne and Annette were a couple from Michigan. Leon called Denver his home and Chris was from outside St. Louis. We were also graced with Steph the guide’s mom on most of the hike. Her mom came to Iceland from Australia to visit and enjoy the hike with her daughter. “Mom” would join us at our first stop, Landmannalaugar or “the people’s pools.”
It was a 4-hour ride from the bus station in Reykjavik to Landmannalaugar and last two hours were on gravel roads and in stream beds. A bit past 11am, we arrived at the lodge at Landmannalaugar. We gathered our gear and then made our lunch at a nearby picnic table.
Our meals were part of the deal we contracted on this hike with the Icelandic Mountain Guides. The other great feature was that most of our gear would be forwarded by IMG to the next lodge each day. It was a great relief not having to haul a full backpack. We would just be carrying our rain gear, water, lunch, and water shoes in day packs for the trip.
We were told to be ready to go by 12:30pm for the hike to our next hut, Hrafntinnusker. This would give some of us just enough time to take a dip in the hot spring just yards away. Stewart, Steve, and Wayne took advantage of the opportunity and spent about 40 minutes enjoying a soak before the 7 ½ mile trek up the hill to our home for the night. At 12:30pm we gathered up and headed south for Hrafntinnusker, the “mountain that is made of obsidian.”
The weather in Iceland before the trip, on Wednesday and Thursday, had been cool and rainy. We got a break on our first day, Friday. We had mostly sun as we started out, but about an hour or so on the trail, the clouds made a return and we had to don our rain gear. The rain would tease us the rest of the way by spitting for 20 minutes and then stopping with the sun going in and out. It became a case of start and stop as gear came on and off. Going uphill added to the discomfort when the rain gear was on. However, the stunning terrain made all the distractions go away. Steam, hot water, the colors, snow, and ice. It was all breath-taking.
We crossed a few ridges and plateaus, gaining about 1500 feet until we came to a snow field to cross before the pass ahead and the lodge just on the other side. Leaving the snow field and arriving at the pass, you could see the lodge sitting about ¼ mile away in the dappled sun. It was about 5 hours since we left Landmannalaugar, dinner and a bed were sounding good to everyone in the group.
It was the end of an interesting day. We had seen colorful volcanic terrain, had all kinds of weather, and watched steaming vents along the way. It was unlike anything most of us had hiked before. We fixed dinner and tried to cool off as the lodge was well heated, too well. It would also be our first night with 23 other hikers in the bunks around us and the accompanying noises that come with sleeping in a group.
Day Two – Hrafntinnusker to Alftavatn (Saturday)
Each day would begin with us waking up to kitchen activity as we made our group breakfast and the lunch for that day. Most days we also had two or three “outside” folk who filled the empty bunks in the lodge. This would result in some close sleeping arrangements. The first night had been hot for those on the top bunks. Getting used to folks snoring, getting up to visit the bathroom, and adjusting to the time zone changes had us all a bit edgy. By 9:30am the extra gear was in the IMG trailer and we were stretching to get hiking for the day. Our goal for day two was 7.5 miles away at a place called Alftavatn, “Lake of the Whooping Swans”.
We were starting this Saturday at an elevation of 3600 feet and we would drop 1800 feet in a very short distance in the middle of the hike. Before the drop, we would cross areas volcanic in nature: hot spots, steam, gases and a chance for flash floods from fast melting snow. Because Ray had some pace problems the day before, Steph decided to have him ride with the gear to Alftavatn. Ray generally walked at his own pace and though he finished yesterday’s hike, she thought the severe drop and areas of volcanic activity today may be a safety concern, as the pace would be need to be faster than Ray could maintain for her peace of mind. So, Ray got a first-hand view on how our cabin bags get to the next hut by joining the shuttle driver in his high wheeled truck.
The rest of us took off on foot for Alftavatn on the Laugavegur. We did a couple of miles going across the plateau below Hrafntinnusker. After almost two hours, we reached the tip-off for the big elevation drop. From here you could see the lake next to the Alftavatn lodge at an elevation of 1800 feet. It was still several hours away and a very sharp drop with short switchbacks. The decent was our first task at hand. On the way down, Brian and Steve were discussing how it reminded them of the 97-switchback piece of the Mt. Whitney Trail. Unlike Whitney, the Laugavegur Trail had little switchbacks and it was hard to maintain footing.
After about an hour, we finally reached the valley floor and had lunch. Ahead of us was our first water crossing. When we reached the water-crossing we had a short class on how we would use a cable for stability and how to use hiking poles. Two guys with bikes showed us how to use the cable and still be able to carry a mountain bike. We all changed to water shoes and we had no problems. We still had a couple of hours to walk to the lodge, but by 4pm we were all at our home for night two. The crew in charge of dinner started getting stuff ready while the rest got beds in order, took a shower, or grabbed a beer at the small store. Ray was there as well and told the story of how he got to Alftavatn with the gear.
Dishes were put up and folks swapped stories for the next few hours, while new strangers floated in to fill the empty bunk spots. As Steve went to bed, he noticed that a few others were following his lead of sleeping in noise canceling headphones. The earplugs were barely useful the night before. Turned out that the headphones made it quiet enough to get a good rest. We would need lots of rest for the nearly 11-mile hike the next day to Emstrur, “the high pasture”.
Day Three – Alftavatn to Emstrur (Sunday)
Weather was still good as we got everything ready for the nearly 11-mile hike to Emstrur. Clear skies and no real threat of rain had made day two a great hiking day and it was to hold through the third day as well. After eating breakfast, making lunch, and loading the trailer, we headed out for our first objective which was another trail hut about 4 miles away called Hvanngil or the Golden Valley. To get there we had to do some up and down hiking over small canyons carved by glacial run off. They all had bridge crossings or were easy to step over, except for one. It was wide and flat and our water shoes made an early appearance. We were quick to cross as the water was nothing but glacial run off.
Ray was back with us today and seemed to be doing much better as far as pace. We reached Hvanngil in a couple hours and had a snack. We also used the flush toilets since they were there. On the trail, you take advantage of every luxury you are presented.
Beyond Hvanngil lay a large volcanic desert, made up of black ash and cinders. The terrain was slightly downhill and flat, and we could make good pace for the next couple of miles. Someone said the small pieces of black cinders looked like crushed Oreos. We all agreed; miles of crushed Oreos ahead.
In fact, we made too good of a pace. Steve had volunteered to be the sweep for the day, the person who keeps all the hikers ahead of them. The couple of us at the rear were going at a fast, steady pace, but the majority up front were moving at nearly 4 miles an hour and pulling away. Once they got more than ¼ mile away, Steve whistled and got the attention of Steph to stop. He discussed how he was disappointed that we were not staying in contact-distance and asked if we could slow down and enjoy the view. She did slow up the forward bunch the remainder of the hike so we could maintain contact and hike safely.
We stopped for our lunch in a hollow, out of the wind. The day was partly cloudy, but the wind at our backs was in the 10 to 15 mph range. The breeze would kick up dust in a lot of the drier stretches and it was annoying at times. After lunch, we continued to cross long segments of flat volcanic plains with lots of dust. There was one river that we crossed on a road bridge, the road that made its way up to Alftavatn and Hvanngil lodges. There was also a large waterfall nearby that was beautiful.
The trail has been weaving between volcano cinder cones along this stretch. We found out that one was overdue for some activity, but for now, everything was quiet and the small mountains stuck up like green islands from the black cinder plains.
About 4pm we crossed a pass and caught sight of the Emstrur lodge. As we dropped down the hill, you could also see a side trail going over to a deep slot canyon. A few of us walked over later to see the canyon after getting set up at Emstrur. Those who did see the canyon said it reminded them of Royal Gorge, Colorado.
The nightly routine was now familiar: find a bunk spot and set up your bed, a group would start dinner preparation, and we’d welcome the two or three coming into the lodge to sleep with us. It wasn’t hard to get folks to hit the sack early this night since it had been a long day on the trail.
Day Four – Emstrur to Thorsmork/Basar (Monday)
It was now Monday, August 19th, the last full day on the Laugavegur. We still had roughly 10 miles left to get to Thorsmork, Thor’s Forest. As with the night routine, the morning started out with us packing our lodge bags, eating breakfast, and making our lunches, just as we had in the days before. We were out by 9:30am, doing our stretching and ready to go.
Ray would be riding again today for safety reasons. There was a section coming up where we had to keep a steady pace passing through an area that had some volcanic activity. There would also be a sharp downhill leading into Thorsmork, an elevation change of nearly 1000 feet. We hit the trail crossing over another stretch of up and down sections: across a plain, down into a drainage, back out and repeat.
About 1½ miles into the hike, we were told we were entering the area where things are a bit more active. Steph told us that recent activity had measured more heat being released and that may cause problems such as flash flooding or super-heated steam releases. We had to cross a bridge over a drainage coming from the nearby glacier. The glacier is sitting on top of the activity. Should the volcano get active, the glacier could quickly melt, causing flash flooding. Or it could release a steam cloud down the hill toward the trail.
She said that one clue to more activity was not the sulfuric smell, but the addition of an onion like smell. There was a hint of onion in the air that day! We were told to keep a steady pace and refrain from stopping until we topped out on a ridge on the other side of the bridge. It was uneventful other than taking photos while walking and one big step coming out of the drainage from the bridge. About ten minutes later we took a break on top of the ridge on the other side of the danger zone.
We did a little bit more up and down hiking and then hit another plain where sheep were grazing. It was on this plain we saw areas where the locals have tried to reclaim the bare areas by reseeding with tundra like plants. This is what the sheep mainly dine on. We also started seeing grasses and trees. In the previous four days, not one tree was in sight. Our lunch would be in a grassy area stuck among the trees. It was almost surreal as the stark moonscapes we had been in the past few days.
After lunch we had to cross one more stream with our water shoes. The Laugavegur leaves the stream and onto a ridge leading into the Thorsmork Nature Reserve. The Laugavegur follows the ridge for a while and then reaches a point where you can see the Slyppugil Lodge, (Escape Gully) on the north shore of the river Krossa (Cross). It would still be about a mile trek down to the river and a loss of about 1000 feet. The trail here had been dressed out better than the other long descents we had before. There were stairs and platforms as we approached the end of the Laugavegur. Being in a National Park did have some advantages, trail maintenance being one of them.
We all took a break at the picnic area at Slyppugil. We still had to cross the Krossa and Steph was trying to get info on the conditions and where we could get past the fast, deep water. While we waited, we took a group photo at the selfie station that had been set up at the picnic area. We had officially finished the Laugavegur Trail, but we still had two days of local hiking ahead to look forward to. First, we had to cross the river and make our way to the Basar (bazaar) Lodge, upstream about a mile.
Steph found a suitable route to a portable bridge we needed to cross and after changing back into our boots, we walked the trail upstream to the Basar area. We passed a large cave in a lava ridge formation the locals called the Troll Church. This was the home of the local trolls and you behaved yourself or they would play tricks on you. Not long after we broke into a clearing and there was the store and the lodge. This time there was more than enough room for all guests and our group had our own room in the lodge.
Ray was waiting on us and told us the day he had had on the way from Emstrur with the lodge bags and food. The lodge was the biggest one we stayed in, with a grand kitchen that was not in the same room as our bunks. The best thing though was the bathroom which had three showers and no limit on the hot water! The owners were tired of charging for showers and maintaining the equipment used to time them. We all used well more than the typical five minutes to shower that we were given at the other huts on the trail.
Day Five – Thorsmork Area Day Hikes (Tuesday)
Today was just as clear as the last three days had been. It was a bit warmer now as we were at 650 feet in elevation, still at no time did it ever get above 53F degrees. The morning routine was a bit calmer today since we would be spending another night here and did not need to pack up our hut bags. We had breakfast and prepared our lunch as usual, but we were all interviewed by Steph to see how things were physically with each of us. She was most interested in those of us who had knee and balance problems. Some folks like Steve and Linda already knew that knee problems would keep them around camp today. Ray, however was ready to hit the trail. Steve did manage to explore about 5 miles along the Krossa. Linda joined him after lunch for the second half of his hike.
The original group plan was to hike an area south of Basar called Fimmvorouhals. This hike would have been about 12 miles long and have a gain, then a loss of altitude of 3300 feet. Even the healthiest of our group said this was a bit too much and asked Steph for an alternative day hike. She came up with a hike that was just as scenic, but much more inviting, starting from Slyppugil. It would be a six-mile loop, though we had to walk a couple of miles to get to the trail head.
Again, we crossed the portable bridge and then walked along a trail going up the riverbed. There we turned toward the mountain and climbed. Not too bad but it was steep. As we got higher and there were more drop-offs, Steph began to warn us of “exposure,” meaning that if you tripped and went over, that was it. So, the talking died down and we did our best to pay attention to our feet. It made you appreciate the view without the noise even more.
We finally reached wide-open ground and climbed for another half mile to the edge of a cliff that dropped off hundreds of feet to the river. It was spectacular. Here we ate lunch and marveled at the landscape. Then, we did four more miles of varying “exposure” with Steph clearly nervous about her clutch of guests. With the views and good weather, it was one of our best days. Everyone was back at the Basar hut by 4:30pm. The rest of the day was spent fixing dinner and preparation for our departure tomorrow afternoon.
Day Six – Back to Reykjavik (Wednesday)
After a starry, laid-back evening, we awoke to totally different weather on this Wednesday. Overnight an Atlantic Storm hit Iceland. While it was not dumping rain at our location, the wind was strong. The bus to take us back to town was not due until 3pm that afternoon and everyone was polled on who wanted to take a four-hour or so day hike this morning. About half of us said we would pass and only the true hardy souls of the group would venture out on a local trek. We had breakfast, made lunches, and went either back to the room or grabbed our gear to explore the area.
The group that chose to explore stayed on the south bank of the river to help keep shoes dry as possible. They took a trail out of camp and headed into a valley on the other side of the ridge behind our lodge. The rain held off until they made it back to the hut a bit after lunch. A few of those who stayed behind explored the river bank near the huge RV campground that was behind the lodge.
By 2pm we had all gathered up our gear and we waited for the wilderness bus to arrive to take us to Hella, where we would transfer to a regular bus for the remainder of our trip to BSI in Reykjavik. The bus got there about 2:30pm and we piled in to head back to the main ring road. This bus is equipped with special tires that allow it to drive into rivers and on soft gravel roads. It would take nearly 90 minutes for us to make it to the paved highway.
When we did make it to the highway, we found a series of waterfalls, Seljalandsfoss. This area was crowded with cars, vans, buses and people since it’s a major stopping point for those who are driving the ring road that circles Iceland. We continued on to Hella, where we got a break and switched buses.
The second bus made its way on the highway to Reykjavik and the BSI bus station. The rain had stopped, so we gathered with our gear outside the station, where said our good byes and swapped email addresses. The Ozark Society members started scattering for our hotels around town. Some would be staying over a day to catch a plane for Scotland on Friday and do some more hiking on the West Highland’s trail led by Stewart. The rest of us would spend time in town until it was time to head to the airport to head home.
Over all, each of us enjoyed the trip and was impressed with what Iceland had to offer. We saw but a small portion of the island and the thought to return was on everyone’s mind. As for the Laugavegur Trail? We hope it’s on your bucket list!
For more pictures see: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBEJwN