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texasbb
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Here and There in Iceland (July-August 2018) Aug 29, 2018 15:31:41 GMT -8 GaliWalker, kayman, and 2 more like this

Post by texasbb on Aug 29, 2018 15:31:41 GMT -8

I spent about two and a half weeks playing around in Iceland, 21 July through 7 August 2018, including hikes of the Laugavegur and Fimmvorduhals trails, climbing (walk-up) Snaefell, the tallest mountain in Iceland apart from the ice caps, and several short dayhikes. A small sample:

Glymur Falls is the tallest waterfall in Iceland. I only got to see the very bottom of it because of the fog, but...who cares:

Glymur Falls

The Laugavegur and Fimmvorduhals trails are the most popular backpacks in the country. Laugavegur is maybe 32 miles, Fimmvorduhals maybe 15? Day 1 on the Laugavegur was beautifully clear; the rest of the trip was more "normal."

Lava flows and colors (Laugavegur Trail)

Hot pool in the distance (Laugavegur Trail)

Colors! (Laugavegur Trail)

Alftavatn Lake, 1st night's camp (Laugavegur Trail)

A lot of day 2 traverses long, flat, black, sandy, lava fields:

Gorgeous, stark, barren, black lava field (Laugavegur Trail)

More stark, barren...beautiful lava fields (Laugavegur Trail)

Because of a bad weather forecast, we were urged to go all the way to Thorsmork (finishing that trail) on day 2, which we did. We then spent an extra day there to do a little dayhiking.

Thorsmork (end of Laugavegur Trail, beginning of Fimmvorduhals Trail)

Glacier view near Thorsmork

Krossa River, Thorsmork

The warden recommended we not hike, due to forecasted winds in the 30 to 50 mph range, followed by rain. We hiked. The forecast was right, but we made it to Skogar (end of the Fimmvorduhals Trail).

Morning light and color to ford by (Fimmvorduhals Trail)

Sawed off mountain that we crossed (Fimmvorduhals Trail)

Land of fire and ice (Fimmvorduhals Trail)

The last half of Fimmvorduhals follows the river and views something like 23 waterfalls. It was raining, so I didn't get pictures of all of them, but here are a few.

Falls (Fimmvorduhals Trail)

Falls (Fimmvorduhals Trail)

On the east side, a little north of the big Vatnajokull Glacier, sits 6000-ft Snaefell, Iceland's tallest non-ice cap mountain. It's a relatively easy walk-up, at least when the snow/ice fields are soft.

Snaefell

Lava flow on the way up Snaefell

View to Vatnajokull Glacier, which covers 9% of Iceland

Looking south from Snaefell's peak (Vatnajokull in the distance)

Looking north from Snaefell's peak

For a short dayhike of only about 2000 feet of vertical gain, you get some incredible views of the Skaftafellsjokull outlet tongue of Vatnajokull Glacier.

Yours Truly at the foot of the Skaftafellsjokull outlet tongue

Looking up

A nice day in Iceland

I could go on and on (I guess I have!), but that's enough for now. Lots more pics here if you've got time and interest.

reuben
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Here and There in Iceland (July-August 2018) Aug 31, 2018 5:21:53 GMT -8

Post by reuben on Aug 31, 2018 5:21:53 GMT -8

Thanks for the report. I've thought about Iceland, but my youngest daughter told me it's kind of overrun by tourists. Then again, she's not a backpacker. Laugavegur seems to be one of the best - and most crowded - trails. How crowded would you say the trails were?

I'd appreciate any thoughts you may have.

It's not an adventure until something goes wrong. - Yvon Chouinard

texasbb
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Here and There in Iceland (July-August 2018) Aug 31, 2018 11:02:19 GMT -8

Post by texasbb on Aug 31, 2018 11:02:19 GMT -8

Aug 31, 2018 5:21:53 GMT -8 reuben said:

Thanks for the report. I've thought about Iceland, but my youngest daughter told me it's kind of overrun by tourists. Then again, she's not a backpacker. Laugavegur seems to be one of the best - and most crowded - trails. How crowded would you say the trails were?

I'd appreciate any thoughts you may have.

There are lots of tourists, and the major backpackable trails are definitely what I'd call crowded. Our first day on Laugavegur, when the weather was clear and sunny, it was so crowded you couldn't find a place to relieve yourself without adopting European standards of modesty. It's also a little bubble-busting to me that there are huts everywhere, including folks who drove there for the night. I love the U.S. wilderness idea. Glad I went anyway.

Away from the popular trails (and tourist spots) it's a lot different. Over on the east side, we basically had Snaefell to ourselves. There was one other guy coming down just as we got started.

Be sure to prepare for the weather. You'll have lots of rain and hard wind, sometimes at the same time. There was one place where my 6" stakes were utterly inadequate to hold my tent in place because the "ground" was basically 4-inch thick moss.

Other things to know: Most of the tourists stay close to the coast, but some of the best scenery is in the interior. You'll want a 4wd vehicle to get to many of those places. Or book a tour...they have vehicles that can ford major rivers and crawl around on the glaciers if you want (see 10-wheel drive tour bus below).

Everything is expensive. A burger/fries/soda that would be $10 here might be $18 to $25 there. And you pay to use the toilet probably 80% of the time. Be sure to take plenty of small-bill Icelandic cash (krona), so you're not using the card for a two-dollar tinkle. ($2 is about 200 krona.) Laundry facilities are few and far between; we had better luck at campgrounds than hotels. One hotel we looked at wanted $35 per load. Away from Reykjavik and a few other population centers, many of the "major" roads are gravel, so be prepared for some hours of that.

It's easy to be a foreigner there, as virtually everyone speaks English. There seem to be more European workers (summer jobs) at the campgrounds, hostels, hotels, etc., than Icelanders. Beautiful place.

Campfires&Concierges Trail Wise! AKA Firedancer! Posts: 454	Here and There in Iceland (July-August 2018) Sept 11, 2018 20:34:17 GMT -8 Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by Campfires&Concierges on Sept 11, 2018 20:34:17 GMT -8 Very cool. I've read a lot of blog posts about Iceland (had a 24-hour stopover last summer, didn't make it out of Reykjavik) but I never see much about backcountry hiking. Love the photos!
	I'm taking a gap year at 40! Follow my travels: www.campfiresandconcierges.com/

ryanlivas Trail Wise! Posts: 198	Here and There in Iceland (July-August 2018) Sept 20, 2018 0:58:58 GMT -8 Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by ryanlivas on Sept 20, 2018 0:58:58 GMT -8 Iceland is indeed full of tourist locations/spots. Thanks for this great report and for the cool photos, so relaxing to have seen them.

gabby Trail Wise! Posts: 4,537	Here and There in Iceland (July-August 2018) Aug 2, 2019 9:19:45 GMT -8 Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by gabby on Aug 2, 2019 9:19:45 GMT -8 Beautiful!

bumknees Trail Wise! Posts: 113	Here and There in Iceland (July-August 2018) Aug 2, 2019 19:16:22 GMT -8 Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by bumknees on Aug 2, 2019 19:16:22 GMT -8 Nice pics. Went there in 2010.

Here and There in Iceland (July-August 2018)

Post by texasbb on Aug 29, 2018 15:31:41 GMT -8

Post by reuben on Aug 31, 2018 5:21:53 GMT -8

Post by texasbb on Aug 31, 2018 11:02:19 GMT -8

Post by Campfires&Concierges on Sept 11, 2018 20:34:17 GMT -8

Post by ryanlivas on Sept 20, 2018 0:58:58 GMT -8

Post by gabby on Aug 2, 2019 9:19:45 GMT -8

Post by bumknees on Aug 2, 2019 19:16:22 GMT -8