Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.12.2010, Qupperneq 18

Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.12.2010, Qupperneq 18
18 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 18 — 2010 Travel | Hiking Trip provided by Arctic Adventures, www.adventures.is. Book trip: +354 562 7000. ”One had brought sausages he cooked by holding them over the glowing lava. When someone shouted: 'It smells like burning tire', everyone checked their soles... Words Wiebke Wolter photography www.ellithor.com Jumping up and down, we cross rivers on our four- wheel drive jeep, the majestic Mýrdalsjökull glacier on the right, the sublime Eyjafjallajökull right in front of us and the sun showing off with perfect au- tumn morning light. We drove through Þórsmörk on our way to hike the volcano. Taking the first steps towards the mountaintop, we learned about the two phases of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption last year. The second phase was the one ev- eryone will remember for a long time, the one that produced the huge ash cloud and created the highest level of air travel disruption since World War II. The first eruption on the other hand wasn't that interest- ing to the rest of the world. It formed a huge fissure with several craters in the middle of the two glaciers Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull. This ridge is called Fimmvörðuháls, and is exactly the place we were heading to. OUT OF BREATH Walking the first fifteen minutes, it was already clear that this trip would not be like a stroll in the park. The narrow paths with steep slopes to both sides are likely to cause vertigo. Having to get over about 1.000 metres of difference in altitude, we were already out of breath after a little while walking up the strong as- cent. But after a while, we got in the groove and were able to enjoy the amazing nature around us: glacier to both sides, a river below us, moss covered moun- tains, caves made of lava from earlier eruptions and shrubs in autumnal colours from yellow to red. After two hours and a lot of sweating and puffing, we arrived at a plateau and had a well-earned lunch looking at the huge cooled-down lava f low meander- ing down the mountain. The guide pointed up to a black peak up there somewhere in the distance and said this is the crater we need to get to. The next hour of pushing us up the mountain was hard. Our legs felt heavy and we were intimidated by the steep as- cent ahead. When we took the last bend and suddenly stood in front of the crater, the challenging climb was totally worth it, and the tired legs forgotten. I wasn't aware that we were actually allowed to walk ON the lava, but indeed there is a marked trail on the cooled lava f low. We found ourselves in the middle of a devil’s kitchen: steam everywhere and below us in one crack we actually saw red glowing lava. And all of this with the sublime glaciers in the background. It's ice and fire, the two strongest forces of nature combined in one spot. Amazing! On top of the crater it felt a little bit like being at the Costa Brava in summer: It was quite warm, and quite 'crowded'. Which is to say: we met other people. Until then, it had just been us, five hikers from five different European countries. Up there in the warm Spanish-like breeze, we met some Icelanders. One had brought sausages he cooked by holding them over the glowing lava. When someone shouted: 'It smells like burning tire', everyone checked their soles, but it was the plastic bottom of a photogra- pher's tripod that was melting... SOMETHING TO REMEMBER After this sociable intermezzo we summoned enough courage to walk up the next crater, balancing our way across very narrow paths. Then it was time to go down again. The first stage was mostly going down through black sand-like ashes; it felt a little bit Beautiful As Hell Hiking up to the scenery of the latest volcanic eruptions Always best price online. Various online-offers to all Air Iceland's destinations. www.airiceland.is websales@airiceland.is / tel. +354 570 3030 Contact Air Iceland or travel agent for reservation. ÍS L E N S K A S IA .I S F L U 5 13 93 0 9/ 20 10 KEFLAVÍK BORGARNES STYKKISHÓLMUR SNÆFELLSJÖKULL DRANGAJÖKULL FLATEY NESKAUPSTAÐUR BLÖNDUÓS SIGLUFJÖRÐUR BOLUNGARVÍK HRÍSEY NARSARSSUAQ Greenland FAROE ISLANDS REYKJAVÍK AKUREYRI EGILSSTAÐIR ÍSAFJÖRÐUR VOPNAFJÖRÐUR ÞÓRSHÖFN HÚSAVÍK GRÍMSEY KULUSUK Greenland Blue Lagoon AKRANES Geysir Gullfoss Jökullónið Kárahnjúkar Kraa Hallormstaður NUUK Greenland ILULISSAT Greenland www.airiceland.is CONSTABLE POINT Greenland

x

Reykjavík Grapevine

Direct Links

Hvis du vil linke til denne avis/magasin, skal du bruge disse links:

Link til denne avis/magasin: Reykjavík Grapevine
https://timarit.is/publication/943

Link til dette eksemplar:

Link til denne side:

Link til denne artikel:

Venligst ikke link direkte til billeder eller PDfs på Timarit.is, da sådanne webadresser kan ændres uden advarsel. Brug venligst de angivne webadresser for at linke til sitet.