Dana from Latvia and I just did the most incredible hike. I still cant quite believe I was in such a special place. it all seems very sureal as the colours and natural beauty is almost over-powering. i'm afraid none of the photos get even remotely close to the spectacular views that were all around us for 3 days but in a funny way i am happy because you have to experience them for yourselves. i think some nature is just meant to stay where it is rather than be transformed into a 2 dimensional image on coffee table.
we stated out from reykjavik at 9am on saturday and managed to get a lift with a couple from lithuania who were really nice and dropped us at selfoss, next we hitched a ride from some adventure rafting guides who funnily enough seemed quite dull, then a kind musician picked us up and took us to the road we needed. finally we hopped on a bus with some american graduate students. was fun to hitch hike as we met so many characters and somehow we made pretty good time and didnt have to wait long at all. at Lanmanalagur we began our hike at 2pm in awesome surroundings: orange mountains and steam rising from the ground. we made the first hut and set up my shabby, broken tent in moon like scenery with snow capped peaks all around us. it was a pretty cold night but we survived with extremities still intact and started in bright sunshine and blue skies. we hiked 27km on sunday passing through science fiction type landscape and down into moss covered mountains which looked like very strokable velvet peaks and expansive lakes. all the grass was dotted with cotton looking flowers and the array of colous was unbelievable: maroon, turquiose, electric green....... it was as if we had died and been transported to some majestic land of tranquility. sorry i think i'm getting a bit carried away but it was truly special. on monday we decended further to the thorsmok area where we were greeted by trees and some rather ominous river crossings, one of which i lost a flip-flop. i'm hoping i will find it next week when im cleaning the coast near reykjavik! in thorsmok we met up with another project and stayed a night in secluded valley below some glaciers. simply too much. writing this now i feel like i have to leave this country to fully digest it and appreciate the feelings that it provokes. think that is enough cheese for 1 day....
