Day 4 - Laugavegur Trail #1

 22 kilos.  Yikes.  B weighed in at 19 without her camera, so add maybe another kilo for that.

We had breakfast and coffee at the camp kitchen and did the final pack and weigh.  We managed to shove everything under the seats in the back out of sight, we are going to be leaving it parked on the long term park across the road from where the bus leaves.  We schlepped all our gear to the bus, checked in, heaved our bags in the luggage storage under the bus and found ourselves a seat.  The bus filled, no spare seats so just as well we booked, and left on the dot at 8.45am.  

We went north on the ring road for about 5 minutes, then turned onto a side road heading into the centre of the island. Maybe a half hour later we turned onto the F road to Landmannalaugar.  F roads are unsealed and for 4x4 vehicles only, you can't take a rental unless it's a 4x4.  We spent the next 2 and a half hours winding our way towards the highlands the roads were rough and suddenly and it was  slow pace.  This gave us plenty of time to enjoy the stunning scenery.  Black volcanic sand (finer than small stones but not fine enough to call it sand) with moss in every shade of green there is, it was stunning.  Rounded hills of the black sand and green moss, old lava fields with chunks of molten rock that had cooled and solidified, pushed upwards in jutting craggy shapes as the next new wave of molten lava rode over the old.

As we got closer to Landmannalaugar, the ground turned brown rather than black, add in shades of blue and green mineral deposits that streaked down the slopes. 

We crossed a couple of rivers, the water level was quite low and our trusty camper would likely have been fine, but the driver was slow and careful.  He'd joked at the start of the trip that if we got in trouble, we were expected to help.  If we got stuck in the river, we had to get out and help push.  It's even says on your ticket, you know. 

We arrived at Landmannalaugar on time at 11.30, unloaded our gear, and used the facilities.  Took the obligatory photo by the Laugavegur Trail sign. Then a moment of confusion as to where the trail actually started.  It's a base for many day walks, snd trails went in all directions.  We soon found the sign, and we were off!  Months of planning and here we were doing it.

The weather was as close to perfect as we could hope, warm and overcast with the cloud high enough to see the mountain tops, and almost no wind.

I'm using hiking poles for the first time, and I'd tried them briefly at home and never quite got it.  I decided to bring them anyway as they would be essential for river crossings.  For maybe the first km I was like a pig with a rifle, but then I stopped thinking about them and fell into the rhythm.  They make a HUGE difference and I'm not sure I could have made it through day 1 with all that weight without them.

The first 4km of the trail was brutal for a desk bound novice like me, as we climbed about 700 metres in altitude.   You can see from the photo the vehicles in the park we started from down in the valley floor.

The scenery was the reward for our efforts, stunning, and we stopped frequently to take photos (yes and gasp for breath!)

We went from brown soil with mineral coloured stripes to black sand, to obsidian glass rockes, through ice fields, past sulphorous volcanic activity belching steam or hot water and greens so green, a fellow hiker described them as fluorescent.

Some phone pix to illustrate. 

It begins

Only 1.5k done so I'm still smiling

The valley in the middle is where we've come from

Lots of thermal activity

fluorescent greens

Across ice fields

Amazing rocks

We eventually arrived at Hrafntinnuskur hut at about 5pm and went and paid for our tent space. We found an unclaimed circle of piled stones (protection from the wind) with just enough room for our two tents. The ground was rock hard (unsurprisingly) and we had to use rocks to hammer in the pegs.  Not the best pitch in the end but the forecast doesn't indicate it will be windy, so fingers crossed.

We headed up to the hut provided for independent tenters to use, and cooked dinner.  I was feeling pretty nauseous, likely my body saying what the heck are you doing?  You made me  walk all this way and now you want me to process food?  My lamb bryiani was salty, and I only managed a few mouthfuls.  What you pack in you pack out, so I scooped it all back into the bag it came from and sealed it.  I might eat it cold for lunch tomorrow. 

We climbed into bed about 8pm, absolutely knackered.

Made it to camp #1