Landmannalaugar - Þórsmörk Hike

19 September 2011 – At the beginning of the 4-day hike from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, I thought I was going to be miserable throughout the entire trip. After finding out that my raincoat literally absorbed water rather than repel it only 5 minutes after stepping off the bus, I probably started with too negative an attitude to really appreciate some of the wonderful rock formations and unique geological features that we saw on the first day after leaving the cozy hut where we ate lunch.

            But as soon as we arrived at the first hut that night and hung up essentially everything we were wearing on the radiators, hot water pipes along the ceiling, and bedposts, I was already in a better mood. The second day was infinitely better than the first, the third was better yet, and the fourth was the icing on the cake. Walking through scenery that looks like something out of Lord of the Rings was really an amazing experience. With minimal rain after the first day but temperatures low enough to keep our layers on, we enjoyed an extremely comfortable but still challenging scramble to Þórsmörk. The entire trip was full of pleasant surprises that only added to my pure enjoyment of being in the middle of Iceland’s remote highlands. From the waterfalls to the canyons to the labyrinth to the rainbows and of course all the delicious treats and strong coffee that Palli and Rosa never failed to forget, I found myself saying, ‘How cool is this?’ practically every five minutes. And of course, walking on a glacier, through ice tunnels, and around a haunted lake are memories that I am certain will stay engraved in my mind.

            At the end of each day, I greeted my warm, full, and tired body with a cozy sleeping bag in a room full of unbelievable people laughing at some last joke before we turned off the lights. But I really started to think deeper about the intention of the trip when we walked silently through the birch forest for the last hour of the hike. Up until then, the walk consisted of appreciating the incredible views and enjoying each other’s company while snacking on peanut butter and rhubarb jelly sandwiches. But while I slowly followed Christina through the winding path through the birch trees and down the hill to our final destination with Eyafjallajökull looming over us like some kind of glacial guardian, I realized that this hike represented the end of summer and the start of fall. Because green mossy hills and grassy fields surrounded Solheimar, walking through the birch forest was the first time I saw yellow, orange, and red leaves since being in Iceland. And for me, and probably lots of people, the changing of the leaves is the most significant indicator that fall has officially started. So after a few minutes of giggling and waving and picture taking during the final silent hour, it began to sink in that the first phase of this semester is over. The first two weeks of learning the ropes and adjusting to a new country are complete and all the projects and assignments, which have already started, are quickly approaching their first round of due dates. So in a way, ending this hike, which for the most part was a fun recreational activity, represents the start of the more determined aspect of CELL and the larger importance of our presence to the Solheimar community. 

Lily Alverson