Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.06.2011, Síða 32

32
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 6 — 2011
Travel | On yr. own
Roll up for the magical mystery trip to
probably the only place on earth where
your nose hair will freeze while your
nipples and bum are safe and warm
in a river of hot natural water, flowing
directly from the core of the earth. Wel-
come to the hot springs in the beautiful
valley of Reykjadalur.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
To prepare for our adventure there are
a few things to take into consideration.
First, keep in mind that the trip involves
hiking to get to the springs, which
means that being in good shape is rec-
ommended for our intrepid explorers—
it’s a great time for that bacon-and-na-
cho free diet (however, the hike is fairly
low-intensity, so unless you go around
in a walker, you’ll probably be fine).
Then, we must not forget to wear
proper clothes: a warm coat, water-
proof pants, a good pair of hiking
boots, a swimsuit (of course), and
clean undies for when we change after
the hot bath. It’s wise to dress in layers
so that we can take them off as we get
warmer and start sweating during the
hike. Think of this excursion as a kind of
strip poker game, you begin with many
layers of clothing and finish almost na-
ked, while preserving your dignity.
Finally, we must be sure to have
enough snacks and water for more
than two hours of hiking, although
we should not be too worried about
this because our nice tour providers
brought everyone a tasty packed lunch.
HELLO HENGILL!
Equipped and ready, our trip begins
at Laugavegur 11, embarking from the
Arctic Adventures main office. The
bus ride to the hot springs takes forty
minutes on Iceland's main ring road,
Route 1, before we turn off at the small
town of Hveragerði. From there it’s one
kilometre by dirt road before we are fi-
nally able to get off the bus and admire
Mount Hengill, which rises up before
us.
The terrain is quite plain at first but
after a while there are several difficult
slopes, some of them full of stones
and gravel that can be slippery if one
doesn’t pay attention.
The landscape changes dramati-
cally depending on the season. In the
winter it’s completely white and almost
impassable due to snow, but when the
sun arrives a nature explosion sur-
rounds us: dried and green grass, ar-
omatic flowers, a bit of mud now and
then and Vivaldi’s ‘Spring’ playing on
continuous loop…
After an hour and fifteen minutes of
walking, we arrive at our destination.
A stream of warm crystal clear water
welcomes us with open arms, making
the trip well worth the effort and every
callus acquired.
FEELING LIKE A LOBSTER
The best part of the trip has come. It’s
time to immerse ourselves in the cosy
hot water and relax, a pleasure well
deserved after the long hike. It’s dif-
ficult to describe the wonderful feel-
ing you get while lying in the warm
water, watching the beauty of nature
all around you. A light cloud of white
steam emerges from the river and adds
a romantic, dream-like appearance to
the scene. Bravo!
Did you enjoy that? I hope so, be-
cause now it’s time for drama, for the
most dangerous and tragic moment in
our adventure; yes, in the end, you have
to get out of water. It’s normal, for al-
most all humans, to fear going from 40
degrees to 3 in a millisecond. But the
trick is to do the deed as fast as you
can. If not, you run the serious risk of
suffering from hypothermia.
After you are dressed again the
return is dead easy. The path is nearly
all downhill and a feeling of well-being
possesses you. Therein is the magic of
Mt. Hengill and its hot springs; you end
your hike with a big smile on your face.
A highly recommended trip.
Immersing In A River Of Relaxation
Geothermal bathing at Mt. Hengill
Words
José Ángel Hernández
Photography
José Ángel Hernández
The ‘hot springs hunt’ is available through Arctic Adventures. It costs 12.900 ISK and includes pick-up and packed
lunch. Guaranteed departure for 2 persons on Wednesdays with pick up from Reykjavík between 8:30-9:00 and from N1
in Hveragerði at 9:30, from May 15-September 15. Book trip at www.adventures.is or call +354-5627000