Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.06.2006, Síða 26

The southern part of Iceland is a part of the
country I really haven’t explored enough. I’m
only familiar with the big touristy things
around the area and was therefore curi-
ous to find out where I would end up when
being told that my photographer and I were
supposed to go hot spring hunting in some
secret valley located right above the town
Hveragerði. We met up with our guides
at 9 am inside the Arctic Rafting shop at
Laugavegur 11 and drank our morning coffee
before jumping into a jeep and driving off.
The driver headed south to the valley named,
appropriately enough, Reykjadalur (Valley
of Steam), which I had never heard of before
– strange considering that this place is only
a short trip away from the city but a great
getaway from everyday life.
Reykjavík to Hveragerði is only about a half-
hour drive. After passing through the small
heart of Hveragerði, we made a turn at an
intersection up an unmaintained, unpaved
road, with all the proper hollows and bumps,
characteristic of many Icelandic roads. Sud-
denly it came to an end and we parked at the
small parking lot, located next to the river
Varmá. Seeing that our jeep was the only
car there I realised this area isn’t a crowded
tourist spot – presumably because people
don’t know it exists, our guide explained. In
my opinion, this made the journey even more
thrilling.
As we got out of the car the wind started
blowing and the cold breeze gave me the
chills. I really was unprepared for a hiking
trip, wearing my Converse sneakers and a
thin jacket. I felt like a silly city girl with
no outdoor experience whatsoever. I would
strongly recommend better equipment, but
with no time to whine I borrowed a woollen
cap and a pair of gloves and we set out for the
Reykjadalur valley.
I was told it was a short and fairly easy
hike, which would reach its peak at the
naturally warm spring in Klambragil, where
bathing is supposedly an unforgettable
experience. The trail is called Rjúpnabrekkur
(ptarmigan slopes), named so because of the
winter population of ptarmigans in the area.
The only living creatures in our path though
were a couple of sheep walking around,
feasting on the grass, which was turning
green again after the cold and snowy winter
months.
After about ten minutes of walking I
realised to my dismay that I am in terrible
physical shape. I thought my lungs would
burst, my knees started shaking and I was
just waiting to fall f lat on my face, letting the
group move on without me. The small trail
seemed endless, and the headwind wasn’t
helping. At that point the idea of a hot spring
hunt far away in the valley didn’t sound very
amusing. But to my surprise, as we ascended
I gained strength and became more light-
footed, and started enjoying the view, while
our guides informed us about this astonish-
ing area.
The Reykjadalur valley is part of the Hengill
area, but the 800m volcano Hengill is a cen-
tral volcano, providing much of the geother-
mal heat in its surroundings, making the area
extremely colourful with patches of silicon
and sulphur. The landscape is symptomatic
of this, with transfigured rocks, hot springs,
warm rivulets and steam – a lot of steam.
The view over Reykjadalsá in the middle of
Djúpagil gorge, with its steep, rocky moun-
tains on both sides and a waterfall (which to
our guide’s knowledge bears no name) is just
spectacular. Standing on the edge of the cliff
isn’t a wise choice for those afraid of heights
but the impression of looking down on the
seemingly untouched nature and the amazing
scenery below was like being on top of the
world.
When the hike was almost half-finished
we came across a small shallow river, which
we had to pass by jumping on some small
rocks and praying not to slip. The group was
getting thirsty, and having nothing to drink,
one of our guides whipped out a plastic bottle
from her bag and filled it with water from
the river. Being able to drink ice-cold water
from a river in the middle of nowhere is one
of the things I cherish so much about Ice-
land, enjoy it while it lasts: with all the alu-
minium factories being planned in Iceland’s
landscape, no one really knows when these
small rivers will cease to exist.
Reykjadalur valley truly lives up to its
name. As we reached the heart of it, smoke
and steam soared from the hills as from the
earth right at our feet and this distinctive
smell, typical of thermal areas, welcomed
us. Now our hot spring hunt started for
real. Loads of small hot springs appeared
all around us and I was almost hypnotised
while staring down at the bubbling water.
For quite a while we just stayed there, trying
to figure out how hot the springs really were
and how long it would take us to bake bread
or boil an egg in the water. No clear answers
came from the speculation so one of our
guides started looking for her favourite mud
pot, which turned out to be the smallest one
around. Often the size really doesn’t matter
and I understood her affection while looking
down into the grey and muddy hole, which
bubbled with strange noises and seemed and
sounded as if it were puking. We threw some
“Being able to drink ice-cold water from a river in the
middle of nowhere is one of the things I cherish so
much about Iceland, enjoying it while it lasts: with
all the aluminium factories being planned in Iceland’s
landscape, no one really knows when these small riv-
ers will cease to exist. ”
Bubbling Water and a Hidden Bathing Spot
by steinunn jakobsdóttir photos by gúndi
ReykjadalurOutside Reykjavík
>>> continues on next page
Experience Viking-Age Reykjavík at the
new Settlement Exhibition. The focus of
the exhibition is an excavated longhouse
site which dates from the 10th century
AD. It includes relics of human
habitation from about 871, the oldest
such site found in Iceland.
Multimedia techniques bring Reykjavík’s
past to life, providing visitors with
insights into how people lived in the
Viking Age, and what the Reykjavík
environment looked like to the first
settlers.
The Settlement Exhibition 871±2
is located at Aðalstræti 16.
Reykjavík City Museum
www.reykjavik871.is
Step into
the Viking Age
50