Iceland > Through the snow at minus 10 °C

Today is an optional day, meaning everyone can decide for themselves what activity to do. Fred, Theo, and I decide to go hiking. The hotel owner tells us it’s possible, but warns that the trail is really intended for summer and might be difficult to follow in these conditions. With the directions we received the day before (“walk toward the mountain and then head to the village”), it should work out fine.

Iceland - Walking at Leirhnjukur near Krafla volcano in Iceland

So, off we go. At half past nine, we are picked up. The hotel gives us a GPS just in case we get lost. During the night, a thin layer of snow has fallen, and it’s still snowing. The driver handles the snow-covered roads with ease, driving briskly toward the starting point of our route. Along the way, a roadside sign shows that it’s minus 10 degrees Celsius, with a northerly wind of force 6 — promising conditions. After about half an hour, we arrive at Leirhnjúkur, where the snowmobiles are also parked. The strong wind immediately greets us, and the driver probably thinks we’re crazy. When we ask which direction we should head, he wants to know which route was recommended to us. Cheerfully, we start walking in the direction he points out. The mountain Hverfjall is not yet visible through the clouds and falling snow. There’s something special about walking in a white mountain landscape covered in fresh snow. We have to be careful, though — sometimes there’s earth beneath the snow, sometimes ice. Fortunately, our layers of clothing provide good protection against the cold. After half an hour, we face our first challenge.

Iceland - An icy and steep descent during the snow walk

Walking along the left side of a mountain ravine, we think it would be easier to continue on the other side. So, we have to cross. The descent is not easy because of icy patches, and since we disagree on the best route down, each of us takes a different path. Half sliding, half walking, we reach the bottom safely. On the other side, we climb up again and follow the trail we had seen earlier. The path gradually turns into a mountainside, which becomes steeper and steeper — too steep to continue walking safely in the snow. There’s nothing for it but to turn back. From this side, though, we can clearly see a continuation of the route we can probably follow. Unfortunately, the way back is directly against the wind. We scramble down and walk through a small valley toward a line of electricity poles. These poles are shown on our map and roughly match our route. For a long stretch, everything goes well, until the power line suddenly drops from a rocky ridge into the valley below. Our options to descend are limited. We decide to follow a frozen stream for a bit to get around the rock outcrop. Step by step, we make our way down. In the valley, we happen to find two posts marking the official trail — but no more than that. From here, we can see the Hverfjall mountain for the first time through the clouds. We cross a lava field toward the mountain. The snow crust is frozen and mostly strong enough to walk on. Sometimes you break through the top layer, but the snow isn’t very deep — just unpredictable. At the base of Hverfjall, we take a short break to eat our now-frozen sandwiches, sitting in a spot sheltered from the wind. We can’t sit long, or we’ll cool down too much. We continue toward Reykjahlíð. The route now is much flatter than in the morning, though there are far more shrubs here.

Iceland - Hiking along Hlidarfjall mountain

Between the bushes, the meltwater has frozen over. Because of the layer of snow, we can’t tell where there’s ice and where there’s earth, leading to the occasional slip — but never a hard fall. From a slope, we can see the smoke plumes from the old factory we passed yesterday. The main road must be nearby. From here, we can follow the road toward the village. The first gate we come across is easy to open and close behind us. A little further, we encounter another gate, harder to pass, so we climb over it. We end up near a kind of water reservoir. The surface is frozen, and we leave fresh tracks in the snow across the large pond — no one else has been here. At the exit on the other side, we have to climb over yet another gate. Then we continue toward the main road, which we can now see. We consider hitchhiking to the village — we’re all tired, and it’s still about a kilometer and a half along the road. But that turns out not to be necessary. The first car to pass is full of our fellow travelers returning from cross-country skiing. They enthusiastically wave at us through the window. We squeeze in, and together we drive back to the hotel. That saves us a phone call asking to be picked up in Reykjahlíð. At the hotel, we happily enjoy a beer and toast to a fantastic hike. After a short nap, we relax in the sauna and the hot tub. In the evening, during dinner, the Northern Lights appear again — even more vivid and bright than yesterday. I quickly grab my camera and rush outside. The Northern Lights are breathtaking to witness, but once again impossible to capture in a photo.