Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.09.2012, Blaðsíða 36

I head to the Arctic Adventures office on
Laugavegur on a day with nasty, biting winds.
Siggi, our tour guide, takes us—a group of sev-
en—to the car, a Ford Excursion with tires more
than half my height. As we leave Reykjavík,
Siggi gives us the run-down of the day's trek:
we'll explore the area around the volcano Hekla
and then head to Landmannalaugar where we'll
be able to hike or explore on our own.
Gates of hell
The group is sleepy and quiet as we soar
through the southern lowlands while Siggi re-
lays stories about the scenery. My attention wa-
vers. Hekla appears to the right, its head hidden
under clouds. I've only ever seen it shrouded
like that. When we turn off Route 1 and head
north, I start to wake up with excitement. It's
not long before we reach the beginning of
the F-road. The signs warn travellers: “Don't
even think about it if you ain't in a 4x4.” The
landscape has changed drastically since we left
the farmland of the south coast—a hilly desert of
black ash and pumice on all sides.
We weave our way towards Hekla as Siggi
tells us about its history. It is one of the most
active volcanoes in Iceland, erupting as recently
as 2000. But the deadliest eruptions were
earlier, such as the 1104 blast that buried nearby
settlements in ash. In medieval Europe, Hekla
was believed to be an entrance to Hell—people
dared not go near because they feared the
voices of the damned escaping from beneath.
The road towards Hekla is sinuous and
steep. Desert turns to lava field, rigid and
reef-like. I notice that the field is lacking the
Icelandic moss that so often accompanies this
common geological formation. That's because,
as Siggi explains, these lava fields are from a
1970 eruption. The poetry of newly-born earth is
not lost on me.
We reach a crater, coloured red by oxida-
tion, and go outside to find a powerful, freezing
wind. I close my eyes and listen and think about
the voices of the damned. After exploring the
Hekla region, we pass through another black
desert—this one of craggy obsidian—on our way
to Landmannalaugar.
Gates of Eden
The high winds are blowing lots of dust and ash
in the air, hampering visibility. When we reach
Landmannalaugar, the famous colourful rhyolite
hills are nothing more than hills in the distance.
Siggi explains that we're supposed to spend
three or so hours here, exploring on our own,
but because of the harsh, cold winds, we could
spend less time outside and more time in the
car looking at other things.
Still, I'm hell-bent on at least dipping in
the hot stream that gives Landmannalaugar
its name. I strip my four layers off, pull on my
swimsuit and run into the water as fast as
possible. It's warm, hot in some places. I relax
completely. I'm sad that the conditions are too
severe to allow for a pleasant day of exploring,
but I admire the beauty from the warmth of the
stream.
When I get back to the car, the whole group
is waiting for me and they think I'm crazy for
swimming. But if anything, I feel warmer, de-
spite the seconds of being wet in the cold wind.
Siggi fills in our extra time with a tour of the ar-
ea's waterfalls and features, where the real treat
is Gjáin—literally “the canyon”—a small gorge
filled with vibrant green life nestled beneath a
harsh desert landscape like a miniature Eden.
I sleep through the ride home. Reykjavík is still
windy and frigid, but after my trip to the interior,
it's nothing to complain about.
36 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 15 — 2012TRAVEL
Volcanic Heart Of Darkness
A day-long safari through
the deserts of the southern
highlands
195km from Reykjavík
Trip provided by Arctic Adventures. Book trip at
www.adventures.is or call +354-562-7000Landmannalaugar224
Words by Eli Petzold
People often set aside the interior of Iceland as “other” from the rest
of the country: it's a barren, uninhabitable desert, accessible only by
certain vehicles at certain times of the year. Before going on my jeep
tour, the only thing I knew about Iceland's interior was the vast and
silent unknown that people talk about so often.
Juli Vol
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