Iceland - Day 6

Alftavatn to Emsur/Botnar + Canyon trail

10.5 miles + 2 miles

I fell asleep to the sound of rain and woke (several times) to the same. I kept checking the time and praying it would stop soon. Around 2 am luckily it did. I had a couple more snooze moments, but at 3.30 a.m., I called it morning. The view that greeted me was a stunning, red sky, and a clear view of the mountains. It was as if the mountain was on fire. Looking the other way was also a surprise. Instead of the 60-ish tents I counted before bedtime, there were at least double that in the morning. I didn't wait for any of them to wake up and finished packing just before 4.30 am. I set off soon after with the sun just making an official appearance.

I have to admit, I was a bit worried about today for 1 reason; a knee and a mid-thigh river crossing. After crossing 2 dodgy-looking bridges, I witnessed the sunrise over snow-covered mountains and hobbit-like hills. A big AAHH moment. This was followed by the first river crossing that went off without a hitch. I enjoyed my breakfast at this very same spot.

The path that followed can only be described as a photographer's heaven. The sun and mountains on one side, snow-capped glaciers in the distance, green moss next to slowly melting snow, and a path right in the middle. Just a few miles away, I came across another hut/campsite that was nestled in a small valley. It was quieter than when I started but camping facilities were between boulders and rock 'castles' as the wind seemed particularly strong here. I was hoping for a hot drink but arriving well before 7 a.m. wasn't in my favour.

After crossing a bridge secured with large stones, don't ask, I came across the river that was meant to be thigh-high at the best of times. According to local advice, fording should always be done at least 100 feet away from where the cars cross. I spent quite a bit of time finding the perfect spot less than 300 feet away. The river was wider with a small pebbly island in the middle, and the water seemed less choppy. Once the location has been secured, I started the physical and mental preparation. I brought 2 things, especially for this crossing, short shorts, and a rubbish bin. The first so I don't advertise my underwear and the second to cover the bottom half of my bag. The fording guide didn't cover the person's height, so it very easily could have meant waste height for me. After securing all my belongings in dry bags and putting even my boots into the bag, I set off. Let me tell you: there was no smiling, there was no giggling, and there was only solid determination not to fall. The first section went off without a hitch, but my usual "BEEP" swearing very quickly turned to the "F, B" and S" kind. The water was ridiculously cold, and the sting was physically painful. I didn't linger long to do the 2nd half as I just wanted to get it over with. I made sure all my steps were precise, and going with the flow made my way across in record time. My legs were solid blocks of ice, and they looked like lobster legs. Drying and dressing took minimum time, but warming up again took a bit longer.

The next section was mainly lava walking with superb views of the glacier. It was with pleasure getting closer and closer to the mountains. Crossing a very sturdy bridge was an event after I noticed the angry-sounding river and powerful waterfall not 20 feet away. The signpost at this stage was 4 km, and it was not yet 10 am. That's the beauty of early starts. Surprisingly, I wasn't crazy hungry, but when I found a nice view of the glacier, I decided to sit, munch, and enjoy. That's when I started chatting to a lovely couple passing by. Before I knew it, 20 minutes had passed, and James from yesterday walked past with a smile.

I wasn't rushing anywhere as the journey was so much more important than the destination. Somehow, I still managed to catch up with him at exactly the right time. The big VIEW was breathtaking: the green hills and mountains at the front with the magnificent glacier at the back. The photoshoot started immediately and lasted several minutes.

Not 5 minutes later, just before noon, we got to the campsite with barely any campers around. We had the best spots to choose from, and I threw caution to the wind and set up camp with the best view in town. Sadly, it was also the windiest. My first setup was sideways, and my tent kept getting the brunt of the wind. I changed it immediately so the wind would go right on top of it. Stones were a must, and I secured a big bunch around my tent.

As the day was still young, I packed a small pack and set off to do a day hike. Not having my backpack was glorious, but nowhere close to the view that awaited me. A huge canyon with rainbow colours, a roaring river at the bottom, a picturesque mountain at the top, and the glacier all around. Adding a beautiful waterfall was the icing on the cake (or caca in Icelandic ).

After my return and a quick shower, I contemplated moving my tent, but then I just decided to tough it out. Somehow. With some prayer on the side. I spent dinner with James chatting about nothing and something. At this point, the place was heaving. At a rough guess, I would say there were over 200 tents. As the place was more like a combination of small hills with flat spots at the bottom, it never felt crowded. That was until a group of American teenagers, with 8 tents, moved in next door. They were chatty and loud. Add to that they seemed very interested in my "body bag" of a tent. I didn't want to point out that I carried mine, and theirs was delivered. As I honestly didn't want to meet any of these groups tomorrow so I retired just after 6 pm with the hope of a 4 or 5 am start. The light is the same but the path is amazingly silent at that time of the day.