Laugarvegur Trek |
Getting There |
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Blackened landscapes of bare volcanic rock |
The setting of Lake Frostastaðavatn |
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Day 1 - Landmannalaugar to Hrafntinnusker (11 km - 680m ascent - 250m descent) |
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The polychrome slopes of the surrounding hills |
Looking back toward Landmannalaugar campsite |
Obsidian outcrop in the lava |
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Flatlands on the edge of the lava field backed by the barren hills |
View across the lava to the dome of Brennisteinsalda |
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Steaming sulphurous vents on the slope of Brennisteinsalda |
View towards the summit of Brennisteinsalda |
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Looking back to whence we came |
A jagged basalt outcrop amongst the volcanic hills |
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The group heads up onto the dark plateau ..... |
..... a barren and stony land between Landmannalaugar and Stórihver |
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Crossing the featureless and foggy plateau ..... |
.... and one large ash-covered snowdrift ... |
... to finally reach Hrafntinnusker Hut |
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Day 2 - Hrafntinnusker to Álftavatn (11.5 km - 210m ascent - 700m descent) |
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Early morning snow at Hrafntinnusker hut |
Snow melting around the tent sites at Hrafntinnusker |
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Setting out beneath the Reykjafjöll mountains |
A moss-lined stream carves its way through the plateau |
Stream bed snowdrifts persist throughout the summer |
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The river of snow |
Nello trying to stay upright in the wind |
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Muddy red slope in the rain |
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Where rivers run red |
The mists lift to reveal the magnificent green panorama of Álftavatn |
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Zooming in on Lake Álftavatn and Torfatindar Volcano |
A moody Lake Álftavatn with Stórasúla Volcano |
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Wading the Grashagakvisi River |
The green plain leading to Álftavatn |
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Álftavatn Hut |
View from the hut window of Lake Álftavatn |
We had arrived at 2.30pm, having pushed through more quickly in the unpleasant conditions, and had the afternoon to relax in the warmth of the hut, watching the weather change from rain to sunshine and back several times over the lake below. I wandered down to the lake shore to watch the patches of sunlight glisten on the water, interspersed with bands of grey and drizzly cloud. Eventually the cold wind drove me back indoors. We are loving this experience on the Laugarvegur Track, but sometimes things are better observed from the window of a warm hut than from an exposed strip of black sand at the edge of a lake. |
Grey cloud moving in over Lake Álftavatn |
View of the water-runnelled slopes of a hill near the hut |
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Day 3 - Álftavatn to Emstrur (18.5 km - 240m ascent - 300m descent) |
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Looking back up towards the highlands from Álftavatn |
Last glimpse of Lake Álftavatn and its hut |
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Cascades on the Kaldaklofskvísl River |
Wading the icy waters of the Bláfjallakvísl River |
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Heading out into the black flatness of Mælifellssandur |
A curious volcanic formation on the edge of the plain |
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Black desert wildflowers |
The cataract on the Nyrðri Emstruá River |
The small gorge of the Nyrðri Emstruá |
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The green peaks of Stórkonufell and Stóra Mófell rise above the ash plain |
Mælifellssandur landscape |
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Approaching the Markarfljótsgljúfur |
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An ice-wedge of Mýrdalsjökull at the end of the valley |
The closest thing to a Laugarvegur sunset |
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Day 3 - Emstrur to Þórsmörk (16.5 km - 280m ascent - 570m descent) |
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The interplay of light and shadow |
The creek below Emstrur |
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Cloud wrapped over the wrinkled glacier ice of Entujökull |
Time for a group photo (courtesy of Rona) |
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The patterns of lava |
Descent to the canyon |
Looking down the Syðri-Emstruágljúfur Canyon |
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Wedged between sky and earth - the rugged beauty of Iceland |
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Nello looking back from the pass over our route from Emstrur |
Showers approaching from the west | The curious peak of Einhyrningur (Icelandic for unicorn) - I actually see the head and snout of a big "porker" |
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Passing a narrow section of the the Bjórgil Gorge |
View ahead towards the mist shrouded Eyjafjallajökull |
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A fine specimen of Icelandic feral sheep |
Nello in the Icelandic forest |
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View back over the Almenningar Plain from Kápa |
View to the east from Kápa |
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View south from Kapa as the clouds roll in |
The many braids of the Þröngá River |
Crossing the Þröngá River |
Climbing up from the river and into a stunted forest |
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Deep in the forest of Hamraskógur |
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A pair of ancient birch trees |
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