Iceland - Day 14

Valley by Snaefellsjokul to Hellisandur and Olafsvik 11.5 miles I went to bed to howling wind and woke to utter silence. The sky was a gorgeous red and I was pink-to-my-toes happy. I only had 10.5 miles ahead of me but on unknown ground that could take between 3 to 10 hours.

I set off at an ungodly hour so I wouldn't need to rush and could still enjoy my last official trek day in Iceland. It started off well enough, lovely breeze, great views, and the sun almost out. And that's when I saw a weird-looking rock in the middle of the path. I was so mesmerised that I hoped to take a closer look. Then, IT MOVED. My heart literally skipped a beat. It turned out to be a local bird, and when she stood, at least half a dozen of her chicks ran off in different directions. I felt guilty as hell, so I gave them a wide berth and planned to walk off as quickly as possible. Hmmm, angry mamma bird wasn't having any of it. She started circling and flapping her wings. When I stopped, she stopped. When I moved, she ran circles around me. It was a standoff. I did the only thing I could think of. I went around her and ran away. This is her backyard, not mine.

I slept well, but for some reason, I got so sleepy that at one point, I had to sit and have a 5-minute snooze. It gave me the boost I needed. That's when the nosebleeds started. I was NOT happy. Once I found my tissues, I stuffed one up my nose and carried on. As you can imagine, all selfies were halted immediately. The landscape for the first 2 hours barely changed: Snaefellsjokul towering on one side, gentle fields in front and the sea in the distance. It was a very therapeutic walk. Just before I got to the second road crossing, I noticed a river. Rivers are always cold, but fording one at 7 am in the morning is somehow even colder. You can't imagine my reaction when I saw a small bridge. It was with utter joy that I danced across it.

I literally had a 2-mile section left on a lava/mossy field where things went a bit off plan. Imagine small and large loose rocks covered with overgrown plants. Now imagine this for miles. My ankle went sideways 3 times into invisible holes. I officially renamed this bit to 'the ankle-breakers'. The only thing that saved me from the Icelandic hospital experience was my walking poles and boots. I found the waymarkers and followed them without hesitation. 30 minutes into it, I realised that instead of taking me diagonally to the other side, it took me in a straight line, almost a mile off my exit point. I did grumble, but there was no way I was getting off the path. At least the waymarkers showed a path that has been walked and survived before (hopefully).

As soon as I noticed the road, I put one careful step in front of the other and went for it. After the crazy uneven ground, tarmac walking was bliss. The road was almost completely deserted at 9 am in the morning. I reached my walking destination in Hellisandur at 10 am in the morning. I actually felt giddy, and my imaginary tail was wagging like crazy. It had a lovely sandy beach where I just sat and smiled. This signified the end of my Icelandic trekking: 90 miles/144km in the Highlands and 50 miles/80km in the Snaefellsness Peninsula. I've walked across ash and lava fields, witnessed the stunning rainbow mountains, swam in hot pools/glacier lakes, drank crystal clear water from rivers, walked across snow bridges, enjoyed the silence between 2 glaciers, descended into a lava cave, watched the midnight sun and many many more. I've done and seen things that I've never thought I could or should add to my bucket list. It definitely wasn't easy. A lot of effort, sweat, pain, hunger, and determination but by God was it worth it! BIG YEAY Absolutely ADORE Iceland. It's a must-visit country.

My day didn't finish there :).

I walked around the small town and noticed some amazing street art on almost every building. It turned out Hellisandur was the 'Street Art capital of Iceland'. When I found a cafe, I thought I'd chill until my bus at 4 pm to Olafsvik. Sadly, the cafe didn't open until 11 am. That's when inspiration struck. The road was 30 metres away, so I walked there, removed my backpack, and hoped for a small miracle.

Not 10 minutes later, I see this 4x4 racing out of a side road and taking a turn on 2 wheels. I raised my thumb to catch a ride, but after 2 seconds, I changed my mind. I was too slow. When the car passed me, the driver had a look and stomped on his brakes. He reversed and said one word "Olafsvik". It was a charming-looking guy with honest eyes. Exactly like every serial killer in American movies. So I said YEAY and jumped into his car. This is Iceland, after all. His name was Machiek (aka Magic), and he was Polish/Spanish and moved here 19 years ago with his wife from Bali. I also know where he works, what he does, where they are going on holiday, who is taking care of his dog, and what he thinks of Covid. The drive was 10 minutes long. He literally dropped me off at the campsite and didn't accept any money. Huge thanks to Magic and to my guardian angel for keeping me safe from serial killers. I've walked 11.5 miles today and had my tent set up by 11 am, that's what I call good going.

The main reason I wanted to stay here was because of the whale-watching tour. I knew they had availability tomorrow, but you can't always rely on the weather forecast in Iceland. It can change quickly. The sun was up, and the breeze was minimal. I was hopeful so I made a decision and rang the tour office. They confirmed availability, so I booked a place. The tour didn't start until 2 pm so I had a 10 minutes shower (Oh My Dear God was it nice), washed most of my clothes, put them up to dry and set off to find some food. As soon as I walked into the restaurant, my nose started bleeding again. I must have scared the life out of the guy at the counter as he literally ran to get me some tissues. 15 minutes in the bathroom later, I was presentable, and the bathroom didn't look like a butcher's workshop. I wasn't sure how my tired brain was going to take the boat ride, so I ordered a hot panini with a fizzy drink. It was just right. Before boarding, we were all given these huge stuffed overalls. My God, was it warm and comfy. I almost fell asleep standing in this warm cocoon. I was the first in line, so I thought I would get a good spot at the front of the boat. Hmmm, so did everyone else, sadly. It was crowded, and sitting down meant not having a good view from all the people hogging the rails. I set off to find a quieter spot. The back of the boat was it. You could move left and right and see everything behind you. There were only 2 people here. I made myself comfortable and enjoyed the silence and the new angle to the peninsula and the mighty Snaefellsjokul glacier.

20 minutes into our ride, we noticed the first and smallest, whale species - the Harbour porpoise (max length 1.9m). She was not in a shy mood today and ensured enough appearances to make today's photoshoot a grand success. The next sighting wasn't until 45 minutes later - a gorgeous Minke whale (max length 10.7m). The sighting was on the left, but after a few minutes of nothing, I moved to the right side to make a small video of the island. My shout "THERE" must have been heard for miles. The cutie popped up on the right side just for giggles. I could feel the whole boat dip one way when every sole ran to my side. She was gorgeous and lucky for us, not shy at all. Having the peninsula as the backdrop added to the experience. The final sighting was just when we turned around a Sperm whale (max length 16m). It was originally too far away to see anything, but we could see the 'blow' of water long before we got closer. He came up several times, and the final tail wave was a beautiful view to see in person.

Our return was perfectly timed as I had exactly 30 minutes left to find the shop and buy some food. This was followed by a nice juicy well-deserved burger. At this point, I was so tired that my eyes were crossing. As soon as I got back to the campsite, I crawled into my tent and had a nap. The warden was meant to come around for payment, but I had no clue when. I'm not sure how, but I woke up 5 minutes before he 'knocked' on my tent flap. After paying, I passed out within seconds. It was definitely an eventful and very memorable day. Tomorrow is for resting, so hopefully, I can sleep in and just enjoy this charming little town.