Landmannalaugar - Þórsmörk - Skogar

We kept the trekking from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk for the end. The distance to Þórsmörk is about 60 kilometers. Only the first day goes roughly 900 meters up, afterward its mostly downwards. The lag to Skogar adds a bit more than 20 km and another 900 meters up. The trail is very well known and during the summer season rather crowded. There is a hut every 15 kilometers, but in summer they are mostly full and have to be reserved in advance. There is no food on the huts and as we had not reserved we carried heavy packs with food for five days and all the camping equipment.

The trail starts in the interior of Iceland which is normally only accessible by four-wheel cars with waterproofed engine. The roads themselves are not the problem but the fords. The bus to Landamannalaugar is a four-wheel vehicle and has an enormous light space below. But not only the road, also the trek itself crosses several rivers. After heavy rain or thaw fording can become difficult.

We did the trip during the last days of August. Apparently the season is already over by that time, all huts have been completely empty. There are no more snow bridges across the rivers and fording is therefore trickier. The cracks on the small glacier just below the Fimmvörðuháls are a bit scary so late in the season.

On the first day we arrived at lunchtime in Landmannalaugar and started walking despite a light drizzle. The way goes along the Brennisteinsalda, a colorful mountain with hot springs and steaming holes. Unfortunately the view was a bit compromised by the weather. Later we crossed an area full with big, glassy obsidian blocks. I am still angry at myself for not having taken a photo of that. But the camera was in the rucksack which was under poncho and there was no place to put it, only mud. We reached the hut at Hrafntinnusker in complete fog. The hut has geothermal heating and therefore everything got dry overnight although we were dripping wet when we arrived.

The second day started with rain and we stayed until lunchtime in the sleeping bag. Afterward the weather improved a bit and we started walking. Later we were caught in some more showers, just when we crossed our first river. It took us some time as we did not want to take off our shoes. Afterward the weather improved and we were almost dry when we arrived at the Álftavatn. As this day was rather short and it was not raining we continued another hour to Hvanngil to a new, privately owned hut. There we had to pass our first real ford, shoes off, cold!

This day was dedicated to rivers. Just after the departure we had to cross a muddy river with quite some current. As one does not know how deep it's going to get we had to take off also the trousers. The cheap, light plastic slippers were quite useful because the water is so cold that it really hurts and one does not pay too much attention any more where one steps. Bare foot this could be painful.

The weather was still dry when we traversed a real moonscape, a gray sand desert with littered rocks. Already around lunch time we arrived at the next hut at Botnar. On the map it did not look that long anymore and the weather was still dry but the forecast was not too reassuring. As a whole afternoon on a hut is not so much fun we decided to go on to Þórsmörk where we could always catch a bus.

The weather watched us closely, exactly in the middle dark clouds start forming but in the end we get only a few drops and no real rain. Just before Þórsmörk we cross another wide, very branched river. Around Þórsmörk there are even trees, something rare in Iceland. None of the trees is higher than a few meters, the climate is too rough. The hut in Þórsmörk (80 beds), one of three, is completely empty, we are the only hikers in the hut.

Finally a day that starts with sunshine - and a wide river. There is a bridge on the map but the riverbed changed and the bridge leads now only to an island. The whole area is full with young seagulls freshly from their nests. They are unable to fly yet, their descend from the nest must have been more a fall than a flight. When they try to run away from us they always overturn pathetically in the end.

The landscape is very wild and the way goes steep toward the Fimmförðuháls. Left one can see the big Mýrdalsjökull. On the pass we are again in the fog, fortunately the way is extremely well marked with old reflecting poles from some road. We are around 1 pm on the pass. It is foggy and windy but we can see that further down the weather is better. We therefore continue and start descending along the Skoga. We discover a few more beautiful waterfalls, unfortunately no longer with sun. Just with the first rain drops we arrive in Skogar, two days earlier than planned, but dry!