8h00 – it’s time to catch the 4 hours coach to Landmannalaugar.
The further we are taken away from Reykjavik, the rougher the landscape is: it’s lava and more lava for kilometers. The view is indescribable and just the ride is amazing!
Nearly at the end, the driver does a quick stop so we can go out and take some pictures from the top of the mountain, facing a big lake and other green mountains.
10 minutes later we arrive at Landmannalaugar: our starting point of a 4 days hiking trail – Laugavegur, a 55 km trail!
I must admit I feel a bit nervous now that we are actually about to start walking in the middle of nowhere for 4 days, we were told we won’t have signal in most places, no electricity to charge cameras or mobiles. We had to buy in advance all the food we are going to need for next 4 days, as we won’t find shops on the way. We had to bring clothes for snow and sun, wind and rain, as we are expecting to face temperatures that go from 15ºC to -10ºC. We booked the huts in advance, so we will stay 3 nights in a hut, but the 3rd night we will have to camp… plus tent and sleeping bag!
And we have to carry all this stuff with us all the time… so my rucksack weights approximately 14kg.
Me and Verena look at the signs pointing the way to start, and we look at each other: 3, 2, 1, here we go! Aaaaahh!!
And it starts climbing up… after 10 minutes it already hurts our backs. hahaha
But the view is so so beautiful!
1 hour later, mostly done climbing up, we stop for a 15 minutes lunch break as it is already nearly 2pm, and well, we are tired!
Back on the path, there is a part where it gets really steep! I’m curious to look back and see how high am I, but I have to force myself not to look back down, otherwise I might lose balance and fall backwards. I even feel the need of using my hands to support me on the floor, by leaning forward and contradicting the weight of the backpack. On top, oh wow, we are high and the view is amazing!
The weather gets cloudy, but no rain for now.
After a short break we walk for over an hour through parts with snow and lava. It does not seem to end…
Laugavegur Trail
Laugavegur Trail
And there… 5 hours after we started hiking, we finally see a hut!!!!! Our hut!
Hrafntinnusker hutHrafntinnusker huts
Some people already setting tents around the hut, there is snow everywhere and it’s really cold! We ‘re happy we could get a vacancy in the hut, because it’s so warm and cozy inside!
To get inside the hut we need to leave our wet shoes and coats in a separate room.
After check-in, we sign the security list and we settle in our mattresses.
Down in the kitchen while cooking pasta and pesto for our dinner, we meet this friendly Icelandic guy – the tour guide of the french group! He is responsible to drive a van with the rucksack for the french group and also cook for them. We have a nice chat and he tell us all about a little trail to do after dinner, it’s only 20 minutes climbing up a mountain, but he says the view is totally worth it if we are lucky to have nice weather, and remember, weather here can change every 5 minutes. So we decide to go for this little trail, this time without our backpacks, which is so much easier!
And when we get to the top, this is the amazing view we have!!!! I don’t know about you, but I absolutely LOVE the colours of the mountains!!!!
After this we go back to the hut… it’s 10pm and we are so so tired! As my body touches the mattress, I feel all my muscles saying good night and my mind just follows…
